What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Freedom of the Will’

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Updated 17 January 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Freedom of the Will’

  • Schopenhauer distinguishes between different types of freedom, including physical, intellectual and moral

Author: Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer’s “On the Freedom of the Will” is a landmark philosophical work that explores one of humanity’s most debated questions: Do we have free will?

Published in 1839 as part of a prize competition held by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences, this essay won first prize for the author and remains one of his most influential works.

In it, Schopenhauer rigorously examines the concept of free will, combining insights from metaphysics, psychology and science.

He argues for a deterministic view of human action, asserting that while humans may feel free in their decisions, their choices are ultimately determined by external circumstances and internal motivations beyond their control.

Schopenhauer distinguishes between different types of freedom, including physical, intellectual and moral.

While he concedes that humans have physical freedom (freedom from external coercion), he rejects the notion of metaphysical freedom — the idea individuals can act independently of causality.

One of the essay’s key contributions is Schopenhauer’s clear articulation of the relationship between will and action. He asserts that our actions are a direct expression of our unchanging character, which itself is shaped by factors outside our control.

This perspective challenges traditional notions of moral responsibility, as it questions whether individuals can be truly “free” in a moral sense.

The essay also explores the implications of determinism for ethics and human behavior.

Schopenhauer’s arguments are deeply rooted in his broader philosophical system, particularly his concept of the “will” as the driving force behind all existence.

He blends philosophical reasoning with practical examples, making his work both intellectually rigorous and accessible to readers.

Schopenhauer’s writing style is notable for its clarity and precision, though it carries his characteristic pessimism and sharp critiques of opposing views. His dismissal of metaphysical freedom as an illusion is provocative and has sparked debate among philosophers for centuries.

“On the Freedom of the Will” is a profound, thought-provoking work that challenges readers to reconsider their assumptions about free will, causality and moral responsibility.

Schopenhauer’s arguments remain relevant today, influencing contemporary discussions in philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology.

 


Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves

Updated 21 March 2025
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Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves

PARIS: Thursday’s release of action-adventure epic “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” marks a make-or-break moment not just for struggling French games heavyweight Ubisoft, but for the entire European gaming ecosystem.

With its almost 18,000 employees and global footprint, Ubisoft has nevertheless suffered one setback after another in recent years with disappointing releases, a dwindling stock price, harassment allegations against former bosses and repeated strikes.

The company is falling back on its longtime major money-spinner “Assassin’s Creed” to pull it from the doldrums, this time with an episode set in medieval Japan.

“I’ve never seen things this way” as the whole European industry looks to Ubisoft, Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade told AFP ahead of the launch.

More than 17 Ubisoft studios employing hundreds have poured five years of work into “Shadows,” with an estimated budget running into hundreds of millions of euros.

Early reviews have been positive, with the game receiving a “generally favorable” score of 81/100 on review aggregation site Metacritic.

That was one point higher than “Valhalla,” the 2020 release that has so far been the high point of the series’ profitability.

The latest instalment “looks better and plays better than nearly any other entry in Ubisoft’s 18-year-old series,” American games journalist Stephen Totilo wrote on his website Game File.

Meanwhile, gaming site IGN’s review of “Shadows” said it “sharpens and refines (the series’) edge without fully reforging it.”

“Shadows” was partly developed at Ubisoft’s studio in Quebec City, Canada.

The artistic director of Ubisoft-Quebec, Thierry Dansereau, told AFP at a launch event in the city that the company’s “developers did everything they could to create the best game possible.”

A lack of major changes to the game’s mechanics could risk “leaving some players worn out,” said Julien Pillot, an economist specializing in the cultural industries.

He suggested that Ubisoft’s recent underwhelming releases “may be a sign that audiences are falling out of love with its games.”

Nevertheless, Planade said that “everyone is crossing their fingers for this release to be a huge success.”

