Between Chance and Choice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Determinism

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Are choice and free will possible in a world governed by deterministic fundamental equations? What sense would determinism make if many events and processes in the world seemed to be governed by chance? These and many other questions emphasize the fact that chance and choice are two leading actors on stage whenever issues of determinism are under discussion. This volume collects essays by accomplished scientists and philosophers, addressing numerous facets of the concept of determinism. The contributions cover viewpoints from mathematics, physics, cognitive science and social science as well as various branches of philosophy. They offer valuable reading for everyone interested in the interdisciplinary relations between determinism, chance and free will. The desire to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue on determinism, chance and free will was the initial impetus leading to an international workshop on determinism taking place at Ringberg Castle near Lake Tegernsee, south of Munich, in June 2001. Representatives from mathematics, physics, cognitive and social science, and various branches of philosophy convened to discuss numerous aspects of determinism from their disciplinary perspectives. This volume is based on elaborated and refereed manuscripts of their lectures. Cover Contents Front matter Title page Publisher information Body matter Preface Deterministic and Indeterministic Descriptions 1 Introduction 2 Deterministic Descriptions in Physics 2.1 Laplacean Determinism 3 Towards an Indeterministic Description in Physics 3.1 Value Determinateness 3.2 Differential Dynamics 3.3 Unique Evolution 3.4 Taking Stock 4 Deterministic and Indeterministic Descriptions in Psychology 4.1 Psychological Models of Determinism 4.2 Deterministic Descriptions in Psychology 4.3 Indeterministic Descriptions in Psychology 4.4 Taking Stock 5 Discussion Appendix: A Comment on Differential Dynamics Acknowledgments References Perspectives on Scientific Determinism 1 Introduction 2 Ernst Cassirer 3 A Mathematical Structure for Scientific Determinism 4 Emil du Bois-Reymond’s Perspective on Nature 5 A Perspective on du Bois-Reymond’s Position References Determinism Is Ontic, Determinability Is Epistemic 1 Introduction 2 Ontic and Epistemic States of Classical Systems 2.1 Stability 2.2 Dynamical Entropy 2.3 Information Flow 3 Determinism, Causation, and Predictability 3.1 Laplace, Maxwell, Poincaré 3.2 Ontic Determinism and Epistemic Chaos 4 Determinism, Randomness, and Stochasticity 5 Summary Acknowledgments References Determinism, Internalism and Objectivity 1 Chaos Theory 2 The Problem of Determinism 3 The Interpretation of Probability 4 Internalist Realism 5 Perspectives 6 Some Remaining Problems References Hidden Determinism, Probability, and Time’s Arrow 1 Determinism Does Not Deal with Predictions 2 Terminology and Basic Concepts 3 Breaking the Time-Reversal Symmetry 4 Arrow of Time 5 Indeterminism 6 Statistical Causality 7 Why Can There Be Laws of Chance? 8 Are There Statistically Irreproducible Events? 9 Hadamard’s Principle of Scientific Determinism 10 Experimental Science Requires Freedom of Action 11 Quantum Randomness 12 Quantum Mechanics Cannot Explain Free Will 13 Why Does Time’s Arrow Always Point in the Same Direction? 14 Hadamard Determinism Cannot Be Globally Valid Acknowledgements References Time-Space Dilations and Stochastic-Deterministic Dynamics 1 Introduction 2 Dilations of Stochatic Descriptions to Deterministic Dynamics 3 Mathematical Dilation Theories 4 Physical Interpretations of Dilations 5 Time and Space 6 Knowing the Present 7 Financial Option Theory 8 Changeux and Connes, and Chaitin 9 Digression on Determinism 10 Final Thoughts References Transitions from Deterministic Evolution to Irreversible Probabilistic Processes and the Quantum Measurement Problem 1 Introduction 2 Deterministic Dynamics and Probabilistic Markov Processes 3 Instability of Motion and the Transition from Derterministic Dynamical Evolution to Probabilistic Processes 4 The Quantum Measurement Problem Acknowledgments References Probabilistic Causality and Irreversibility: Heraclitus and Prigogine 1 Introduction 2 A Dialogue between Heraclitus and Prigogine 3 Conclusions References The Complementary Roles of Chance and Lawlike Elements in Peirce’s Evolutionary Cosmology 1 Introduction 2 Tychism and Evolutionary Cosmology 3 The Arguments for Tychism and Evolutionary Cosmology 3.1 From Axiomatics 3.2 From Complexity 3.3 From Probability 3.4 From Explanation 3.5 From Evolution 4 Tychism and the Mental 4.1 Consciousness and Mind 4.2 Free Will 5 Summary References Does Chance Make a Difference? The Philosophical Significance of Indeterminism 1 Introduction 2 Novelty, Originality and Spontaneity 3 Becoming, the Flow of Time, and the Block Universe 4 Is the Notion of Chance Time-Asymmetric? 5 Concluding Remarks References On Causal Inference in Determinism and Indeterminism 1 The Background 2 Causal Inference, Determinism and Indeterminism 3 The Common-Cause Principle 4 Some Remarks on Methodology 5 Reichenbach’s Specification of the Common-Cause Principle 6 The Cause-Correlation Link (CCL) 6.1 Determinism 6.1.1 Strategy 1: Specify Correlation in Causal Terms 6.1.2 Strategy 2: Limit CCL’s Application to Causally Homogenous Populations 6.1.3 Strategy 3: Weaken the Notion of Common Cause 6.2 Indeterminism 7 Screening Off 7.1 Motivating Screening Off: The Causal Markov Condition 7.2 The Prospects of CM and Screening Off under Determinism 7.2.1 Manipulation Accounts of Causation 7.2.2 Probabilistic Causation 7.2.3 Counterfactual Accounts 7.3 The Prospects of Screening Off under Indeterminism 7.4 The Prospects of Screening Off in the Quantum Realm 8 Conclusions Acknowledgments References Fundamental Limits of Control: A Quantum Approach to the Second Law 1 Introduction 2 Hilbert Space Statistics 3 Microcanonical and Canonical Constraints 4 Approach to Equilibrium 5 Signatures of Equilibrium Far from the Thermodynamic Limit 6 Breakdown of the Second Law? 7 Summary and Conclusions Acknowledgements References A Quantum Mechanical Look at Time Travel and Free Will 1 Classical Part 1.1 Principle of Self-Consistency 1.2 Strong Forecasting 1.3 Strong Event Control 1.4 Weak Forecasting and Event Control 1.5 Against the Odds 2 Quantum Part 2.1 Quantum Information 2.2 Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with Feedback Loop 2.3 The Solution 2.4 Important Special Cases References What is Determinism? 1 The Standard Approach 2 The Asymmetry of Determinism 3 The Contingency of Determinism 4 Theories of Causation 5 A Suggestion: Causal Chances References Ontological Presuppositions of the Determinism–Free Will Debate 1 2 3 4 5 References Determinism, Chance, and Freedom 1 What Is Determinism? 2 Four Doctrines on the Relationship between Determinism and Free Will 3 Why Dissolutionism Must Be Dissolved 4 How to Avoid Terminological Disputes on the True Meaning of Freedom 5 The Three Conceptions of Freedom and Their Metaphysical Presuppositions 6 Why Indeterminism Is Neither Sufficient Nor Necessary for Moral Responsibility 7 Living With Second-Order, Deterministic Desires 8 The Pragmatic Component of the Debate Acknowledgment References Free Will, Determinism, and Indeterminism 1 Introduction 2 Modern Attack on Traditional Free Will 2.1 Is Free Will Compatible with Determinism? 2.2 Can One Make Sense of a Free Will Requiring Indeterminism? 3 Indeterminism and Responsibility 4 Responsibility, Luck, and Chance 5 Agent Causation Appendix References Agency and Soft Determinism in Psychology 1 Agency, Compatibilism, and Psychology 2 Libertarianism, Hard Determinism, and Compatibilism 3 A Strategy for Defending Compatibilism as Soft Determinism 4 An Argument for the Underdeterminiation of Agency 4.1 Structure of the Argument 4.2 Against Full Physical/Biological Determinism 4.3 Against Full Sociocultural Determinism 4.4 Against Randomness and Unconscious Processes Alone 4.5 Agency as the Surviving, Plausible Option 5 A Very Brief Sketch of a Developmental Theory of Situated, Emergent, and Deliberative Agency 5.1 From Prereflective Activity to Self-Determining Agency 5.2 A Brief Comparison 6 Conclusions References Rethinking Determinism in Social Science 1 Introduction 2 Autonomy 3 Compatibilism and Incompatibilism 4 Modern Ideals of Freedom and Autonomy 5 The Critique of Instrumental Reason 6 Rethinking Cultural Ideals 7 Beyond Compatibilism and Incompatibilism References Agency, Embodiment, and the Ethical: On Saving Psychology from Biology 1 Introduction 2 Biological Reductionism and Necessary Determinism 3 Meaning, Morality and Necessary Determinism 4 Exploring Alternatives 5 Merleau-Ponty 6 Levinas References Time, Information, and Determinism in Psychology 1 Introduction 2 Newton and Absolute Time 3 Atomistic Time and Determinism 4 Atomistic Time and Information 5 An Alternate Conception of Time 6 Determinism and Information 7 Conclusion References Eastern Determinism Reconsidered from a Scientific Point of View 1 Introduction 2 The Yi-King and Buddhism 2.1 The Yi-King 2.1.1 Establishment and Development 2.1.2 The Fundamental Principles of the Yi-King: Yin and Yang and the Five Natural Elements 2.1.3 Foreknowledge in the Yi-King: Divination 2.2 Buddhism 2.2.1 Formation and Development 2.2.2 The Fundamental Doctrines of Buddhism: Dharma and Kuu (Inner Emptiness) 2.2.3 Buddhism for Satori and its Discipline: The Zen Sect and Zen 2.3 The Yi-King and Buddhism as Types of Desterminism and Indeterminism 2.3.1 The Yi-King 2.3.2 Buddhism 3 Reconsidering Buddhism and the Yi-King as Eastern Determinism 3.1 Scientific Determinism 3.1.1 General Remarks 3.1.2 Step-by-Step Developmental Stages of Understanding: Improvement and Heterogenous Development 3.1.3 The Purpose and Practice of Determinism: Basic Science, Applied Science, Practical Sciences 3.2 A Critical Evaluation of the Yi-King and Buddhism 3.2.1 The Yi-King 3.2.2 Buddhism 4 Comments on the Current Status of the Yi-King and Buddhism 4.1 The Attraction and the Hidden Art of the Yi-King 4.2 Controversy and Transfiguration in Buddhism Acknowledgments References Back matter Contributors Index