| 1 |
I disagree with that idea that whether the universe is deterministic or non-deterministic can be useful in deciding whether we have free will. Neurons seem to behave basically like any other biological thing. They will of course use non-classical physics (as far as anything else does) but at a low level, the idea that a significant number can maintain coherence is far fetched to me. How would you actually use this non-deterministic universe to have free will?
|
1 |
I disagree with that idea that whether the universe is deterministic or non-deterministic can be useful in deciding whether we have free will. Neurons seem to behave basically like any other biological thing. They will of course use non-classical physics (as far as anything else does) but at a low level, the idea that a significant number can maintain coherence is far fetched to me. How would you actually use this non-deterministic universe to have free will?
|
| 2 |
\n
|
2 |
\n
|
| 3 |
I don't even know if we can determine whether the universe is deterministic or not. Surely we would have to sit outside the universe and watch it to know this.
|
3 |
I don't even know if we can determine whether the universe is deterministic or not. Surely we would have to sit outside the universe and watch it to know this.
|
| 4 |
\n
|
4 |
\n
|
| 5 |
I think the question of free will depends on which scale you look at.
|
5 |
I think the question of free will depends on which scale you look at.
|
| 6 |
\n
|
6 |
\n
|
| 7 |
If you look at individual neurons then they behave deterministically (or at least uncontrollably) and if you look at the entire universe at this scale then it looks like we don't have free will. But "you" do not exist at this scale either. To get what we think of as a person we need to look at a larger scale system. Sure, you can describe the system entirely in terms of neurons but then you would miss out of the complex higher level behaviour.
|
7 |
If you look at individual neurons then they behave deterministically (or at least uncontrollably) and if you look at the entire universe at this scale then it looks like we don't have free will. But "you" do not exist at this scale either. To get what we think of as a person we need to look at a larger scale system. Sure, you can describe the system entirely in terms of neurons but then you would miss out of the complex higher level behaviour.
|
| 8 |
\n
|
8 |
\n
|
| 9 |
People are a large scale thing created by the action of neurons (among other things). We can talk about people without referencing the underlying mechanics of how they work. In some sense people don't exist because they are "just" a bunch of correlated atoms. But I think most of us agree that we do exist and I think free will exists in the same sense.
|
9 |
People are a large scale thing created by the action of neurons (among other things). We can talk about people without referencing the underlying mechanics of how they work. In some sense people don't exist because they are "just" a bunch of correlated atoms. But I think most of us agree that we do exist and I think free will exists in the same sense.
|
| 10 |
\n
|
10 |
\n
|
| 11 |
I would say that free will exists in the sense than "I" exist. I am some sort of algorithm which takes in inputs, processes them somehow and spits out outputs. The processing is "I" and it clearly determines the outputs so it in a sense has free control of the outputs. This algorithm happens to be implemented on a bunch of neutrons. In principal it may be possible to predict exactly what these neurons do but I think that is unimportant.
|
11 |
I would say that free will exists in the sense than "I" exist. I am some sort of algorithm which takes in inputs, processes them somehow and spits out outputs. The processing is "I" and it clearly determines the outputs so it in a sense has free control of the outputs. This algorithm happens to be implemented on a bunch of neutrons. In principal it may be possible to predict exactly what these neurons do but I think that is unimportant.
|
|
|
12 |
\n
|
|
|
13 |
\n
|
|
|
14 |
In short I have redefined free will and said that we have it. Welcome to philosophy.
|
Free will