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    We may in future be in a position to mount a credible arg... — Carmelics
    Home/Free Will & Foreknowledge
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    We may in future be in a position to mount a credible argument for or against determinism

    Free Will & Foreknowledge
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Arguments for or against determinism can be grounded in features we think the Final Theory must have
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    • 2.Our knowledge of what features the Final Theory must have may improve over time
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
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    • 1.The determinism question concerns the nomological structure of reality, which underdetermines any finite body of empirical evidence.
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    • 2.No Final Theory, however empirically adequate, can rule out empirically equivalent indeterministic rivals (van Fraassen's constructive empiricism).
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    • 3.Therefore, improved physical knowledge cannot dissolve the underdetermination that blocks a credible argument for or against determinism.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Earman's own analysis in 'A Primer on Determinism' shows determinism fails even in classical mechanics due to Newtonian supertasks and Norton's dome.
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    • 2.If determinism is already undermined within well-understood theories, appeals to a future Final Theory presuppose theoretical convergence that is not guaranteed.
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    Free Will & Foreknowledge

    Related

    Arguments for or against determinism can be grounded in features we think the Fi...Earman's own analysis in 'A Primer on Determinism' shows determinism fails even ...If determinism is already undermined within well-understood theories, appeals to...No Final Theory, however empirically adequate, can rule out empirically equivale...
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    Our knowledge of what features the Final Theory must have may improve over timeThe determinism question concerns the nomological structure of reality, which un...Therefore, improved physical knowledge cannot dissolve the underdetermination th...

    Similar

    Metaphysical argument is a legitimate basis for evaluating the prospec...86%Arguments for or against determinism can be grounded in features we th...83%Either determinism is true or determinism is false (exhaustive dilemma...80%Determinateness and determinism are distinct considerations in the fre...78%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: determinism-causal
    View source passageHide passage
    Even if the first hurdle can be overcome, the second, namely establishing precisely what the actual laws are, may seem daunting indeed. In a sense, what we are asking for is precisely what 19th and 20th century physicists sometimes set as their goal: the Final Theory of Everything. But perhaps, as Newton said of establishing the solar system’s absolute motion, “the thing is not altogether desperate.” Many physicists in the past 60 years or so have been convinced of determinism’s falsity, because
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit