This United States of America was founded on the principles of freedom and free will, of course we have restrictions that limit our complete and total freedom but we still value the "power" to make our own choices. In his TED talk Dan Ariely challenges this theory by posing the question: "Are we in control of our decisions?" He begins by discussing the part of our brain dedicated to vision and how much time we spend looking at things each day. He then shows a few visual illusions to show how easily our eyes can be tricked. Next he introduces a term I had never heard before: cognitive illusions. It basically means that our brains can be tricked into thinking we are making decisions when really we are doing what someone else intended us to do. He used the example of organ donations in European countries. The phrasing on the donation form was the biggest influencing factor rather than the individual's actual wishes. This example really freaked me out; it made me wonder how many of the "choices" I make each day are actually mine. I have heard about the science of marketing and how the smallest of details can determine whether or not an individual will purchase a product or not. Do we really have the power to chose or are our brains manipulated to behave in a way someone else would intended? Just like our brains can be tricked into seeing something that isn't true, our brains can be fooled into believing they are making decision. Woah.
This theory relates to tragedy because fairly often we blame tragedies on ourselves or spend time looking for ways the misfortune could have been avoided. Ariely's talk would suggest that we don't have control over a lot of the things in our life and realizing that fact would save a lot of people a lot of pain. In Oedipus, his suffering was amplified by the guilt he felt for things he couldn't really control. I still say that he shouldn't have murdered anyone but there is no way he could have known that he was adopted or that Laius and Jocasta were his real parents. Oedipus was the recipient of great trouble and sorrow, but it wasn't him that caused it. Throughout the play Oedipus tried to remain honest and noble, there was nothing more he could have done to prevent his tragedy.