Title: Indeterminism | philosophy | Britannica
Headings: Indeterminism
Indeterminism
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Assorted References
comparison with

Content: Indeterminism | philosophy | Britannica
Indeterminism
philosophy
Learn about this topic in these articles: Assorted References
randomness in quantum mechanics
In quantum mechanics: Hidden variables
…is that of randomness, or indeterminacy. In general, the theory predicts only the probability of a certain result. Consider the case of radioactivity. Imagine a box of atoms with identical nuclei that can undergo decay with the emission of an alpha particle. In a given time interval, a certain fraction…
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views on choice
In choice
Indeterminists insist, on the other hand, that human beings, however limited in choices, still are free to choose among alternatives and to put such choices into action. Thus volition (in this view) is, at least partly, independent of the strength of motivation, and itself determines…
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comparison with
determinism
In determinism
Indeterminism, on the other hand, is the view that at least some events in the universe have no deterministic cause but occur randomly, or by chance. Exponents of determinism strive to defend their theory as compatible with moral responsibility by saying, for example, that evil…
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materialism
In materialism: Type distinguished by its view of history
…even some ancient materialists were indeterminists, and a modern physicalist materialism must be indeterministic because of the indeterminism that is built into modern physics.