Why do people think there is a contradiction between free-will and determinism?

Question

I believe that free-will is the ability to make my own decisions.
Determinism is that all actions including human decisions can be pre-determined with enough knowledge.

I don't see a problem believing both are true.

If you have a problem with that, why do you believe human decisions can't be determined with enough knowledge?

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and the resulting principles of quantim mechanics would indead result in determinism being impossible, but after we truely understood the universe, if it was really determinisic, why would it mater to our decisions?

Answer 1

i think you need to be a bit clearer on "determinism." determinism is usually the idea that all things, including our "choices" are determined. in this form its certainly incompatible with free will. free will says that we can "choose to act otherwise" determinism says that this choice is an illusion, that we never could in fact act otherwise because our actions are determined.

determinism how you seem to be defining it is different. you seem to mean it as the idea that with enough kowledge we can always know what will happen. that if you possess all possible knowledge, then you can know how a person will choose. for example if you possess all knowledge about a person, you will know that they like chocolate ice cream, do not buy other types of ice cream, etc., and predict that they will buy chocolate ice cream when they go to the store, and this doesn't make their choice of buying chocolate ice cream not free. what you seem to be talking about is fore-knowledge. as you define it, yes, it seems like it can be compatible with free will. it does seem possible to choose to do something even if it is known by another that you will choose that path. this is how christians reconcile god's omniscience with human free will.

but i think when you say "determinism" you are not really talking about the usual definition of determinism. be careful not to confuse the two separate ideas. one possibly is compatible with free will, the other definitely is not.

Answer 2

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states that no matter how much knowledge you have, you can never, repeat never, predict subatomic behavior with perfect reliability.

Quantum physics was devised to STATISTICALLY predict subatomic behavior. It can be incredibly precise in its predictions, but never perfect.

Therefore you cannot predict the future, based on present knowledge.... since perfect knowledge of the present has been proven impossible.

Now, there is one more step...which is, even if WE don't have perfect knowledge of the present, can anyone? Can God? The Uncertainty Principle says no. It states that perfect knowledge of a particle's speed and position is not only impossible for us, but totally impossible. And it better be, since the Nuclear Strong Force, which allows atoms to exist, relies on uncertainty so that "virtual particles" can exist, and bind atomic nuclei together.

God isn't in my basement because I have no basement. God cannot have perfect knowledge of the present because if perfect knowledge were possible, matter as we know it wouldn't exist.

And if God can't do it, then presumably, we can't, either.

After we "truly understand the universe," determinism will still be as impossible as it is today. Your last question, Why would it matter to our decisions? It wouldn't matter either way. Deterministic or not, we would always have the perception of control. But that's metaphysics.

Answer 3

The problem is not so much of a contradiction but relates more to conflicts and chaos created by complicated layers of rules and orders. The human mind is easily overwhelmed.

It is an illusion to believe in control as much as it is to believe in determinism. Perhaps, the key is to know what not to fight when dealing with chaos and what to follow when dealing with order. Sometimes it could be a frustrating and crippling experience; other times it is just dicey!

Answer 4

Determinism: A philosophical doctrine holding that all events are inevitable consequences of antecedent sufficient causes..

Whether I get up and go get ice-cream now or not, can only be my choice if it is not an inevitable consequence of preceding factors..

That's where computers excel..

:-)

Answer 5

Your difficulty is your like something human beings, as very few human beings have a stable black and white view on issues. thoroughly Deterministic human beings, although, from what i understand of them, all have faith that as quickly as somebody makes a determination, that determination grew to become into already going to be made so it, actually, grew to become into not their determination in any respect and with that, it grew to become into additionally never "unfastened." i individually have faith that this entire worldwide is one enormous test. there isn't any understanding as to what all and sundry will do until eventually they do it. This places so lots greater weight on our shoulders simply by fact all of us understand that our judgements are not merely being sent by us via some style of greater suitable actual regulation that all of us abide and actually act upon daily. If the worldwide grew to become into actually deterministic and all human beings knew it, then not something could ever get finished simply by fact all human beings could understand that in spite of they did grew to become into already deliberate and set in stone.

Answer 6

Perhaps not with knowledge at all but consideration alone subjects us to determinism

Answer 7

It's like being hungry and having a choice of food. You cannot defy hunger, but you can provide and enjoy a variety of food.