Friday, October 9, 2009

Your own Beliefs - Individual Autonomy

I find the subject of individual autonomy very interesting. An important part of individual autonomy is making your own philosophical decisions. Other people can not choose your opinion. However, you should still pay attention to others. Also, your decision about what you believe may not be the truth. No matter what you decide, you must always be prepared to justify your beliefs.

Regardless of how you feel, you should always choose your own beliefs. Throughout a person’s life, other people are always pushing beliefs on them. Most religions try to convert people to theirs. But a religion is, essentially, what you choose to place your faith in, which is for you to decide. Choosing a political position can be a big decision. Drugs, abortion, health care, and war are just a few political issues. Everyone has an opinion about each issue. Some people may want marijuana to be completely legal, some people against abortion compare it to murder, the concept of health care reform has always been a heated debate, and everyone always has their own opinion about being at war. If someone persuades you to agree with their political decision, then they just gained another vote for what they want. Rather than just agreeing, hear what they say, then make your decision. Another, and possibly the most important, choice is how you wish to live. Some people like to live active lives, while others play video games. The cup may be half full or half empty. Regardless, everyone must choose how to live their life on their own.

Even if you make a decision that is good for you it may not be universally correct. If there was irrefutable, legitimate evidence that one religion was absolutely true, the others might die down. At least until then, people maintain their beliefs. Politics are based on what people want, such as their type of government. Therefore, until there is a universal agreement, there is no right answer. Finally, how you wish to live your life is based on what you enjoy, what your feelings are, and how you think. There are more parts, but these alone are enough proof that all people are unique and must decide for themselves how to live. When everyone is different, there is no correct way to live.

No matter what your choice is, you must be able to justify it. Most beliefs are questionable in some way. If you believe in something you must be able to foresee any questions that may contradict it and be prepared to answer. Individual autonomy is very important. Your beliefs reflect who you are and, therefore, are quite valuable.

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