(no subject)
I have a sneaking suspicion that, along with "God" and "soul," which need to be reworked if they're to remain relevant in a scientific age, things like "free will" and "determinism" are either irrelevant, outdated, or also in need of reworking.
Free will doesn't exist, as any kid who's tied a sheet around their neck and tried to fly like Superman can attest. Just because you want to be a flying superhero, that doesn't mean that physics will bend under your willpower (despite various New Ager versions of Qui-Gon's statement about focus and reality).
But I'm not entirely sure determinism exists, either. Quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle throw a wrench in the works. The physical world operates according to predictable principles, but once you throw in things like plants, animals, and people--well, Schrodinger's cat ate the deterministic mouse.
(And don't tell God what to do with his dice!)
In other news, a Planned Parenthood office opened up almost next door to the gym, complete with a boxed set of protestors holding pictures of the Virgin Mary. They do seem to be well-behaved, though.
Free will doesn't exist, as any kid who's tied a sheet around their neck and tried to fly like Superman can attest. Just because you want to be a flying superhero, that doesn't mean that physics will bend under your willpower (despite various New Ager versions of Qui-Gon's statement about focus and reality).
But I'm not entirely sure determinism exists, either. Quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle throw a wrench in the works. The physical world operates according to predictable principles, but once you throw in things like plants, animals, and people--well, Schrodinger's cat ate the deterministic mouse.
(And don't tell God what to do with his dice!)
In other news, a Planned Parenthood office opened up almost next door to the gym, complete with a boxed set of protestors holding pictures of the Virgin Mary. They do seem to be well-behaved, though.