(May 21, 2017 at 6:03 pm)chimp3 Wrote: Since we will never know the state of the universe in it's entirety at any one point in time , of what use is determinism?
Strictly speaking, for my actions of the next ten econds, I only need to know my past light cone of 3 million kilometers around me, so that's way less than the universe. Still impossible to know, although conceivably better to control.
But I don't think it does much. The absence of determinism doesn't magically explain "free will" for example. It is an interesting question whether it is possible to have deterministic laws of nature. There, det. can be a good guiding principle.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
