Quote:
Originally posted by Loki
Heres my next question - Determinism vs Chance.
Are you comfortable with the idea of determinism, and how can one reject it, if nothing is random?
Nothing being random... at first you may reject this notion, but i ask you to give me an example of something that is random. (The uncertainty principle for electrons doesnt really count, from what i remember, all that is saying is that we don't know where electrons are at any given time).
I believe that chance is what makes the universe tick, or so to speak, but recently a friend asked me to tell him something that was random, and this has really gotten my stumped.
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Dear Loki,
I've considered the question of determinism several times (being closely related to free will, see above), and this is the conclusion that I've come to: If free will is a reality and not a fantasy, then there we ourselves are not predetermined in every aspect of our lives. We may be predetermined to do somethings (e.g. die) or inclined to do others (be a star athlete) but not everything (go to the supermarket tonight).
I've also considered how this relates to physics as-we-know-it, but I'm not sure that anymore that there is a direct correllation. I have had the interesting thought that the world of sub-atomic physics really does tell us that the world is not what our eyes tell us it is. I've also thought, especially with the principles of chaos theory, that perhaps God really does influence great events with the moving of atoms and electrons in what *appear* to be random fashion. So I don't think you can toss out the interesting notion that sub-atomic physics are may not be totally random and that Schrodinger's principle allows for the workings of God. (The principle actually says more than just that and creates the whole notion of probability fields in physics).
All just musings, of course. Right now with no further data, your view is just as valid as mine.