>>17579353Subject to cause and effect is not the same thing as lacking agency. We are children to this universe afterall and restricted to its confines physically. However, we are greater than the sum of our parts and have found ways to manipulate our reality and conceptualize ideas grander than it. Even if we are shaped by it does not mean we cant conceive any novelties of our own. Consider the universe without intelligent life. Everything follows a trajectory from physical laws and there is only one outcome, one reality. However, when you introduce consciousnesses everything can become unpredictable. Thats because consciousness is a variable in this equation. You can no longer determine the trajectory of the universe. Maybe you can conceive different realities based on what the variable may be, but it is not determined until you make a decision. I will admit that many decisions are made without any reflection - we have plenty of npcs - but generally the more you reflect and think of something, the more your decision and agency will be.
