this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2025
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I've seen theories of quantum mechanics in the brain applied to the philosophy of determinism. Are those physics theories or just philosophical ones? 🤔
What is meant by "determinism" here? If you mean nomological determinism in the sense of the "free will vs determinism" debate, quantum mechanics is still a nomologically deterministic theory, so it does not strengthen the "free will" position at all. If you mean predetermination in the sense of the "randomness vs determinism" debate, if you interpret quantum mechanics to be fundamentally random, then of course it is incompatible with predetermination. But this is still ultimately an interpretation as it is empirically impossible to distinguish between true randomness and a significantly chaotic system.
One might justify the former position on philosophical grounds, such as, Occam's razor: it's simpler to believe there is no cause than to posit a cause we cannot (currently) demonstrate, but that is still ultimately a philosophical argument. Take Plato's cave, for example. If all they could see is the shadows, they might build theories about the shadows themselves, and then someone might posit that we should believe that the shadows are all that exists and nothing causes them because of Occam's razor. They would clearly arrive at the incorrect conclusion using Occam's razor, so Occam's razor itself is debatable whether or not it is a reliable rule of thumb in cases like this.
The theories aren't meant to strengthen free will. They say the opposite. That free will is an illusion caused in part by all the random cosmic particles colliding with the particles that make up your brain.
I don't think it works the other way either, I don't see why anything in quantum mechanics specifically would give any more credence to determinism than classical mechanics which is also deterministic.
Because if your thoughts themselves are just caused by quantifiable particle collisions on any scale, it would diminish the notion that you actually have free will. Thst even your thoughts are not inherently from you. That they are just another thing caused by deterministic forces, and could thus be predicted. Like fate.