that’s correct, but what you mean, which is ‘it is not caused’, is incorrect. remember that in quantum physics, probability does not denote ‘uncaused’, but only an inability to know in advance what event will happen. this is a problem of observation, not causality. people make this mistake all the time… especially this new age philosophy that believes the uncertainty principle proves freewill. and right along side of this error is the metaphysical misuse of the concept of chaos. this word ‘chaos’ does not describe natural systems… but, again, an observational problem with being unable to predict a future state due to complex initial conditions. this has nothing to do with ‘order’ or ‘causality’. or rather it doesn’t mean the two are absent.
so quantum physics will not save your freewill argument… and i can’t believe you folks are still going at it after all this time. i’ve tried to explain the problem in very simple terms. maybe you missed it… or maybe you saw it and didn’t get it. the problem with freewill is that is would require an ontologically different substance from that substance which constitutes the things that can exist. if you can imagine everything existing in space/time as being under the seamless influence of a single set of natural laws, then you’d have to ask why, and how, could something else exist that wasn’t also under such influence. so for example, when you ‘choose’ to stand up, there would have to be a spontaneous suspension of the natural laws and an immediate initiation of a different set of laws to direct the course of events that followed.
natural laws are working > ecmandu decides to stand up > natural laws suddenly halt and agent causality kicks in > ecmandu stands up > natural laws kick in again and continue operating until ecmandu makes another decision > repeat, etc.
so at that point when the decision is made, you can’t say that the same laws are still working… since if you did, you’d be saying those laws caused the choice. you don’t want to say that, so you have to demonstrate how another causality can not only neutralize natural causality (stop it), but also interact with everything else that is operating under natural causality. i.e., how can your choice ‘affect’ your brain? how does it touch it? descartes claimed this contact was made in the pituitary gland.
that there is no freewill… not even ‘kinda’ or ‘a little bit’… is the last bitter drop you must swallow (N), ecman. there isn’t a metaphysical or logical argument under the sun that supports it, and there never will be. the thrust of the argument for freewill has always been moral, although philosophers like to believe they’ve devised some rational or empirical proof for it and that it merely has moral ‘implications’ after the fact. no sir; the entire thing is grounded in a particular kind of moral attitude toward the world. one is either wanting of pride or for placing blame… one is either searching for praise (look what i did, everybody!, etc.) or looking to blame someone/something (that sonofabitch!, etc.).
now you’ll note that the stoa, for instance - who had this thing figured out - couldn’t actually live as fatalists… because that’s literally impossible. one would never get out of bed in the morning. rather what they had was a different moral attitude toward the world… were far more patient, tolerating and understanding. i’d put peacegirl as a stoic, in fact. these are the good stoa… the one’s who’s understanding that there is no freewill gives them greater tolerance.
i, on the other hand, am an evil stoic. and what this means is that while i no longer blame the individual, i blame the whole fucking thing instead… all the way back to the first cause (if there be), or the oscillating model (if it be). and i pass the judgement ‘this is dumb’. or maybe that’s unfair. i should say ‘clumsy’, instead. i’m absolutely convinced that the element of stupidity at least triples the quantity of carbon in the universe.
but the big difference between the good and evil stoa is that we couldn’t give a shit less that you’re not to blame. that doesn’t make you any less of an idiot. not you you. i mean whoever in general. in fact, that makes everything far worse; if i can’t blame you, i’ve got to blame everything inexplicably bound up in the chain of causality itself… which means, it’s the whole universe’s fault when you fuck up.
now the evil stoa still attack, mind you, but we don’t resent, see. our conscience is clean… no bad feelings… no hatred. maybe a little contempt or disgust, but never hatred. and we’re all about some consent violation. we’re some of the most consent violating fucks you’ll ever find. find me some consent, and i’ll sure as shit violate it.