#10
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Can Quantum Weirdness Be Logically Predicted?
[ QUOTE ]
For example might quantum randumness be necessary for humans to have free will? [/ QUOTE ] Yes, in the sense that violating the known laws of physics in some way is necessary for human beings to have free will. The argument that free will is located in the quantum world is logically equivalent to the supernatural argument. God gives us free will = quantum spookiness gives us free will. Neither argument is supported by evidence, and even then the "quantum free will" argument seems worse; I can imagine a world in which a supernatural being has given humans free will, but I can't imagine one in which we control every seemingly random blip of every subatomic particle and yet somehow manage to get billions and billions of them to coordinate in such a way as to make certain neurons fire in certain patterns. And even if we could control quantum spookiness (very doubtful) and even if we could use that control to control neurons (more doubtful still), why only certain groups of neurons? If you control quantum spookiness within your own head, why wouldnt you be able to precisely control things like your heart rate, your disposition, or your level of self-esteem? Why on earth would some people with certain neurological maladies be born with what any reasonable person would describe as "less" free will than others if the free will were "out there" in the world of quantum mechanics and not simply a construct or post-hoc confabulation in the brain itself? Free will is a wonderful model that helps us go about living our lives and keeps us from despair (believing that our lives have meaning and thus implictly rejecting what Camus called "the absurd" is another one), but that's all it is as far as empirical science is concerned. Again, it's the exact same thing as the God gives us free will argument - sure, it's possible, but to the best of my knowledge it has no basis in fact. |
|
|