I have personally subscribed to the idea of determinism for some time now. One of the ideas that I have held to be true is that if we were to go back in time 1 week from today, and observe the events over again, they would happen the same way as long as no variables were changed. Because essentially everything has a cause, a reason for its action. Every choice you make is determined by environment and genetics, and according to Heisenberg I guess you could say the randomness of particles.
My question to my fellow TFP members is this: if one were to go back in time, would the events happen the same way if you don't change anything?
According to the uncertainty principle, just by observing the events and going back, the particles that make up everything would act differently because they act randomly. Some would say this would not affect the larger scale of things, but I can't help but think of the Butterfly Effect.
I personally feel that, as Einstein said, there is a reason, a cause for the movements of these particles. It is just beyond our current knowledge or understanding.
Perhaps someone with a better understanding of certain principles of Quantum physics could shed some light on the matter. Causal determinism is something that holds up better than most philosophical ideas when thinking about the way we live our lives. I wonder if someone with a background in quantum physics could give us a better idea of how much this really affects our lives.
If the choices we make are all determined by things we can't control, then is it right for an omnipotent being to punish someone for their "choices?" This has always been the key of the idea of determinism in its relation to me and is one of the main reasons I cannot believe in the Christian God. More of a side note on my personal feelings but I wonder what you guys think?
Just a few interesting things to get some good philosophical debate going on and hopefully in the end everyone will come to a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. Don't be shy, speak up!
