Free Will

Do people have free will?

I think we do have free will, but maybe I was predetermined to think that! Who knows...

Looking at it on a larger scale, a predetermined universe would be indistinguishable from a free one. However, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle states that it is indeed impossible to know the perfect position of any molecule at a set state or time. This is just an example of uncertainty in the world, if you want to go more in depth you can relate to the quantum dynamics of the universe and realize that some things CAN NOT be predetermined. 

Now, in today's current society, I would have to say the actions one takes are quite predeterminale. We are conditioned to act a certain way, depending on many factors in society. We know, and for the most part, follow the morels and norms of our current day society, with some influence from the past. Humans actions within a society can also be considered predetermined because we micic or generally follow what we were taught through nurturing, however nature plays a large role too. Even looking at Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development, we can see much of the human race will act out of fear of being punished and hope of receiving a reward. Much of the human race does not evolve to the post-conventional stages of moral development by the end of a lifetime. 

The Tree in the Forest

I have a philosophical situation for you. 


A large tree falls in a forest, no one is in the forest to hear the tree fall, when the tree hits the ground....Does it make a noise? 


I saw this situation in 2 different ways...


The first way is the logical scientific way...of course it makes a noise. Its what we are trained to think. Something falls....sound is produced. Sound is just the transfer of energy. Sound waves are energy releasing into the environment around you. So scientifically, yes, it would create a noise. Due to the kinetic energy being released from the predicted contact with another object. 


However, in our society. Isn't "noise" just a term for something we can hear and perceive it as a sound? If there was no scientific backup that high frequency sounds that are out of our hearing capacity were indeed real... Would we believe it? 


In today's society, I feel confident saying that "sound" doesn't become a sound until  and only until there is some intermediate observing it. For example, a noise is only a sound until a person hears it. For it to be a sound, it requires that there be a receiver of this said "sound". Until then, it's just a release of energy through compressed sound waves.