Olivier5

The generation of genetic 'noise' as you say is what powers evolution. It matters quite a lot. And gene expression at phenotypic level is random to a ...

Even error would be an illusion.

Can anyone predict the next mutation? And how this mutation will play out?

It is evidently a random process.

Determinism is a needless hypothesis. It's not proven, and merges on the metaphysical. It also leads to logical contradictions. Hold on to it at your ...

I don't think so. Complex systems -- eg living organisms -- are not fully deterministic. Biology is not fully deterministic in its outlook. It doesn't...

Just saying: the scientific evidence so far points to indeterminism. What's your evidence that the present state of affairs in the universe - our disc...

I see it differently. Modern science tells us that not every single event can be predicted, and that kinda points to the indeterminist world view. In ...

Yes.

I mean: by science.

Science, anyone?

Not fully determined, no. Indeterminism doesn't deny some causation and determination. It just says that "not everything is predetermined".

Then it would depend where the ball goes, what's its trajectory compared to other stuff out there. Like it could get stuck in a tree branch or somethi...

Yes, you ought to, if you can send the ball faster than 11km per second.

You're welcome to, especially if you manage to exceed escape velocity. Another thing you could do is read about indeterminism. :-)

I'm a non-native English speaker too. Is there a big cost (monetary or timewise) to taking the formal course? What's stopping you? Why do you hesitate...

The answer depends on how good the teacher would be. I remember of a prof who made me love mathematics. I was already good at it by then but his passi...

If your talk is fully determined by your molecules, then I'm now reading from and talking to your molecules. Nice to meet you, girls!

A 'superior data processing and response' system must include self-reference. A predator for instance needs to know where he himself is compared to hi...

What I am asking is: who is talking though your mouth? Neurons? Molecules? Atoms? Particles? Society? Culture? Ancestors? God? I'd like to know whom I...

So what you are saying right now is not really what you are saying? Who is talking when you talk?

IDK, I'm missing the social dimension and the sense of individual decision making. Bumblebees don't punish or reward others. The rules they follow see...

Isn't there a set of European values emerging as well, around social and environmental responsibility, a rejection of profit as the only goal, the use...

Error is how we learn. It is unavoidable and productive. But I can't see how a systemic illusion about the whole shebang would be necessary or useful.

Fair enough. Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae Most bumb...

An interesting question though, is whether bumblebees have free will.

'Free will' overstates the case in my view. I prefer 'free choice'. But it's a bit of a detail. The path from evolution to free will goes through ceph...

The Kalmar Union is interesting, thanks. (You might wish to check the history of the Delian league for another example). The Brits did well except in ...

On this issue yes. I believe in evolution though. That's in fact precisely why I believe in what they call 'free will'.

I can’t see what would be the advantage of such an illusion. There’s no point. Nature doesn’t need to lie to us.

Indeterminism?

People Who Doubt I like people who doubt Who listen a bit too much To their swaying heart I like people who speak And contradict themselves Without se...

Did someone tried injecting him clorox? Could well save his life. Also please quadruple dose of hydroxychloroquine.

We can also get rid of determinism.

I never said you were a standard one but you are one. I don't believe that determinism makes any sense, so I define myself as a nondeterminist compati...

Man! Just now discovering this thread. Jovanotti!!!!!! Live!!!! Much great stuff here.

wow thanks. The song is gorgeous of course but the Animal Farm animation is a gem.

Right. "True randomness" is hard to emulate, including in computers. But my point is not that we need a truly unpredictable random number generator in...

So you are a compatibilist... Welcome to the club!

Probably not, but it suffices to explain how malapropisms can exist, be decoded, and sometimes get to endure. They are mutations of language.

At the core of every system capable of evolving, one can usually find the three darwinian faculties to 1) err, though rarely; 2) weed out most errors ...

The way I see it, it's a work in progress, annotations and remarks and caveats and entirely new entries get added from time to time, when we note a pa...

You confused me with someone who is out there to demonstrate something. I repeat: I'm perfectly happy with you keeping your model. It just doesn't wor...

Of course the term 'passing theory' is a bit pompous. You can translate it by "one's understanding of what happened".

One interesting way to look at (biological) life — the only interesting way I could come up with to think about life — is in systemic terms. And in sy...

More precisely, I expect my theories about my neurological processes to give an accurate account of my experience. If a theory doesn’t fit with the fa...

Of course not. If this simple and mechanistic view of yourself suffice to account for your experience, you're more than welcome to hold on to it. I ex...

You're afraid to commit? To what? The idea of randomness? You know what I find hard to commit to? The idea that the plum I will choose tomorrow has be...

We've seen that already with Buridan's ass: sometimes one cannot determine which option is nearest, it's impractical or impossible. Two plums at the s...

I take "passing theory" to mean a non-canonical, no literal interpretation of a sentence or text, a creative, sui generis interpretation that may be r...