On 02-Jul-02, Wei Dai wrote: > On Thu, Jun 27, 2002 at 03:59:49PM +0200, Bruno Marchal > wrote: >> Now, and we have discussed this before, I have no >> understanding of the expression "being inside a >> universe".
> Being inside a universe to me means having a causal > relationship with the universe, in other words being able > to affect it through decisions and actions. That leads to > the question of what causal relationships are and how do > you formalize them. > Fortunately I've now read most of _The Foundations of > Causal Decision Theory_, by James M. Joyce, and can > recommend it for a discussion of causality. This is also a > great book for learning about decision theory in general, > and I highly recommend it to everyone here. Is this consistent with you being part of the universe and governed by whatever laws of physics apply - or does it assume a one-way causality? You influence the universe throught your "free will" - which is outside the physical laws. Brent Meeker "Sin is hoping for another life and eluding the implacable grandeur of this life." -- Albert Camus (1913-1960)