Title: Determinism: Examples and Definition | Philosophy Terms
Headings: Determinism
Determinism
I. Definition
II. Types of Determinism
III. Determinism versus Free Will
IV. Controversies about Determinism
Does quantum mechanics necessarily mean that the universe is non-deterministic?
V. Quotes about Determinism
Quote #1:
Quote #2:
VI. Determinism in Pop Culture
Example #1: The Matrix
Example #2: Minority Report
VII. The History of Determinism
Quiz

Content: III. Determinism versus Free Will
You might think these are opposites; however, philosophers recognize four possible points of view regarding the two—both true, both false, and one or the other. Compatibilism, the theory that they can both be true at the same time, is popular, since most people want to believe in both. Then again, the theory that they are both false is also popular; because that is what current science seems to imply: if quantum theory is correct, determinism is probably false
if neuroscience is correct, free will is probably false
As far as we know, our minds are entirely part of our brains, which simply obey the laws of physics. So, how could the activity of our brains not be determined by physical law? Quantum theory doesn’t help, because even if quantum events in our brain are un-determined, they’re random; random is just as much the opposite of free will as deterministic!