Do humans have free will? I like to think about this in terms of computer programs, for whatever reason. Consider the following computer programs (assuming no errors in software or hardware):
1. A program that displays the message "Hello". This program cannot reasonably said to have free will. Its creator knows what will happen every time it is ever run.
2. A program that asks the user to input a string of text and displays whatever was input. In this case, the program has no free will. Its creator does not have any idea what the result will be each time the program is run. However, given a certain input, the program is guaranteed to produce a certain output.
3. A program that displays a (pseudo-)random number (say, between 0 and 1). This program cannot reasonably said to have free will either. Although its output is not easily predictable, it is still governed by the specific algorithm for generating random numbers. This algorithm, given the same inputs, will produce the same output every time. In a sense, the creator of the program "knows" what the result will be.
4. A program that accurately simulates a human brain. Now, of course, neither the hardware nor the understanding required for such a program currently exists. But let's suppose that it did. I contend that such a program is possible. Given a particular state of the electrons in a brain, there are specific rules (whether or not they are currently understood) that dictate where these electrons will flow. By "programming" such rules, one could potentially simulate a human brain.
Could this program be said to have free will? I don't know, but I lean toward saying no. It is simply operating under the instructions given to it; in a sense, it is nothing more than a complicated combination of the first three types of programs mentioned above. Given a certain input, it doesn't seem reasonable to conclude that the program can "decide" on its own which output to produce. If the program did have free will, which additional line of code gave it "free will"? Is there something specific that divides entities with "free will" from entities without it? Finally, in what way is this program different from a "real human"?
I don't know the answers to these questions, which is probably why I don't find free will to be convincing (although I'm willing to be convinced otherwise). But this leads to a rather fatalistic, depressing view of the universe. So I try not to think about it too often.
6 comments:
Gaah! Humans are not computer programs! I refuse to believe it!
Okay, I would mostly be inclined to agree, but then... what is the essential difference between the two?
The gift of agency... you know, the difference between Satan's plan and God's.
Well, yeah, that's a good point. I guess my real question is then, how does the gift of agency work exactly (biologically)? It's probably an impossible question to answer though.
Get ready for a thoroughly speculatory and mind-bending comment. D&C 93:29-30 suggests that without intelligences, there is no existence. Put another way, without intelligences, there is no matter. Matter may consist of more than just an intelligence or group thereof, but intelligence is a necessary element.
It appears that each intelligence is given a sphere of influence within which it has independence. It can do what it likes. Some intelligences have a greater sphere of influence than others. To my mind, this means that certain intelligences have control over other lower ones.
Basic building blocks of the universe such as protons, neutrons, and electrons would have a relatively small sphere of control. They simply can't choose to do much that we can even notice. On the other hand, an intelligence that controls a person's spirit (see Abraham 3:21-22) would have a much larger sphere of influence, and would be able to arbitrarily determine how certain things were to be. It could decide to be happy. It could decide it feels lonely. It could decide any number of things.
I'm convinced that at some level, there's a physical connection between our spirits and our bodies, the brain especially. As a result, the workings of the mortal human mind are being influenced (though not completely determined) by the workings of a powerful intelligence which has been placed into a large sphere of influence by God.
I think that's the difference between the human mind and a computer. A computer is certainly made up of many intelligences as well, but there's no single commanding intelligence that can make arbitrary, non-deterministic decisions.
How's that for speculation? And yes, there's more where that came from.
you all need to talk to my bot. it has loads of free will:
http://www.ryanbyrd.net/mybot/src/talk.php
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