» Sun Dec 20, 2015 1:28 am I have only recently been able to start playing Fallout 4 and did some looking around online to see what people thought of the different factions in the game. To my surprise there are a larger number of people who seem to support the Institute and the synths then I imagined there would be. I have seen videos about how the Institute is the best option and threads about how synths are people and that the BOS are akin to Nazis. I find this utterly confusing and would like to address a few points that I have yet to encounter....
SPOILERS BELOW...... SPOILERS BELOW.......... SPOILERS BELOW.......... SPOILERS BELOW
1. People claim that synths are the same as humans because they have free will.
I do not see how people arrive at this conclusion. There are points in the game where characters say this, but ALL of the evidence I have seen seems to suggest otherwise. For example, there are two instances where you have the option to use a reset code to totally disable synths(can be found on youtube/ cant link for you 
). If at any moment a synths ability to function of their own volition can be removed with a code, then how can we assume they have free will? Further, this alludes to the idea that synths can be hacked and controlled. This is not the kind of free will we see in humans. Human's free will can not be hacked. Since i'm sure someone will disagree here I will try to preemptively explain myself. The human brain can be influenced such as with chemicals. However, ultimately a person still has the free will to choose to do/not do in spite of the influences. Also, yes the brain can be controlled with electricity- causing you to lift your hand or twitch. Choice/free will however occurs in the mind not the physical brain, meaning you could choose to not lift your hand all while electric shocks cause your hand to lift. Synths display the ability to have their choices be controllable, and do not at any point appear to have a conflict between their mind (if they possess one) and their body. By this I mean if we had an example of a synth who was attacking us while verbally or visually showing a disagreement with their actions, then we could possibly claim that they were exercising free will while being controlled. The lack of this evidence and the existence of the controller codes means that they must not have free will.
I have also seen some people claim that because the synths flee the Institute it means they have free will. Note that this is not a necessary condition for free will. It could be the case that the Institute in trying to replicate free will through programming gives the synths this wide a range of options. Also, we find out later in the story that the RR has a mole in the Institute reprogramming synths to escape. So yeah...
2. If I become the leader of the Institute I can change the way the Institute works.
This again seems to me to be a lack of taking the game for what it is. People who side with the Institute with the rationalization that they will be able to change its behavior as the director, I think, are ignoring the evidence presented in the game. The Institute is spearheaded by the director, however it is run by all of the division heads-Justin Ayo, Clayton Holdren, Madison Li, and Allie Fillmore. The director only facilitates cooperation among the leaders. Should the player try to drastically change the organization they would simply overrule you. Or there would be scientists who disagreed with you and left, taking their knowledge and resources with them- BOS Outcasts ring a bell?
3. The BOS are like the Nazis.
If synths are people then yes I think this a fair assessment. However, if they are not then they are the ONLY faction in the game to take the synth as a serious threat to humanity. Note that if they are not human, then they are like the BOS claims-an extremely dangerous weapon/technology (like the atomic bombs). As I said, aside from people just claiming it as true, I have seen no compelling evidence to the fact that synths are actually human.
So whats the point of this you ask? Well I think Bethesda has done an excellent job of painting a seemingly grey picture and in the process tricked a good number of people. They did their very best to make synths endearing. Arguably some of the best companions in the game are synths. They constantly try to make us feel sympathetic for synths. They even go so far as to make the the BOS poster child turn out to be a synth, causing even a stalwart BOS member to question their views on synths. And what do they do with the only faction that is against synths? They make them out to be horrible, unwelcoming, and rude. However, if you follow the information logically it seems to me that synths are not human and potentially very dangerous. The BOS's mission is to keep dangerous technology out of the hands of people because they will inevitably use it to bring destruction on the human race. Could it be that, you, by siding with synths have unknowingly unleashed or propagated a technology more dangerous than the atomic bombs on mankind? Or by choosing the side of compassion and freedom, you have doomed humanity again? Perhaps that's what Bethesda wanted you to do all along.
Ill leave you with this, a video showing how they are made with the opinions of two institute scientists and then one of the most prolific synths in the game.
(search youtube for "fallout 4 how synths are made")