He said a poor sales showing could provoke a knock-on effect across the entire industry, noting that in France alone, Ubisoft accounts for almost one-third of the country’s 15,000 jobs in games development

In a social media post, Ubisoft said the release appeared to be a success.

“It’s not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!” the company said on X.

Many budding creators pass through Ubisoft after completing their training, while former employees have founded new studios in France and around the world.

The company in 2023 launched a cost-cutting drive including studio closures and almost 2,000 layoffs.

The belt-tightening did not save Ubisoft from judgment on financial markets, with the stock falling from more than 100 euros ($109 at today’s rates) 10 years ago to its all-time low of 9.01 euros in September.

Ubisoft shares had fallen almost 5.6 percent on Wednesday to trade at 12.60 euros by the time markets closed, despite the good early reviews for “Shadows.”

Even before release of the hoped-for blockbuster, Ubisoft said it was “actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options” for its future.

Early rumors suggested that could involve going private with help from Chinese tech giant Tencent, a major investor that holds 10 percent of Ubisoft.

More recently, multiple outlets have reported that the group could sell off much of its games catalogue to focus on its core titles.

“Every option is on the table” for Ubisoft’s future, Planade said, with commercial success for “Shadows” likely to strengthen Ubisoft’s hand in the negotiations.


What We Are Reading Today: First Steps by Jeremy DeSilva

Updated 21 March 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: First Steps by Jeremy DeSilva

In “First Steps,” Jeremy DeSilva shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human, from our technological abilities, our thirst for exploration, our use of  language and may have laid the foundation for our species, traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. The book also examines how walking upright helped us rise above all over species on this planet.


What We Are Reading Today: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

Updated 19 March 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

Neil Shubin’s “Your Inner Fish” tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth.

Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.


REVIEW: ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’ offers classic retro platform fun

Updated 19 March 2025
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REVIEW: ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’ offers classic retro platform fun

LONDON: Way back in 1999, “Donkey Kong 64” was a genre-defining release for the Nintendo 64. It was the first 3D Donkey Kong game, a generation apart from the first time the gorilla appeared in computer games in 1981.

The return of “Donkey Kong” in this newly released high-definition title for the Switch, offers nothing as groundbreaking as some of his previous titles but is rather core fun for a new generation of younger players.

Indeed, it offers a rehashed, polished and enjoyable platformer for a console that is about to welcome its first major upgrade in the coming months.

At its essence, “Donkey Kong” is platformer ballet, requiring a combination of timing of directional jumps and a small variety of attacks to proceed. Set against the lush backdrop of a tropical island that takes you across nine worlds: from jungles to ruins, underground mines to factories.

With jaunty music and a storyline no more complicated than trying to rescue stolen bananas, Donkey Kong is very much a pick and play rather than a brain teaser.

The game’s simple premise has a degree of depth within it when it comes to the search for perfection. Completing one setting straight through is one thing, doing it whilst collecting all jigsaw puzzle pieces, Donkey Kong letters and bananas is another entirely.

Charming music and enemies and allies alike make up part of your journey. Diddy Kong is your key ally, in single-player mode he rides on DK’s back providing that extra jump boost, in two-player mode he can take down enemies with his banana throws.

Puzzles are straightforward enough for the younger gamer (the game is advertised as age 3 and over) and the biggest frustration is how far you have to go back if you are felled by a bad guy or in a bottomless pit.

Racing minecarts or buccaneering rhinos offer more variety away from the core jumping and the end-of-level bosses are imaginative.

A nice new touch is the use of perspective, accessed through blasting barrels, to conquer more distant parts of each world. Something that is slightly harder on the handheld versus the console as your character vanishes into a miniature.


What We Are Reading Today: Humans by Surekha Davies

Updated 19 March 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Humans by Surekha Davies

Surekha Davies’ “Humans” traces the long, volatile history of monster-making to chart a better path for the future. Along the way, Davies reveals how people have defined the human in relation to everything from apes to zombies, and how they invented race, gender, and nations.

This is not a history of monsters, but a history through monsters.