= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
cleonid comments on You May Already Be A Sinner - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (33)
You don’t have to mix Calvinism into this problem.
Determinism (a rationalist term for pre-destination) follows naturally from the laws of physics. Quantum mechanics throws a tiny element of chance into the play, but since you have no conscious control over the quantum effects anyway, it seems that all your future actions have already been taken out of your control.
With this additional indulgence from science, you can now embark on a life a sin. However, I am afraid that you may find it no more gratifying than the life of self-denial chosen by the Chosen.
Predestination, but not determinism, implies no binding between actions ("freely chosen" or not) and consequences. See Thou Art Physics and Timeless Control.
I believe this is not quite correct. Predestination does not imply that actions do not predetermine the consequences (i.e. “no righteous man can be saved without the grace of God”). Rather it implies that actions themselves are predetermined (i.e. “no man can become righteous without the grace of God”).
To quote Luther: ” God is said to hate men before they are born, because, He foreknows that they WILL DO that which WILL MERIT hatred”.
QM's tiny elements of chance can be amplified as much as you like. See Feynman's Bomb
Whatever that memans. You cant predetermine an indeterministic event in your brain. but if an indteterministic event does occur in your brain it does not have to lead to action: other neural events could vote it down.