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Corvus · 3478 days ago · link · · parent · post: If You Don't Know You Are Held Captive, Does It Matter?
I'd think not -- if at the time of choosing to go to war they believed in the cause and genuinely wanted to go, then they're not captives. However, if after having experienced war and changing their minds, they weren't allowed to leave, then they would be captives. As you said, it all comes down to whether we acted of our own volition or not. That does get quite complicated when you ask yourself if it's possible to make someone want to do something without them knowing, though. It's possible to influence someone towards a certain choice and have the person believe that the choice was theirs. To me, that just goes to show that all we have is the illusion of free will.