Quora : Determinism is a useful concept
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:07 pm
Quora post September 2018
Is the universe deterministic?
“As I see it, Determinism provides a consistent explanation for everything, and can neither be proven true nor false. Like beliefs in religion, science, and other putative explanations of how the universe works, Determinism can be accepted or rejected only on faith.”
Yes. Causal Determinism is an axiom (unproven assumption) that makes empirical science possible. Yet, any event that does not have an identifiable determinant is inaccessible to the scientific method.
Quantum Entanglement seems to be acausal, in the sense that the causal link is unknown. That means the very foundation of our scientific paradigm is beyond the grasp of physical Science*. Like Consciousness, it falls into the province of Philosophical speculation. Which irks scientists, because it leaves the door open to many serious or fanciful interpretations, and no way to lock the door with hard facts.
Ironically, for millennia, philosophical Materialism has been chasing the holy grail of an end-of-story Atom. But each candidate so far, has opened a new door to further exploration into the unknown
Is the universe deterministic?
“As I see it, Determinism provides a consistent explanation for everything, and can neither be proven true nor false. Like beliefs in religion, science, and other putative explanations of how the universe works, Determinism can be accepted or rejected only on faith.”
Yes. Causal Determinism is an axiom (unproven assumption) that makes empirical science possible. Yet, any event that does not have an identifiable determinant is inaccessible to the scientific method.
Quantum Entanglement seems to be acausal, in the sense that the causal link is unknown. That means the very foundation of our scientific paradigm is beyond the grasp of physical Science*. Like Consciousness, it falls into the province of Philosophical speculation. Which irks scientists, because it leaves the door open to many serious or fanciful interpretations, and no way to lock the door with hard facts.
Ironically, for millennia, philosophical Materialism has been chasing the holy grail of an end-of-story Atom. But each candidate so far, has opened a new door to further exploration into the unknown