Exploring Free Will in a Quantum Universe: A Philosophical Inquiry
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Chapter 1: The Debate on Free Will
Are we mere machines bound by cause and effect, or do we possess the ability to make genuine choices throughout our lives? This question has intrigued philosophers and theologians for millennia. The conflict between predestination and free will has been especially prominent. Early 20th-century Existentialist philosophers strongly advocated for the latter. Jean-Paul Sartre famously remarked:
"Man is condemned to be free. Condemned because he did not create himself; yet he is free in the sense that he is responsible for his actions once he enters the world."
This perspective raises serious questions if we are merely biochemical entities. While the machine analogy has served to simplify the complexities of living systems for centuries, it now seems to imply a reality that may not be entirely accurate.
Section 1.1: The Human Machine Concept
Many, especially within the scientific community, view humanity as a type of machine. Some even predict the imminent creation of artificial intelligence that mirrors human thought processes. This viewpoint largely stems from a reductive mentality, suggesting that humans are simply the aggregate of their components, similar to everything else in nature. All entities can, in theory, be distilled down to molecules, which consist of atoms. Furthermore, atoms are made up of subatomic particles in constant interaction. Thus, we exist in a quantum universe governed by thermodynamics and other rigid natural laws.
Yet, what do we make of the discourse surrounding free will?
Section 1.2: Understanding Life Forms
The physicist Erwin Schrödinger recognized the significant distinction between inanimate and animate matter. He explored this in his seminal work, What Is Life? In this writing, he asserted:
"The most essential part of a living cell — the chromosome fibre — may suitably be called an aperiodic crystal. In physics, we have dealt hitherto only with periodic crystals."
Periodic crystals have structures that repeat, as seen in snowflakes. In contrast, an aperiodic crystal is formed in a fundamentally different manner. Life forms consist of living cells shaped by the genetic information they carry, which is what makes them aperiodic in a strictly physical sense. The genetic information directs the formation of structures that would not naturally arise. While the molecules in living organisms operate biochemically like others, it is the genetic data that truly distinguishes them.
Subsection 1.2.1: The Selfish Gene Theory
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins applied the Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest to the core element of living beings: the gene. In his book The Selfish Gene, he noted:
"Any gene that behaves in such a way as to increase its own survival chances in the gene pool… will, by definition, tautologously, tend to survive. The gene is the basic unit of selfishness."
Once we move past the initial shock of this declaration, it becomes evident that the gene acts in its own interest. Consequently, all life forms are similarly driven, as they are dictated by their genes. Every organism, not just complex ones like humans, acts primarily for its own benefit. The will to survive, primarily to reproduce and propagate, could certainly be interpreted as a form of will. But is it free will?
Chapter 2: The Nature of Existence
Sean Carroll discusses the implications of free will in the context of physics, exploring how our understanding of the universe impacts our perception of choice and agency.
This video delves into whether the concept of free will is inherently embedded within the laws of quantum physics, challenging our traditional notions of determinism.
Life forms actively resist the second law of thermodynamics, which states that systems naturally progress towards disorder. Unlike inanimate matter, living entities grow, persist, and maintain their structure through metabolic processes—at least for a time. Ultimately, all living things succumb to death, allowing entropy to reclaim them. Yet, during their existence, life forms defy the very laws governing non-living matter.
Choosing to Live: A Philosophical Insight
Another Existentialist, Albert Camus, offered significant reflections on humanity's predicament. In The Myth of Sisyphus, he stated:
"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy."
The "selfish genes" would undoubtedly protest against this notion if they were capable of speech, as their survival instinct is automatic. However, humans possess the ability to choose—whether to continue living or to end their existence before entropy takes hold.
Camus does not advocate for self-destruction; rather, he emphasizes that as conscious beings, we evaluate the worth of our existence, thereby attributing meaning to it. Our capacity for self-reflection distinguishes us from all other life forms, revealing that living is a conscious decision, which serves as the foundation of free will.
The Hallmark of Consciousness
Despite ongoing claims that a machine with artificial intelligence might replicate human thought, physicist Roger Penrose disagrees. He has proposed a theory that describes quantum processing in neurons but suggests that our conscious thought encompasses something fundamentally non-algorithmic. In The Emperor’s New Mind, he asserts:
"The judgement-forming that I am claiming is the hallmark of consciousness is itself something that AI people would have no concept of how to program on a computer."
I believe he is on to something important. Cognition involves the judgments we make, taking into account the information available about any given situation and determining the most appropriate response. This process is not binary.
Can AI replicate human thought? Certainly, but it has inherent limitations. For a machine's judgments to transcend mere rehashing of programmed information, it would need to possess independent thought, which is contrary to the essence of inanimate objects—an ability only complex life forms can achieve.