--- In [email protected], mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote: > > Steve, > > I'm not so sure that science has proven false the idea that all phenomena are > strictly determined. I think the jury is still out on that one. It's true > that > what happens in the micro, quantum world is random and unpredictable, but not > so > in the macro-universe. Determinism seems to play a major role in life. Take a > look at environmental determinism. The cultural life of mountain people, > being > shaped by the mountains, is different from the culture of fishing villages, > being shaped by close proximity to the sea. Culture itself plays a key role > in > determining the social and psychological life of an individual. Likewise, > being > 6ft 2 and 200lbs it is highly unlikely I'll ever be a horse jockey. Also, > isn't > it one of the core tenents of Zen/emptiness that there is no object or > phenomena > that is self-created and independent - everything is > interdependent? Speaking > for myself, I have no fixed position on these questions. I do believe, > however, > there is a difference in determinism and self-determinism (as opposed to > predestination) and we do make choices (freewill) that can influence the > future. > > Mike > > Hi Mike. Although science is always provisional, the weight of actual > experimental evidence is against hard determinism. This is why Einstein, who > was a determinist, hated Quantum Mechanics. But Einstein was proven wrong by > the Aspect experiment, which has been verified numerous times since then. The > idea that quantum indeterminacy does not affect macro events has been > increasingly discredited by recent experiments.I have a particular interest > in the philosophical implications of Quantum Mechanics and have studied the > matter for several decades. Here are two links to articles that may be of > interest. They are brief and aimed at the layman. Steve http://pjmazumdar.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/randomness-vs-determinism/
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