Peter Jones writes:
> Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
> > John Mikes writes:
> >
> > > Peter:
> > > "... A counterfactual is a COUNTERfactual - -it is
> > > something that could have happenned but didn't. There is no
> > > reason why we should be conscious of in things
> > > we coudl have done but didn't. ..."
> > >
> > > JM:
> > > It could not have happened in another way if it did happen THIS way.. WE may
> > > think - in our limited circle of knowledge - that something else was also
> > > viable, but in the deterministic world of a total (unlimited, not
> > > model-enclosed) interconnectedness - whatever happened, was "the" possible
> > > way of events.
> > > I am not talking about HP universes or thought experiments.
> >
> > Yes: the mere fact that we *think* it could have happened differently does not
> > mean that it could have happened differently.
>
> Counterfactuals come from physical determinism, they
> are not contrary to it. Causal determism mean there are
> physical laws determining events which can be modelled
> by mathematival statements. The mathermatical
> formulation of physical laws allows you to answer
> hypothetical questions even if the actual situation cannot
> be phsyically realised for some practical reason.
>
>
> If the actual situation cannot
> be physically realised for some practical reason,
> there is a sense in which it is impossible --
> but it is not the same sense of impossible
> as something which is forbidden by physical
> laws.
But is there any sense in which we as humans are any more "free" than billiard
balls or dice beyond the fact that we *feel* we are free? I have a strong feeling
that my free will is not randomness and not determinism: is there anything really
other tthan these two possibilities?
Stathis Papaioannou
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Received on Thu Aug 31 2006 - 07:01:13 PDT