Most people who talk about free will seem to assume that everyone knows what the words free will mean. But what do they mean? The only time we use these words in everyday conversation is when we say things like, You cant complain. You signed the contract of your own free will and Many people will never be vaccinated of their own free will. That is, doing something of your own free will means that no one forced you to do it or threatened you with unpleasant consequences if you didnt do it.
That is, doing something of your own free will means that no one forced you to do it or threatened you with unpleasant consequences if you didnt do it.
But the phrase free will has another meaning, a meaning it doesnt have in everyday conversation. And most people seem to understand free will when its used with this meaning. Most people would say that they understood the following words, which were written by Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron dHolbach, an 18th-century French philosopher)
A mans life is a line that nature commands him to describe upon the surface of the earth, and he is never able to swerve from it, even for an instant. . . . he is constantly being modified by causes, whether visible or hidden, over which he has no control . . . Nevertheless, in despite of the chains by which he is bound, it is pretended he is an agent with free will.
Its evident that Holbach is not saying that its only under pressure that people ever sign contracts or allow themselves to be vaccinated. That is, hes not denying that we do things of our own free will. And yet most people would understand this passage. That sense seems to have something to do with the way our decisions are caused, so lets examine a decision.
In the writings of the mid-20th-century existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre there is a famous example of a young man in Nazi-occupied France who is torn between remaining at home and caring for his aged mother and leaving home to join the Resistance.
Suppose we are there, observing him as he desperately tries to decide which course of action he will pursue. If Holbach is right, then we should conclude that the following statement is true: Either he will stay and care for his mother and he is unable to join the Resistance or he will leave and join the Resistance and he is unable to stay and care for his mother.
This suggests the following definition of not having free will: A person lacks free if and only if:
. . . whenever that person is trying to decide between two courses of action, A and B, either that person is going to do A and is unable to do B or is going to do B and is unable to do A.
And this implies a definition of free will: A person has free will if and only if:
. . . sometimes, when that person is trying to decide between two courses of action, A and B, either the person is going to do A and is able to do B or is going to do B and is able to do A.
The belief of Holbach and his fellow pre-twentieth-century materialists that free will in this sense was ruled out by physics rested on two assumptions.
They assumed, first, that that physics had demonstrated the truth of determinismthe doctrine that the past and the laws of nature determine the future (and determine it even in the smallest detail).
The belief of Holbach and his fellow pre-twentieth-century materialists that free will in this sense was ruled out by physics rested on two assumptions.
Early in the nineteenth century, the great mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace gave this statement of determinism:
We ought then to regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its anterior state and as the cause of the one which is to follow. Given for one instant an intelligence which could comprehend all the forces by which nature is animated and the respective situation of the beings who compose itan intelligence sufficiently vast to submit these data to analysisit would embrace in the same formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the lightest atom; for it, nothing would be uncertain and the future, as the past, would be present to its eyes.
Their other assumption was incompatibilism, the thesis that free will and determinism are incompatiblethat is, that determinism rules out free will. Those in any age who accept incompatibilism probably do so because of some version of the so-called Consequence Argument:
If determinism is true, what we do is always a consequence of the way things were long before we were born and the laws of physics; but the way things were before we were born is never up to us and its never up to us what the laws of physics are; therefore, if determinism is true, what we do is never up to us.
The physics known to Holbach and Laplace was indeed deterministic (a few very minor and highly technical points aside). The situation is different in todays physics.
Photo by Greg Jeanneau on Unsplash
In present-day physics, all phenomena in nature other than gravity are treated by a theory called the standard model. The standard model is a quantum field theory, which means that its over-all structure is provided by quantum mechanics. And there is general agreement that quantum mechanics is incompatible with Laplaces statement of determinism. There is, moreover, universal agreement that the success of the standard model at the very least means that physics does not endorse determinism. And if physics does not endorse determinism, we have no reason to accept determinism.
Should we then conclude that there is no reason to think that we lack free will, owing to the fact that there is no reason to accept determinism?
