Questions tagged [determinism]
The doctrine that every event has a cause. The main philosophical interest of determinism has been in assessing its implications for free will.
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If we were to know everything about the universe right after the Big Bang, can we predict me eating toast today?
It is implied, per QM, that the behavior of subatomic particles cannot be precisely predicted. However, these indeterministic effects do have defined probabilities. By the law of large numbers, they ...
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How does indeterminism still lead to deterministic laws in the macro world?
Philosophers and many scientists seem to distinguish between the macro and micro world a lot. Things in the micro world seem to be indeterministic, atleast through the standard interpretation of QM.
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Is determinism equivalent to necessitarianism? If not, does one imply the other?
I am having a hard time understanding the difference between determinism and necessitarianism. What is the difference between them? Are they equivalent, or is one strictly stronger than the other, or ...
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Schopenhauer and the 'ability to make decisions' as a metric for free will
I've been having a less than productive discussion with someone about perspectives on free will. I feel confident in my position, but experience has taught me that my confidence is often in direct ...
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Fatalism vs Determinism vs Free-Will
To my understanding, physical causal Determinism means that if E is a physical event, then there is a physical event C such that C causes E. Fatalism means that if some event C happens, then any event ...
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If determinism is false, what is the “true” probability of each event?
In a deterministic universe where knowing every possible cause and initial condition leads you to figure out the effects with precision, each event ends up having a “real” probability of 0 or 1. ...
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Could the universe or any event within it have occurred otherwise, even if determinism was false?
Could any event have happened differently? Even if the universe was “inherently stochastic”, does this imply that events could have occurred differently? It seems to me that even inherent randomness ...
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Does a rock falling down a hill perform computation?
Imagine a rock in the shape of a chessboard with pieces in a certain configuration.
Throw the rock down a particular hill. The hill is shaped in such a way that, given the correct throw, the ...
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Is it possible for the universe to be deterministic at one level, but not at a higher level?
I know that it is certainly possible for the universe to be stochastic at one level, but deterministic at a higher level. For example, I have read that while quantum mechanics is a stochastic theory, ...
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How can we establish that causal relationships existed in the past?
From Hume's problem of induction, it is intuitive to me that, for example, "taking aspirin in the past has relieved my headaches" is insufficient to say with certainty that "taking an ...
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Does existence of omniscient God imply Determinism?
I have a question about an argument for why the world must be completely deterministic if there is an omniscient God and wanted to know about the validity of the argument.
If the premise is that God ...
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When and by whom was the Strawsonian Framework extended to forward looking responsibility?
As I understand it, theories concerning forward-looking responsibility existed before Strawsons 1962 "Freedom and Resentment".
The Categorization of it as backward-looking and the ...
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How to solve this paradox about determinism?
I am thinking about this problem :
suppose the world is deterministic and there exist an entity "D" able to predict the future based on the knowledge of the state of the world at a given ...
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Does determinism require Modal collapse?
The question is pretty much self-explanatory, I was just curious if there is any possible way to show that Modal collapse isn't caused by determinism.
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Does Hume undermine determinism? [closed]
The problem of induction (kind courtesy David Hume) states that causality isn't deductively justified.
Determinism, predicated on causality, isn't justified.
Ergo, free will is (at the very least) ...
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What is the definition of libertarian free will?
I've seen similar questions asked once or twice on here, but I wasn't able to find a satisfying defense of libertarian free will. The answers seemed to be kind of scattered. So, I wanted to make ...
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Determinism vs prediction
What is the difference between determinism and predictable. I have heard classical mechanics is both predictable and deterministic , chaos theory is deterministic but unpredictable , quantum mechanics ...
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Why would there be anything in determinsm? (hobbyist)
I am a total hobbyist, but this question bothers me for a long time.
My line of thought is, if there is a collection of rules for which any given event would result in a set outcome with no deviation ...
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The Mediocrity Principle, The Laws of Nature and Free Will
The Mediocrity Principle, though it had a very specific meaning when it was first stated, is now a more general principle the essence of which is not to assume "a phenomenon is special, ...
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Strawson on Free Will: What are the most persuasive challenges to his position?
There are arguments against free will and moral responsibility which rely on strict causal determinism and/or determinism modified by quantum randomness. Criticisms of these views raise doubt as to ...
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Is there any way existentialism can be compatible with the idea of free will being an illusion?
I just read another question from this website about free will, decided to ask my own rather than comment on another. I have no formal education in philosophy. I almost want to ask this question from ...
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Plato's Forms and Determinism
Plato holds that the being of an object is determined by its participation in the Form of which the notion it the quality that determines that being insofar as it is "beautiful", "large&...
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Do preceding events cause subsequent ones in a four-dimensionalist world?
I feel like this question has a good chance of having been asked here before, but the first ten-odd "similar questions" listed by the site when I composed the title didn't cover what I'm ...
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Does Newton's first law of motion contradicts causality?
First, English is not my mother tongue and hence maybe the expressions I will use are not very accurate.
Causality as I understand is when there is a change, then there is a preceding event "...
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How could I not think I have free will, yet still have it?
Not everyone thinks free will exists, and from personal experience I don't find freedom of will in my actions or emotions(I suppose I am assuming that's where it's located). It was once something I ...
