Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

  Post 122.  January 29, 2022 continued . . .

  Unscripted Free Will

  Afterthoughts and End Notes 2

 These are some marginal notes to Self while reading the book by Peter Carter. They are my own thoughts regarding topics he mentions in his text.

• Unpredictability :
“Our sense of freedom comes from our individuality and unpredictability . . .”
But he suspects that we are mistaking statistical randomness for freedom from determinism8. Yet, when causation presents a rational creature with a fork in the road, which direction was ordained from the beginning of time? Are humans like a photon passing through two slits at the same time? Statistics only determines what’s possible, not what’s actual. Local conditions, including human choices, are also determinants.

• Acausal Forces :
“What if determinism isn’t absolutely always true?”
Counter-intuitive quantum physics raised puzzling questions about causation. Some events on the sub-atomic level cannot be traced back to any particular external push. Scientists gave-up explaining such behavior, so they just labeled it “acausal” 9 and went back to their calculations. But philosophers are not so easily thrown off the scent of meta-physics.

• Math is Meta :
He quotes Eugene Wigner, “It is not at all natural that laws of nature exist”.
Those regularities were not the result of physical causes, but of some mysterious outside Force that gave momentum and direction to the creation. Similarly, billiard balls don’t fall into pockets due to natural forces, they are impacted by the intention of a shooter outside the system. Mathematical Logic is not natural, it precedes Nature. That’s why we don’t experience math with our physical senses, but with our meta-physical sense of Reason10.

• Energy is Meta :
“Fields are energy spread out. Matter is a compacted form of energy. . . . Energy is an abstract concept . . .”
Determinism is implemented in Nature via Energy. Scientists know very well what it does, but not what it is. That’s because abstractions exist only in Minds. Energy fields are also abstract mathematical constructs, not real things. Hence, energy is meta-physical11.

• Wavefunction is Meta :
“A probability wave . . . is an abstract mathematical entity . . .  Science has it’s own brand of mysticism.”
Quantum physics is undeniably mysterious, with occult entities similar to those in traditional Mysticism12.

 • Quantum Ideality :
“Our senses and logic circuits evolved . . . Dealing with things we can see, hear, and feel. . . . The most basic constituents of matter . . . Being unable to discern what they are . . . Draw analogies, forming likenesses and illustrations in our minds.”
Those mental models are abstractions, hence literally non-physical 13. So, it’s an open question whether those unseen objects are real or imaginary. All we know of them are meta-physical concepts. Yet, they are assumed to be the foundation of macro reality.

                  Blog Post 122 continued  . . .

8. Unpredictability :
We typically think of Determinism as a linear progression of events. But natural randomness makes the sequence somewhat un-predictable.
   Randomness is not haphazardness; it is a measure of uncertainty of an outcome. Randomness applies to concepts of chance, probability, and information entropy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomness

9. Acausal :
In classical physics all events are believed to have a cause; none are acausal. But, in quantum physics, events sometimes occur without any known prior cause or determinant. This kink in Determinism is usually explained by “true randomness”. But Einstein found that notion unaccept-able. It sounded too meta-physical.

10. Mathematics :
Math is a Metaphysical subject insofar as it is an example of a system of consistent relational structure. Platonism gives those abstract relations an ideal existence apart from physical reality.

11. Abstract Energy :
Energy is known to cause physical effects, but its own existence is abstract. And abstractions exist only in minds. So, they are literally meta (beyond) physical.

12. Mysticism :
Typically associated with religious or spiritual belief systems. Literally, it only refers to some intangible and mysterious phenomenon. So it’s assumed to exist in an abstract or ideal state beyond the concrete physical world. Yet, that description applies to all ideas.

 13. Non-Physical :
Is it merely a semantic quibble to call non-sensible things “meta-physical”? Or is that a reasonable philoso-phical distinction?

The Single Simple Question
That challenges All Convictions

Peter Carter MD

Primary Care Physician

“Connecting the conundrums of God and Immortality, Free Will, the Strange Reality of Quantum Physics, and Finding Purpose in Existence”.

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