That would be a hasty conclusion. We have considered an argument that is supposed to show that human beings lack free will:
Physics tells us that determinism is true; Determinism is incompatible with free will; therefore, free will does not exist.
But even if the premise of this argumentthat physics testifies to the truth of determinismis false, all that its falsity shows is that one argument against free will has a false premise. Maybe there are other arguments against free willones that dont depend on determinism.
There are.
Some are based on experimental evidence about human beings, such as the controversial experiments conducted by the neuroscientist Benjamin Libet in the 1980s. Others depend the idea of near-determinism: All right, the proponents of these arguments say, maybe determinism is strictly speaking false. But there are things like computers whose behavior is so close to being deterministic that one could say that they were deterministic for all practical purposes. Quantum mechanics doesnt imply that we human beings arent as nearly deterministic as computers. And if determinism is incompatible with free will, doesnt it seem likely that near determinism is, too?
But the most troubling argument of this kind is an argument that is supposed to show that indeterminism is incompatible with free will. The idea behind this argument is that an act that is undetermined is an act that is due to chance.
For example, suppose that Sally has to choose between telling the truth and lying, and that she tells the truth, and that her decision was completely undetermined. Suppose that, simultaneously with her decision, fifty atom-for-atom absolutely perfect duplicates of Sally in duplicate immediate environments are making the same decision. (Since they are duplicates of Sally, their decisions are undetermined, too.) If you arranged these fifty women in a line, youd see something like this (L stand stands for woman who lies and T for woman who tells the truth):
LTTLTLTTTTTTTLTTLTLTLLLTLLLTTLTLTLTLTTLLTTLTLTTLLL
A random distribution!
Since the decision of each woman in the line was undetermined, theres no explanation of why her decision went one way and not the other. And what could be further from your having free will than your decisions being random events? If your decisions are indeterministic (the argument suggests) they might as well be the outcome of a little man in your brain tossing a coin!
So we have arguments for Determinism implies theres no free will (the Consequence Argument) and Indeterminism implies theres no free will. If both arguments are right, free will is impossible. What would it mean if there were no free will?
It would mean that we live in a world in which nothing that happens is ever anyones fault. It would mean that we live in a world full of terrible things and that no one is ever to blame for any of them. It would mean that the Atlantic slave trade and the Final Solution and the assassination of Martin Luther King were not anyones faultthat no one is to blame for those terrible events.
But lets focus our thoughts on a smaller, more easily visualizable, case than those great, world-historical tragedies.
You and your family plan to be out of town for a few weeks, and your friend Frank promises to feed Fluffy the family cat while youre away. You return and find that he never fed Fluffy and she has died of starvation. You say to him, Poor Fluffy is dead, and my children are crying themselves to sleep and little Sally is the one who found her dead and shes going to need therapy and its all your fault! Frank says that none of those things is his fault, because he was unable to feed Fluffy, owing to the fact that the day we left he was diagnosed with Yellow Fever and confined to his house by the state quarantine authority. All right, you say, but you could have arranged to have someone else feed her. No, he replies, his phone was the only means of contact with the outside world, and the phone company cut off his service because of a mistake in their billing office. (And so on, and so on. You continue the story.)
The point is, if Frank can convince you that there was nothing he could have done to prevent Fluffys death, then you should agree that that event and its consequences werent his fault. And this is a general principle. If you say that something is Alices fault or that Alice is to blame for it, that implies that Alice shouldnt have allowed it to happen. And that impliessince it did happenthat Alice should have done something different from what she did do. And that implies that Alice was able to do something different from what she did do. And to be able to do something different from what one does do is to have free will.
The bottom line is: if there is no free will, if no one is ever able to do anything but what he or she does do, nothing is anyones fault.
