Signals of Mind

Atheist Argument

Version 1
(Version 1 of the "There is no Free Will" Argument)
The laws of the universe are absolutely clear when it comes to free will. We don't have it. It is not possible given the way the universe actually operates.
We feel like we’re free, but the science and logic say otherwise. Every choice we make is either determined by prior causes or it isn’t. If it’s determined, then our decisions were set in motion long before we were born. If it’s not, then randomness is calling the shots, not us. Neuroscience confirms this: brain activity predicting our choices shows up before we’re even aware of deciding, and experiments can nudge or read intentions directly from neural signals. We didn’t choose our genes, our upbringing, or the brain that generates our thoughts — and without choosing the chooser, free will is an illusion.

ScrappyMarcus wrote: Sat Aug 23, 2025 12:17 pm Atheist Argument

Version 1
(Version 1 of the "There is no Free Will" Argument)
The laws of the universe are absolutely clear when it comes to free will. We don't have it. It is not possible given the way the universe actually operates.
We feel like we’re free, but the science and logic say otherwise. Every choice we make is either determined by prior causes or it isn’t. If it’s determined, then our decisions were set in motion long before we were born. If it’s not, then randomness is calling the shots, not us. Neuroscience confirms this: brain activity predicting our choices shows up before we’re even aware of deciding, and experiments can nudge or read intentions directly from neural signals. We didn’t choose our genes, our upbringing, or the brain that generates our thoughts — and without choosing the chooser, free will is an illusion.

The mathematical model within the standard model of the universe is indeed deterministic. It can show the precise place and state of everything within the universe with infinite accuracy. But herein lies its down fall. It is infinitely accurate because it uses real numbers to describe the universe. But real numbers contain infinite digits — which would mean every physical state would hold infinite information. That is easily proven impossible by the fact that when an object falls into a black hole the information becomes contained on the event horizon. The event horizon of a black hole has a finite surface area so the deterministic mathematical model of the universe is false. The entire foundations that determinists use to claim that the universe is wired to determinism is false.

Physicist Nicolas Gisin offers a solution: replace reals with constructive numbers — finite, computable values. His mathematical model is completely compatible with all existing science in place of the old mathematical model. But his model avoids smuggling in infinities and as a result makes the future genuinely open. In this model, free will is not an illusion but a structural feature of the universe.
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