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the part that bothers me actually is imlad Send a noteboard - 16/10/2012 11:16:04 PM
The fact that after centuries of science discounting such stuff as precognition, prophecy and other means of predicting the future, always claiming that the future is fluid, we now have science telling us that the future is not fluid. THAT bothers me, when it comes from the scientists. (Myself, I never truly believed in free will, it is nothing but an illusion; I've believed that all actions we might take, are indeed taken, but only one version of our consciousness is ever aware of those actions; this plays into the whole Parallel Worlds theory).

Of course, cosmologists also talk about quantum entanglement, which is pretty "spooky" IMO (yes pun intended if you know what Einstein said about entanglement), and almost (I said ALMOST) gives credence to concepts of astrology (that distant stellar bodies can have an effect on us here on Earth).

For me, it isn't so much the fact that our future seems to be fixed, but that science is now coming to that conclusion, when previously that sort of concept was the province of theologians and philosophers.

You probably don't have free will in any metaphysical sense, but who cares? Your brain will continue to function just as if you did have free will. Because who is you, other than your brain's choice-making and -monitoring processes? In other words, adding a metaphysical "Abracadabra!" doesn't really change anything to what is actually happening. It adds nothing. You are complete as-is.

The true worry is not whether we have free will, but whether our natural will is optimal. And the troubling thing is that it certainly is not. But it is optimizing, at least. We are a sweet wine that is ages well.
Death to the Regressives of the GOP and the TeaParty. No mercy for Conservatives. Burn them all at the stake for the hateful satanists they are.
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the part that bothers me actually is - 16/10/2012 11:16:04 PM 341 Views
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I saw Brain Greene speak last year. It was pretty cool. - 16/10/2012 04:15:00 AM 529 Views
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