Oddbean new post about login | logout I saw a video on this. It's really mind blowing. Future affecting the past. I don't know what this means about free will.
Nothing because the interpretation is partly wrong.
I'm unusually wrong 🖖
It is seriously one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever learned about. In a completely unscientific way, I believe it’s because we live in a simulation and the uncertainty principle is a computational efficiency algorithm. As an engineer, I would take shortcuts in order to best use resources. If I needed to calculate every particles exact position at all times that would require more processing power. By using a wave function it means you can calculate much more quickly, until a more precise calculation is required. I personally grapple with the metaphysical implications of this for free will. I think there are other theories or evidence of true randomness (like a recent variation on a theory of quantum gravity) which could mean that we don’t live in a totally deterministic universe. I just try to live the best life I can. My experience of consciousness is one with free will. If that’s an illusion I still experience free will so I think I can be happy with that.
Thanks, it's great to get the perspective of people that understand these things in a more technical level, since I don't have that. I'm with you on living as if you have free will, anything else is depressing but can be fascinating. What do you think of Universe's nature being of that of a simulation but not actually being a simulation of something more "real". Like it has behaviors and properties that we attribute to simulation, but this is just it's true nature.
That’s the big question. No one really knows and why physicists inch ever closer to answering it through experimentation. We may never know, but chasing the mystery is really cool anyway. Whatever the answer is there’s some really interesting things for us to learn. My belief that we live in a simulation is just that, a belief. I don’t claim any knowledge or insight that it’s true. It’s the only way I can zero out what we know so far in my mind. A lot of folks go to god to zero it. And maybe that’s not mutually exclusive with the simulation hypothesis. I just don’t believe in a personal god.
Free will? I once had this conversation with a University professor who said there is no such thing as free will and that everything in life was predetermined. I told him fine, then I was predetermined to believe that I have free will. I don't think he could even understand that concept. 🤡🌎
That's a good answer. I'll use it in the future 😁🫡
Yea I’ve learned to be skeptical of anyone saying anything absolutely. Professors funny enough are some of the most dogmatic, irrational people I’ve ever had the displeasure of talking to. The academic system doesn’t reward outside the box thinking.
For computer people there are so many comparisons between the universe and computer graphics. Of course we render only what is visible. And that universe is discreet at plank level screams of pixels.