Krish Ramkumar
Free Will
The ability of species to make choices based on consequences
could be simply called as free will. Is this free will really a choice that we
make or is it simply an illusion? There is no way to know. Free will to me
seems like a deterministic approach to reality. But there are quantum
uncertainties that are present at every nook and corner of the universe. We as
humans, I think can be sure that the free will is simply a decision that
originates in our brains. We also know that the brain consists of several
neurons that are ultimately made of electrons. After all, every entity in the
observable universe is made up of electrons or quarks to be more precise. Let
us for now take electron as the elemental particle. From quantum mechanics, we
deduce that these particles are highly uncertain and it is impossible to
pinpoint their path. To put it simply they are random and unpredictable which
makes them non-deterministic. When the most elemental process of making
decisions is based on such uncertainty, why is it that we think free will as
deterministic? This aspect of reality really confuses me because it seems like
the very act of decision making is completely random. If this is the case, the
universe by itself is completely random.
