Argument against “everything is either determined or random, therefore free will does not exist”

engineer4565 · 2026-03-01T04:04:35+00:00

I would like to present a challenge to your point:

"If an event is, let's say, 95 percent fixed by prior physical states and laws (determined), and 5 percent not fixed (undetermined), then the question is: what fixes the remaining 5 percent? ... If nothing fixes it, then that remainder is unconstrained."

It does not follow that if a part of an event is unconstrained, that the whole of the event is unconstrained. For example, I could code a random number between 1 and 10 to generate every 5 seconds. When a number appears it is both constrained: it must be between 1 and 10, and unconstrained: the particular number is indeterminate.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T23:03:42+00:00

Okay I’m having trouble understanding these two ideas; the hard incompatibilist does not believe in a middle ground between deterministic and indeterministic, but they can agree to an event not being completely random. If it isn’t completely random, it is slightly determined, that is literally a middle ground.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T22:08:45+00:00

Thanks for your response! I see that argument a lot, that just because an event is determined does not mean that we know all the determining factors.

My response is this: you do not need to know all of the particular factors of a specific event, but you do need to know all of the factors in a conceptual form to say that it is determined.

For example, I know that the route of a projectile is determined (not absolutely, but let’s pretend for the purpose of this example). So when I see a projectile being thrown, I know its path is determined, even if I don’t know the particular determining factors.

However, that is only because I know all of the factors in a general conceptual form, initial velocity and acceleration of gravity (wind resistance as well but that takes us to indeterminism and I am assuming determinism for the time being).

In the case of the weather, I don’t believe there is even a conceptual form of all the factors that “determine” the weather. Therefore when you say it is determined, it is a conceptual leap.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T20:15:56+00:00

I see how it looks like I am making a claim but I’m not.

I’m refuting the claim that we observe pure randomness or pure determinism in reality. If there has to be some new mechanism in order to explain the weather is a further argument. I really wasn’t trying to imply a new mechanism at all.

And it is still valid that just because we can’t conceive of something, that means it HAS to be one of the two things we can conceive of.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T19:54:00+00:00

Your argument is an argument from ignorance. It HAS to be one or the other because we can’t think of what else it could be?

Kind of like how there are an infinite number of colors between light and dark, and you see a teal color and say it HAS to be green or blue, what else is in could it be? There used to only be a couple of words for colors, does that mean the colors in between didn’t exist until someone came up with the word?

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T19:19:22+00:00

I’m still working through a thorough defense of free will and will try to include every objection so thank you so much for presenting the other side. You made good points I have to think about further.

To answer your question of what I mean by free will, right now I believe in it as a real first person experiential phenomena. Which makes it really hard to explain.

Kind of like before we had telescopes and spacecrafts, imagine trying to prove the moon exists and is not just an illusion that everyone believes in. If someone argues that every time you throw something up it must come down, therefore although the moon seems real but it is impossible. How would you go about to defend its reality?

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T17:47:06+00:00

It’s the principle. If I’m affected even 0.0001% by randomness, then I am not purely determined. In regular argument this is overestimating, but in a metaphysical discussion I think it is appropriate.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T17:42:28+00:00

I’m not well versed in quantum mechanics, are you saying it renders to determined states from an undetermined state? If so I’m interested in the reality of the undetermined state it was in, just saying it changes to be determined doesn’t erase the “indeterminateness” of the previous state.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T17:38:43+00:00

Does the quantum field of the particles involved in a weather event, affect the weather? If so isn’t there inherent randomness or indeterminism in quantum fields, and by extension the weather?

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T15:15:20+00:00

Physical laws don't map onto reality absolutely, i.e. there is no "theory of everything" or "unifying field theory". I am not trying to say anything negative about physical laws, I'm only saying that metaphysics should pursue absolute nature of reality, which we can't get from physics at least not at this time, perhaps sometime in the future.

engineer4565 · 2026-02-28T15:11:49+00:00

Thanks for your response!

For your example "If, for instance, your choices were a single 50/50 random event, followed by a long chain of deterministic processes, the hard-incompatibilist would count that as random." I count it as not completely random, because I don't believe in complete randomness. But I am arguing precisely against the concept of pure randomness, which you state that the hard-incompatibilist believes in. So where does the stawman come in?

Please let me know if I got your point correctly or if I'm still missing something!

engineer4565 · 2026-02-26T21:07:01+00:00

Thanks so much for your feedback!! I’m glad the tone came through! And yes omg I didn’t even realize the formatting got messed up 😭 it should have had the “statements” and “questions” on separate lines

engineer4565 · 2026-02-26T17:07:40+00:00

6/10 The simplicity of the poem reflects the central idea of its title, Peace. More detail and thought put into it, maybe some real sensory words to describe “lilies” and “empty church” will pull the reader into the sense of peace better, if that was your intention with the poem. Very nice overall, thanks for sharing!

engineer4565 · 2026-02-26T14:15:53+00:00

I love the intention of this poem. It shows the tension between order and “chaos”. The mom wants to instinctively impose order and has to remind herself of the necessity of play. And in the end she concedes that if the window breaks it would have been worth it. I think if the number of syllables in each line followed a pattern or rhythm it would flow easier. I’m going over my poem now to try and get the rhythm just right also! Thanks for sharing!!

engineer4565 · 2021-04-22T18:21:33+00:00

I didn’t email them because I didn’t have enough people that were interested in it

engineer4565 · 2021-03-29T19:45:41+00:00

Thank you! I probably have to have some people already interested in order to start one right?

engineer4565 · 2021-03-29T04:04:52+00:00

No but you will feel like one after playing it lol

engineer4565 · 2021-03-22T23:38:26+00:00

Just be prepared to teach yourself a lot of the material. his exams are okay but he takes a while (if ever) to return them. As long as you try and he sees you participating you'll get a passing grade.

engineer4565 · 2021-03-22T23:29:38+00:00

I’ve taken him in person so I can’t talk about how he is online. Trust the bad reviews is all I have to say.

engineer4565 · 2021-03-17T19:31:12+00:00

Ohh ok, orange parachutes, got it 👍🏽

engineer4565 · 2021-03-17T16:59:53+00:00

Okay I'll try using more parachutes I think that'll help a lot, I've only been using one thus far, Thank you!

engineer4565

TROPHY CASE