At a base level, you could assert that none of us can &quot;choose&quot; anything and the universe is entirely deterministic, or it&#x27;s at least deterministic at any level which affects us.<p>In practice, you&#x27;re generally able to read as much as you want, talk to as many people as you want, and choose who you care about and what issues are important to you. A person&#x27;s beliefs <i>are</i> changeable with time, effort and understanding of the world they live in.