My dad said that a lot

You remember that orange soap you put in dry hands, and only after lathering wash with water? My hands never felt cleaner than after autoship class.

The way I think about this is somewhat novel I think.

Suppose we have two universes, everything the same, except one has free will and one doesn’t. Would an observer be able to tell them apart? I don’t think so. Maybe I just lack imagination, but I don’t see how free will would actually make a difference.

Your decisions determine what kind of person you are and what kind of person you are determines what decisions you make. They are self reinforcing and tied up together in a big path dependant knot.

Wanting to be a better person also only works if you let it change your decisions, bringing you one step closer to being a better person.

Also check out the book “seeing like a state” if you want a whole book version of that quote, including examples in forestry, city design and education.

There’s also the chemistry version. If you are not part of the solution, at least you precipitated.