John R. Ehrenfeld

“Free will is, however, one of the problematic, perhaps even mistaken, beliefs of modernity that ultimately fuel the fires of consumption. Heidegger claims that actions follow from one’s immersion in a culture that socializes individuals to relate to the immediate world according to their historical experience, rather than from some context-free and autonomous choice. Choices are more akin to habits. Unless the actor understands the process and “chooses” it over the idea that the “free self” is at work, the resultant choice of action is inauthentic and lacks meaningfulness for the actor. The more that choice is propelled by social forces, such as advertising and peer pressure, the less authentic the action will be, and the less satisfaction will show up at the root of Being.8”
― John R. Ehrenfeld, Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture