Determinism

This question will remain, for the indefinite and probably infinite future, a philosophical one (rather than a scientific one). Therefore, gustav's humble response really is most wise.

stuh505 wrote:

This question will remain, for the indefinite and probably infinite future, a philosophical one (rather than a scientific one). Therefore, gustav's humble response really is most wise.

I posted here in an attempt to get an empirical approach, if there is one.

The answer would seem to be that the future is not set. Before modern physics was discovered, the model was a huge billiard game, in which all outcomes could be predicted in principle, from a sufficiently accurate knowledge of the current state of the table (and balls). Since the discovery of quantum mechanics, wherein it is learned that outcomes are determined only probabilistically, science no longer supports the idea of determinism.

Brandon9000 wrote:

The answer would seem to be that the future is not set. Before modern physics was discovered, the model was a huge billiard game, in which all outcomes could be predicted in principle, from a sufficiently accurate knowledge of the current state of the table (and balls). Since the discovery of quantum mechanics, wherein it is learned that outcomes are determined only probabilistically, science no longer supports the idea of determinism.

Thanks, Brandon. Could you provide a link to an abstract of that idea?