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Proof for the Absence of Free Will (Revised)
Introduction
Approximately 1 year ago, I posted a 'proof' for the absence of free will.
The post drew a wide range of interesting and answers and comments. The most persuasive challenges related to ...
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Copernican Principle defended using Algorithmic Information Theory?
Imagine a chronologically-ordered list of all the n humans who will ever live. I am already assuming that time is linear rather than say a branching structure.
Can the Copernican Principle be defended ...
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Aren't talks about moral responsibility under hard determinism moot?
I see people extensively debate over whether deterministic beings should be held responsible for their actions if there was no moral agency or free will involved in it. But is that even a relevant ...
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Was Einstein’s dice analogy not exactly how he wanted quantum mechanics to be?
Eindtein famously stated that God doesn't play dice ("Gott würfelt nicht"). But wasn't that example of precisely how he thought quantum mechanics should be, i.e. a determined process ...
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Can retribution be justified without free will?
Without free will, our behaviour would be no different from any other natural phenomenon, Sam Harris and other determinists claim: https://i.stack.imgur.com/DSVFq.jpg
“Compare the response to ...
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causality vs determinism
Does causality implies determinism?
Causation is a necessary relation between cause and effect and I consider determinism as "state of the future will be uniquely fixed by the past's state "
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If dualism provides an escape from determinism, how does it work
There are confusing number of types of dualism, i am not sure which one to restrict the question to.
Reductionist physicalism has a dichotomy between determinism and random. Dualists like to claim ...
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Non-random indeterminism in physicalist reductionism?
In lectures on free will, often a dichotomy between determinism and random is alluded. This dichotomy always is not a true dichotomy, there are some known and even trivial examples of non-random ...
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Can there be determinism without predictability?
Suppose you have two intelligent agents interacting, with each one one's behavior based on their prediction of what the other will do. For example, suppose you have two mind readers playing rock, ...
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Is the debate on free will over? [closed]
I've never posted on here but I am interested in philosophy. I think a lot about free will / determinism / compatibilism. I always felt like I have some degree of free will. I know free will is ...
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Does determinism include any concept of knowledge?
Causal determinism means that every event is completely caused by prior events. Therefore no amount or kind of knowledge can have any effect whatsoever on the flow of events.
If a person's behaviour ...
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Free Will vs Destiny
Is living, believing having free will the destiny(predetermined truth)of our life?
Do we really have free will or we just believe to have free will?
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If everything is predetermined, why should I feel motivated to do anything?
I am a proponent of hard-determinism.
Now, the problem is, if free will doesn't exist, why should I feel motivated to do anything? The question "Why should I feel motivated to do anything" ...
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Wouldn't physicalistic determinism and non-compatiblistic free will both be possible at the same time?
Physicalistic determinism would require that the entire physicalistic universe would be determined. Non-compatiblistic concepts of free will generally hold that our conscious self awareness and free ...
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Which evolutionary concepts or theories are used to either support or undermine 'perception of free will' as accurate?
NOTE: 'Free will' in this question describes an ability to have chosen otherwise, given the same circumstances.
According to American Scientist, Darwin came to a belief that we had no free will 30 ...
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How does hylomorphic dualism (Thomism) deal with free will?
As I understand, according to hylomorphism the soul and the body are one in the same. The soul "informs" the matter, but does not interact as it would in interactionism. But how does this ...
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Is it the incorrect assumption of an "a priori determined universe", which creates the paradox of determinism versus free will?
I reached a bit of a watershed recently in my thinking on the question of whether we live in a deterministic universe, and what I see as a the related question of whether we enjoy real freedom of ...
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Most important modern/contemporary essays on free will
I enjoy philosophising about free will and formulating arguments as to why it cannot exist. I would like to write about my arguments so that they are relevant in today's literature, and so, I want to ...
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Hume's Law and determinism?
So I've been reading on the is-ought distinction.
Let's say I have a supercomputer and am given the initial conditions of an isolated system which contains humans. Then I see the time evolution of the ...
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Does determinism prevent rationality?
If hard determinism is true, and our thoughts are merely the results of a causal chain of atomic interactions, are reason and logic illusory?
This matter has likely been discussed in another thread, ...
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Why does "being able to do otherwise" not count as having free will?
Hello my question is a relatively simple one. But it is also one that seems to have alot of different complicated answers. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to derive a concise clear answer as to why ...
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Is there anyway for a Determinist to justify capital punishment as being logical?
Hello to all great philosophers here!
I've recently finished an essay and a few readings on determinism vs compatibilism. I actually have a few questions but my question is this : can a determinist ...
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If Free Will Is Proven Illusory, Is There a Case for Suppressing the Finding?
NOTE: This question does not assume the existence or non-existence of free will.
Dan Dennett, Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University, states that when "...neuroscientists who've been going ...
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Which Philosophical Ideas Best Protect Us From Existential Suffering in a Society Increasingly Accepting of the Claim That There is No Free Will?
Discussion of free will seems increasingly prevalent in mainstream media, particularly Youtube and in reputable periodicals such as the Atlantic, the Conversation and the Guardian (to name a few).
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Proof for the absence of free will?
EDIT (17/08/2022): I have answered this question with an evolution of the argument. See accepted answer below.
There are a number of arguments which aim to prove the impossibility of free will.
The ...
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