Free Will (or lack thereof) and its Social Implications

Hobbes suggests that will is an illusion we have constructed by mistaking the power of our appetites and desires.  He claims that any decision one makes can be explained by a desire we failed to control or introduce, therefore we are not in control of our actions.

Although there are some arguments that may circumvent Hobbes' proclamation, I'm going to assume that it is correct for the sake of this argument.  I am going to establish a rough argument that one's lack of free will, and the means by which one forms his ego, causes the individual to be mainly the composite parts of the individual's around him.

If we are guided by our desires, then we are at the will of whatever causes such desires to take place.  This may be instinct (we desire to eat, find shelter, etc. for the sake of survival), or our experiences and observations of the behavior of others (that person has something that would be of benefit to me, so I now want it).   This later desire was not realized until observing the behavior or actions of others, and therefore it is not intrinsic.  The desires that come to be by extrinsic forces can be understood as the influence of our society.

(Here it is important to note that society was formed by mankind in correlation with the desires of the individual (original instincts), but as the customs of the past have been imposed upon future generations, it has been shaped into something much different - often times in opposition with the desires of the individual.)

It is also important for the sake of this argument to understand how our egos are formed.  We form our egos and our understanding of ourselves by the manner in which we act and the thoughts that led to such actions.  These actions and thoughts compile to form an idea of the self; however, if these actions are created by an extrinsic force, as explained above, then what we define as ourselves is actually the work of something extrinsic to the self - mainly other people and their actions.  Therefore we are mainly the composite of desires instilled by other people then we are an independent individual.