Quote:
Originally Posted by yaaarrrgg  ...
I think a lot of the riddles about free will come from the classical idea of laws of nature ... and that these laws are deterministic and inpose one-directional control over all we do and think.
Although after studying quantum mechanics a bit, I noticed a problem with the idea of laws of nature in the classical sense. I don't think they really exist in the classical sense. Rather than a top-down law imposing control over the Universe, I think laws of nature emerge more in a bottom up fashion, coming from the interactions of nearly an infinite number of particles, in the system as a whole. Putting an object in the room fundamentally alters the so called "laws" of that room. Humans are part of the system, and can fundmentally alter these rules as can anything. There's no reason to assume control is one-directional, or out of our control. |
You are switching the context. The "Laws of Nature" apply to the atoms and molecules of our brain in a purely deterministic way. In the context of
consciousness, which is a perceptual and rational faculty that processes percepts rather than simply a bunch of atoms strung together in a particular way.
In the context of consciousness, free will exists in that we have the ability to choose to think, or not. To recognize reality, or evade it. Man makes these choices, acts on these choices, and is ultimately responsible for these choices.