If you knew, hypothetically, the exact state of the universe, and if the laws of physics were constant, and you knew them all, and if you had a (hypothetical) super computer with unlimited computing power, and you programmed that knowledge of the universe and those laws of physics in that computer, could that computer then predict the future of the universe? Everything from who the next president would be to which of your great grandson’s sperm would fertilize which of who’s egg, to every thought every person would ever have. If not, why not?
Why do we have the thoughts we have and do the things we do? Is there some force outside the laws of physics involved? Sure, the actual process is unimaginably complex. But what else is involved besides the state of the universe and the laws of physics?
Also on the subject:
Say a guy is a murderer. Did he have a choice? What made him the way he is? His environment and his genes? What else is there (not a rhetorical question)? What made him pull the trigger? A hot temper? Where did that come from? An inability to control his temper? Where did that come from? Selfishness? Where did that come from? An inability to empathize? Where did that come from? An inability to control himself in general? Where did that come from? What could have made him more able to control himself? Why didn’t he have it? It’s one thing to say he was weak. It’s another completely to figure out why he was weak and ask whether he had control of that. Sure, let’s say he was weak (-minded). What made him that way? Did he have control over what would or wouldn’t make him not weak? If he did have control over what would make him not weak, why didn’t he exercise that control? What would have made him exercise that control? More empathy? More concern for the law? More concern for society? Why didn’t he have those things? What, besides his genes and his environment, made him who he is? You can’t change your genes. And you can’t change your environment. (Things you have control over and change aren’t your “environment.” Maybe they are after you change them, but now we’re back to questions related to the original questions: Why did he or didn’t he change his environment and why did he change it the way he did?)
So, (and I’m not saying this is the case, I’m saying “if”) if what determines who you are and what you do is your genes and your environment, and you don’t have control over your genes or your environment, do you have any control over what you do? Do you have free will? Sure, I can decide right now to forget this post and do something else. You can decide to stop reading it. We’ll both decide one way or the other. But why? Does the fact that we can make either decision necessarily mean that that decision wasn’t predetermined?
BTW, I’m not suggesting that if a murderer or any other criminal has or doesn’t have true control over whether he commits a crime or not that he shouldn’t be punished. Punishment is necessary as a deterrent. Some people would be (are) swayed from crimes by threat of punishment. Also, society needs to be protected from criminals, sometimes by incarceration. Is it unfair to punish somebody for something he was predetermined to have no control over? Probably. But that doesn’t make it any less necessary. It’s also not fair that some people are born in war-torn, famine-ravaged countries and some are born in wealthy, healthy countries. It’s not fair that some people are born good-looking, socially brilliant, energetic and smart, while some are born ugly, socially inept, sluggish and stupid. If a guy is a murderer, a loser, a mean and very unlikeable person, should we feel sorry for him? I think we should (assuming he’s unhappy, which isn’t always the case). I think we should feel sorry for him every bit as much as we feel sorry for the person who was born in Somalia or the person who is ugly, inept, sluggish and stupid (assuming they’re unhappy, which isn’t always the case). Should we also punish the murderer? I think we must.
