Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Geek Talk & Media
Why does the idea of no Free Will bother some people?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 6047894" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>Except, we cannot.</p><p></p><p>Not in the "there are too many things, as a practical matter we cannot know them all" way. Quantum Mechanics appears to enforce this in a far more fundamental way - the information you would need *cannot* be known. </p><p></p><p>This is the root of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. It isn't just that we currently lack the ability to know the variables in question, but that if we actually peg down one, the act of doing so scrambles up the other. Nailing down the position of a particle actively changes its momentum in an unpredictable way.</p><p></p><p>Yes, there was a recent experiment in which someone got more information than one might have guessed they could have. On the other hand, every piece of modern electronics (anything using a semiconductor) is based upon the Uncertainty Principle - it is the basis of "tunnelling", which is required for electronics to function. </p><p></p><p>So, this point, that *if* we had all the information, we *could* calculate it all, breaks down - the IF cannot be fulfilled.</p><p></p><p>A couple posts up, KD refers to what in the business we'd call "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_variable_theory" target="_blank">Hidden Variable</a>" theory - that QM is actually not what's going on, and we don't know the actual rules. Hidden variable ideas have been around for a long time, but remain unproven. In general, Hidden Variable theories seem to have their own bothersome problems, so you may be trading randomness in the universe for something just as unpalatable.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 6047894, member: 177"] Except, we cannot. Not in the "there are too many things, as a practical matter we cannot know them all" way. Quantum Mechanics appears to enforce this in a far more fundamental way - the information you would need *cannot* be known. This is the root of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. It isn't just that we currently lack the ability to know the variables in question, but that if we actually peg down one, the act of doing so scrambles up the other. Nailing down the position of a particle actively changes its momentum in an unpredictable way. Yes, there was a recent experiment in which someone got more information than one might have guessed they could have. On the other hand, every piece of modern electronics (anything using a semiconductor) is based upon the Uncertainty Principle - it is the basis of "tunnelling", which is required for electronics to function. So, this point, that *if* we had all the information, we *could* calculate it all, breaks down - the IF cannot be fulfilled. A couple posts up, KD refers to what in the business we'd call "[url=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_variable_theory]Hidden Variable[/url]" theory - that QM is actually not what's going on, and we don't know the actual rules. Hidden variable ideas have been around for a long time, but remain unproven. In general, Hidden Variable theories seem to have their own bothersome problems, so you may be trading randomness in the universe for something just as unpalatable. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Geek Talk & Media
Why does the idea of no Free Will bother some people?
Top