What's happening?

Thomas the Tank Engine is in trouble. He asked another engine to let him have a go at pulling some heavy wagonsHeavy carts.. But now he is going down a hill and he cannot stop. 

Matyas Moravec is a journalist Somebody who writes about the latest news for newspapers and magazines or explains the news on television. . He thinks we can use Thomas to talk about a hard question: are we really free to make decisions about how we live?

Thomas is able to make choices and is blamedSay that something is someone's fault. when he does something wrong. But he can only move along the tracks, so perhaps he does not have a free choice.

Human bodies must follow certain rules. In some ways, Moravec thinks we are following the tracks like Thomas.

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He thinks that if we had too much choice, life would be very stressful. You would worry that you were making the wrong choices, rather than just being happy with your decisionA choice made by somebody. . 

Is too much choice stressful?

Yes! It is easier to choose between two things than between 100 things. It is better to have fewer choices. 

No! There is no such thing as too much choice. Humans are very different, so it is good to have things that will suit everyone.