To me, the statement
Neither the Atlantic slave trade nor the Final Solution nor the assassination of Martin Luther King was anyones fault
is so obviously false that I can only conclude that we do have free willand that there is therefore something wrong with either the Consequence Argument or the fifty perfect duplicates argument. My own view is that the Consequence Argument is valid and sound and that theres some flaw in the duplicates argument. But I confess I do not know what that flaw is.
Editor's Note: The notion that free will is tough to prove is not something most theologically minded people (like myself) would prefer to hear. Nonetheless, we have posted Dr. van Inwagens essay in the spirit of free inquiry and to celebrate the investigation of truth.
Judaic tradition insists that humanity was gifted free will, that it is the hub around which all morality turns and that it is the capacity that most makes humanity Godly.
Free will is obviously an extremely complex and controversial subject, and rightly so, given the stakes outlined by Dr. van Inwagen. One can easily respect his struggle with the subject and his honesty in professing his personal belief in free will concurrently with his current inability to prove it philosophically. He rightly notes that the physics that seemed so settled and obvious in the 18th Century was radically overturned in the 20th in a way that directly impacted the free will debate. It seems likely that more scientific revolutions will take place in the future and that these too may spark new explorations of free will.
One additional observation is that though there may be people who claim to disbelieve free will, very few actually conduct their lives as if it wasn't real (not that they could help it). My subjective feeling is that in their heart of hearts, most people don't really think themselves incapable of making choices or that this deep-seated human faculty is simply an illusion.
Image credit by Burst on Unsplash
Original post:
Can Science Prove There's No Free Will? Can Anything? - aish.com - Aish
- The neutrino's quantum fuzziness is beginning to come into focus - Science News Magazine - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Unlocking the Quantum Code: International Team Cracks a Long-Standing Physics Problem - SciTechDaily - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum tunnel: Scientists study particles that move faster than light - Interesting Engineering - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum to cosmos: Why scale is vital to our understanding of reality - New Scientist - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- A new theory of quantum gravity could explain the biggest puzzle in cosmology, study suggests - Livescience.com - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Helping qubits stay in sync - Newswise - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Breaking Light Speed: The Quantum Tunneling Enigma - SciTechDaily - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum tunnels allow particles to break the light-speed barrier - Earth.com - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Cloud Computing under the Cover of Quantum - Physics - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Coherently excited superresolution using intensity product of phase-controlled quantum erasers via polarization-basis ... - Nature.com - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum biology: New clues on how life might make use of weird physics - New Scientist - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Chinas father of quantum named Royal Society fellow as US targets sector - South China Morning Post - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Scientists move atoms so close together it may change quantum physics forever - - Study Finds - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- "Impossible" quantum effects seen when squishing atoms together - Earth.com - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Beyond Hydrogen: Discovery of Tiny New Atom Tauonium With Massive Implications - SciTechDaily - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum Coherence: Harvard Scientists Uncover Hidden Order in Chemical Chaos - SciTechDaily - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Netflixs 3 Body Problem: The science explained by an astrophysicist - Vox.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Entanglement entropies of nuclear systems gro - EurekAlert - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- The Quest for a Theory of Everything Scientists Put Einstein to the Test - SciTechDaily - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Vibrating atoms are seen 'tuning' the energy of a single electron - Earth.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Innovator Spotlight: Joseph Maciejko | The Quad - University of Alberta - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- A Breakthrough in the Control of Quantum Phenomena at Room Temperature Has Been Achieved, Researchers Say - The Debrief - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- The End of the Quantum Ice Age: Room Temperature Breakthrough - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum computer outperformed by new traditional computing - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- URI program to help STEM professionals pivot into quantum information science careers - The University of Rhode Island - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum realm controlled at room temperature for the first time - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum Breakthrough: New Method Preserves Information Against All Odds - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum computers get new design that makes them more "useful" - Earth.