The problem is point of view. Advances in medicine and science have taught humans that sense information is not to be trusted. High-paid performers have perfected the art of capitalizing on the unreliability of human sensation. The fundamental lack of trust in perception means that every human understands the concept of freedom-though most would prefer the term "helplessness."
             "Freedom" is a term that is loosely applied to the philosophy of free choice, and could be generally defined as the idea that humans are able to make choices of their own volition. This philosophy can be subdivided into two groups: existentialism argues that those choices are objectively meaningless; or rather, that nothing exists outside of perception. Most prefer a lesser extreme, and believe that human choice has the capacity to shape and control human destiny.
             Determinism is, ironically, a theory of theists and atheists. Theists argue that, if there is an all-knowing God, then that God must know the future, and hence there must be a future to know. Therefore, all human decisions have already been made. Atheists argue that humans consist of matter, and that matter is subject to certain predictable laws. If the brain, hub of decision, behaves in accordance to physical laws, then there is only an appearance of consciousness, and theoretically all decisions could be predicted using physical modeling. Therefore, all human decisions have already been made.
             James would argue that neither of the ideas can be proven scientifically, since the difference between determinism and freedom involves not facts (the realm of science), but possibilities (the realm of psychology, religion, and philosophy), but that his experience did not support determinism. Sartre would go a step farther and claim that, given that humans have no experience outside perception, solipsism is the only irrefutable option.
             Skinner would vehemently disagree w...