As a dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, Jamiel Laurence found himself thinking about the notion of free will while experimenting with movement and visual effects in his work. After researching further into this topic, Laurence has come to realize that there might not be a clear cut answer to the question “Do I have free will?”
Laurence decided to take on this topic, one of the many unanswerable questions which people ask Google, and create a short film which plays with the idea of the dancer “being danced”. We spoke to Laurence to find out what he thinks about free will, whether the choreographer would compare life to a simulation game, and his views on temptation.
Why did you pick the question “Do I have free will?”
The question “Do I have free will?” really stood out to me as a question that was relevant to the choreographic language I have been developing over the past few months. I found myself experimenting with a movement quality in the studio that was being generated by having one dancer physically manipulate the other and then removing the initiator but keeping their literal physical effects on the receiver.
I found that this affected how the material was being received by the viewer and it really gave the visual effect of the dancer being out of control and not having the free will to embody the material being danced. The dancer was “being danced”.
Would you compare everyday life to a simulation game?
Absolutely not! The one difference that immediately comes to mind is the inability to predict or even control 99% of what is going on around me. There is also no 'pause' or 'rewind' feature, which is something I would certainly take full advantage of in a simulation!
In real life, however, there is not only how I see myself, but also how others see me, and I think that when we enter a simulation, we tend to forget what would happen if those non-playable-characters were able to feedback what they think about how we have behaved in their programmable world.
What is your favorite video game?
At a very young age, my father bought one of the first tower PC's in the UK and as a result I got to play the original release of DOOM, complete with zombies, demons, and many secrets to unlock. To this day I can still remember many of the cheat codes and secret rooms hidden within the game! It's my favorite game due to the happy memories that come back of getting to play games with my Dad.
If you had to be stuck inside one video game, what would it be?
I regularly get asked this by many of my colleagues who are gamers and I would have to say Skyrim (although I would not want to be the Dragonborn). What an incredibly engrossing world to get lost in, explore, and quest through endlessly. According to Steam I have spent over 200 hours in there since its release!
Do you think that, as a society, we are too tempted by things?
There is always a bigger fish and in this case, that also applies to the purchase, collection, and use of our “things”. The next phone, gadget, or fashion accessory is always just around the corner, and as a society we are being constantly bombarded with advertising and messaging to the point that it becomes harder and harder to resist that latest trend. Those who struggle not to constantly consume and take part in the latest craze can often feel like they do not have the control to do so. In that sense, I wonder what this says about their free will to choose...?
What do you think the world would look like without free will?
A world without free will would be a world without choices. Without the free will to experiment, try new things, and venture off in our own chosen direction, I believe that a mono culture would soon emerge, scientific research come to a halt, and creativity would cease to exist. Similar to the hive mentality of bees, I believe that we would just become drones and workers without the will to choose our own destiny.
Do you think we have free will?
Until I began the research process for this particular project, I would have immediately answered YES. However, having researched this topic further, and particularly connected with the work of modern philosophers such as Sam Harris, I have come to realize that there may not be such a clear cut answer to this age old question.
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