Originally posted by lemon
Given the exact same big bang, would this universe turn out exactly the same? Would I be typing this right now?
Computer random number generators aren't ENTIRELY random. Although, they ARE pretty unpredictable. Dice rolls aren't random. The dice you roll depends entirely on how you roll the die.
Are subatomic particles truly random? Or is there some force controlling them?
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I consider myself a determinist. I accept the current held models of the universse, which indicates that all particles within our universe abide by the effects of the 4 natural forces, the strong molecular force, the weak molecular force, and magnetism; which despite the names of the first two are all pretty similar in strength; and gravity which is incredibly weak (provable because a small bar magnet can hold a pin even against the gravitational force of the entire Earth).
If you know exactly how all four of these forces act on a particle, you can predict how that particle will move and react. These particles form atoms, which in turn form molecules, which become the many items we see, including us, from a grain of sand to a massive star. What this means is every single thing that happens is pre-written because everything is acting according to the laws of nature. The only reason things seem random is because we don't have the ability to record and measure the influence of each force on every single particle, and form a model, and then use this model to predict future events. It is in fact impossible to ever do so, as any storage device and recording equipment capable of recording the influence of each force on every particle in the universe, at any given time, would need to be made out of particles in some manner, and would have to by definition be bigger than the universe itself...
Basically what I'm saying is that determinism is a logically proven and evidentially supported scientific position however it is not possible to deterministically predict any even accurately enough for this to matter so from our extremely limited perspective both free will and "random" events seem to exist. Our limitations mean we will always percieve free will and randomness, even if from a purely mathematical position they don't exist, but for all practical purposes we should operate our live as though these things do exist.