"I could not have just as easily done that. The combination of a sound body and mind, a desire for security and success rooted in emotions forged from past events, a disdain for failure and losers (from similar causes) and the means to do so compel actions toward a good, prosperous life. My desires all seem to have a reason, althought I can't calculate them perfectly."

These desires only compel our decision when we are not using rationality. If we think about it, we may choose the option that is more desirable, because we intuitively realize it is more desirable. Or, we may choose the less desirable one, because we reason that we want to try something new, or whatever. Reason has control over the desires. Or, the final option, we try to pick the more desirable thing but we don't know what it is. We don't always do the desirable thing. Often we screw up even if we think rationally about our options, because we can't calculate our subconscious perfectly.


If we are not thinking rationally we are just compelled by this chain of subconscious drives. Many people do this at the poker table; we call them fish.

In both cases our decisions are affected, but only in the second are our decisions unfree.