Steve, Thanks, I'll read them and get back to you. In the meantime tho, how do you explain the examples of determinism I gave below and how does the quantum apply?
Mike ________________________________ From: SteveW <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, 4 April, 2011 2:21:44 Subject: Re: [Zen] Why bother with Zazen? Better a Roulette --- 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/ http://pjmazumdar.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/randomness-vs-determinism-part2/ >
