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## Archive for November, 2008

November 11th, 2008 by Sean Uncertainty vs. Determinism

Happy 11-11! And now for something completely different…

If you study philosophy, then you are familiar with the collection of beliefs that fall under the label of “Determinism”. Determinism states that everything in the world is simply cause and effect, and we can predict the future with 100% accuracy if we know the position of every little thing involved. We just have to apply the math, and calculate the result. The ability to “make decisions” is simply an illusion - your decisions aren’t an exercise of free-will, they are just the results of all the different chemicals in your head, and electricity bouncing around.

Determinism is anti-intuitive, because when we make decisions, it feels like we are making a choice. It doesn’t feel like our choice is just a result of the different neurons in our brain, and chemicals pumping through our blood stream. It feels like we are genuinely making a conscious decision - that we have free-will.

The argument of Free-Will vs. Determinism is a popular amoung philosophers. I don’t think I’ll be able to solve the riddle with this post, but I do believe that quantum physics provides us with a framework for making the argument for free-will, based on our scientific understanding of reality.

“God does not play dice with the Universe.” - Albert Einstein, arguing in favor of Determinism.

Einstein, like many scientists at the time, believed that reality was deterministic. He believed that scientists would eventually be able to figure out every math formula for how things work, and given enough knowledge, could calculate the exact future. What instigated Einstein to make such an argument in the first place, was the Copenhager interpretation of quantum physics, and the Uncertainty principle.

Prior to the discovery of quantum physics, it was hard to make the case for free-will. Sir Isaac Newton showed us that objects in reality move according to mathmatical formulas. When you throw a ball in the air, it has a parabolic curve, and we can plot the location of the ball, and predict where it will land. Sure, there are unknown processes in the world that still needed to be discovered, but it was believed that it was just a matter of time before we had a formula for everything.

The Uncertainty principle changed that. It’s discovery told us that we could never reach the holy-land of Determinism. We could never learn all the formulas, and predict the future with 100% accuracy, because reality wouldn’t let us. Uncertainty wasn’t due to our ignorance - it was hard-coded into reality itself.

While scientists try to remain objective, one couldn’t help but see the philisophical implications. If Uncertainty is true, then reality isn’t deterministic, and there just might be room for free-will in the laboratory. If free-will does exist, then it is exercised inside the realm of quantum physics. And if we have free-will, then consciousness must operate on a quantum level.

Posted in Philosophy, Science | 6 Comments »

November 5th, 2008 by Sean Obama

Posted in Random Stuff | 8 Comments »

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