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Beyond Classical Physics: Scientists Discover New State of Matter With Chiral Properties - SciTechDaily - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Quantum research sheds light on the mystery of high-temperature superconductivity - Tech Explorist - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Unlocking the Mysteries of Quantum Many-Body Systems: A Look at Quantum Simulators and Universal Scaling ... - Medriva - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Functioning quantum internet makes giant stride closer to reality - Earth.com - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Exploring New Futures in Space: A Revolutionary Integration of Neuroscience, Quantum Physics, and Space Exploration - SETI Institute - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Uncovering the Quantum Plateau: Significance and Implications | Nature Physics - Medriva - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- The State of the Art in Quantum Computing - Medium - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Beyond the Visible Universe: New Research Reveals How Gravity Influences the Quantum Realm - SciTechDaily - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Leader of IBM's Quantum Safe Team to speak at URI - University of Rhode Island - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- University Assistant Predoctoral, Physics job with UNIVERSITY OF ... - Times Higher Education - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Zentropy A New Theory That Could Transform Material Science - SciTechDaily - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Researchers Studying the Quantum Realm Observe Alice in ... - The Debrief - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Augusta University graduate starts business in the artificial ... - Jagwire Augusta - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Quantum Echoes: A Revolutionary Method to Store Information as Sound Waves - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- 'Quantum superchemistry' observed for the 1st time ever - Space.com - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Quantum Avalanche A Phenomenon That May Revolutionize Microelectronics and Supercomputing - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Applications of quantum mechanics at the beach - Symmetry magazine - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Book Review: On the Origin of Time Stephen Hawking's Final Theory - Moose Jaw Today - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Harnessing Quantum Technologies: The Next Big Leap in Global ... - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The quantum avalanche - At the Vienna University of Technology, it ... - Chemie.de - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Semiconductors: The Linchpin of AI in Quantum Computing - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Promising Collaboration Between AI and Quantum Computing - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- String theory physicist changed quantum field theory - USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- QUANTUM SUPERCOMPUTERS. The words Quantum and ... - Medium - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Fourteen MIT School of Science professors receive tenure for 2022 ... - MIT News - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Fascinating World of Quantum Integrated Circuits: The Next Big ... - Fagen wasanni - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Conclusive Evidence for Modified Gravity: Collapse of Newton's and ... - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Physicists Open New Path to an Exotic Form of Superconductivity - SciTechDaily - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Principle of Least Action Now Exists in the Quantum Realm - Popular Mechanics - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum materials: Electron spin measured for the first time - EurekAlert - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Life in a hologram | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- If Black Holes Evaporate, Everything Evaporates - Universe Today - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Clever Ant-Man Easter Egg Links The Movie to the Real World's ... - Startefacts - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum Cryptography: The Cutting Edge of Secure Communication - CityLife - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- This 17-year-old works to make quantum mainstream - Indiatimes.com - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- The multiverse is doomed and even Spider-Man and The Flash can't save it - Yahoo Entertainment - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Physics of Time Travel: A Scientific Perspective - Mirage News - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Quantum Spin Liquids: The Future of Superconductors - EnergyPortal.eu - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Interview: Three Books That Make Tess Gunty Angry - The New York Times - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Events Calendar School of Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium ... - Carleton University - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Graphene and Quantum Computing: A Match Made in Heaven - CityLife - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- A Quantum Computer Simulation Has Reversed Time And Physics May Never Be The Same - Twisted Sifter - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Realizing the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox for Atomic Clouds - Physics - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- The US and UK team up to advance quantum information science - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- How plants can perform feats of quantum mechanics - Big Think - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Physicists Make Matter out of Light to Find Quantum Singularities - Scientific American - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Eventually everything will evaporate, not only black holes - Science Daily - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Julius-Maximillians-Universitt Wrzburg Researchers Use ... - HPCwire - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- TNTs The Lazarus Project Uses Suspense Trapping to Ask Smart ... - Roger Ebert - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Quantum Exponential: building a cutting edge quantum technology ... - The Armchair Trader - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- IMDEA Software and IMDEA Networks work to deploy in the ... - EurekAlert - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Ian Hacking, Eminent Philosopher of Science and Much Else, Dies ... - The New York Times - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]