The Physics of Free Will: A Radical New Theory
Audio Brief
Show transcript
This episode features Professor Jenann Ismael, who explores how relativistic physics challenges classical determinism and carves out a scientific basis for free will. There are four key takeaways from this illuminating discussion. First, free will is not about breaking physical laws but emerges as a natural consequence of relativistic reality, stemming from our embedded perspective within the universe. Second, reality itself is fundamentally incomplete; there is no fixed "God's eye view" that can encompass and predict all events, making genuine agency logically possible. Third, our individual choices and internal information streams actively "interfere" with and shape an inherently "unsettled" future, giving our decisions profound impact. Finally, the mind, understood as a complex information-processing system, should be considered a fundamental aspect of physical reality, directly influencing matter through deliberate actions. Professor Ismael argues that the classical assumption of absolute determinism is challenged by relativistic physics. The universe, viewed from an embedded perspective, fundamentally lacks a totality of facts that would allow for complete external prediction. This is due to the light cone structure, which ensures that the past light cone of any event never contains sufficient information for certain prediction. This inherent incompleteness of reality creates an essential logical space for genuine self-constitution through our choices. Freedom, in this view, is not about defying physics but is an emergent property of the mind within a dynamic, evolving reality. Time is experienced as "coming into being," emphasizing its irreversible nature and that the future is genuinely open and influenced by our choices. Our subjective experience of free will arises from an internal stream of information comprising memories, plans, and decisions that form our unique identity over a lifetime. These choices are integral to shaping an unsettled future, meaning our actions are not merely observed but actively contribute to reality's unfolding. Therefore, the mind, as a system capable of complex information processing and deliberate action, is a significant physical phenomenon that physics must account for. This perspective suggests our choices are not illusions but integral forces in shaping a genuinely open and dynamic universe, redefining our understanding of freedom and reality.
Episode Overview
- Professor Jenann Ismael challenges classical determinism, arguing that physics itself, particularly Einstein's theory of relativity, reveals a fundamentally incomplete reality.
- The podcast explores the nature of the self, redefined not as a static entity but as a dynamic, self-curating structure of information built over a lifetime through choices and experiences.
- Ismael uses logical paradoxes, such as the impossibility of self-prediction, to dismantle the idea of a "God's-eye view" and show why no observer within the universe can ever have a complete picture of it.
- The conversation delves into the subjective experience of time as a process of "becoming," which forms the basis for genuine agency and our ability to influence an open future.
Key Concepts
- Incompleteness of Reality: The past light cone of any event never contains enough information to fully determine it, creating a logical gap in the causal fabric of the universe that allows for agency.
- The Self as an Information Structure: The "I" is a virtual object—a dynamic, evolving pattern of information constituted by memories, choices, and experiences. Death is the irretrievable loss of this unique, self-created inner world.
- The Mirage of the "God's-Eye View": The idea of a single, complete, and external perspective on the universe is a logical impossibility. Due to self-referential paradoxes, no observer within a system can encompass the totality of all facts about that system.
- Paradox as a Philosophical Tool: Logical puzzles, like a machine trying to predict its own future, are not flaws in logic but powerful formal models for understanding the limits of prediction and the nature of being an agent within a system.
- Time as "Becoming": Our subjective experience of the future "coming into being" is a fundamental feature of reality, distinct from simply discovering a pre-existing future. This temporal asymmetry is what allows for meaningful agency, as we act to shape what is not yet fixed.
Quotes
- At 0:00 - "Reality is incomplete." - Professor Jenann Ismael states the central theme of the discussion.
- At 2:57 - "What the f*ck? Like, how do we understand, if you take seriously... this is what the world is like, how do you understand from within that, in a way that you can make sense of, what agency is?" - Ismael describes the existential mystery that motivates her work on free will within a physicalist worldview.
- At 76:38 - "Who am I? ... I think I'm a structure of information." - In a concise summary of her view, Ismael defines the self as an evolving informational pattern rather than a simple physical object.
- At 88:07 - "In reality, there is no point of view that encompasses the whole." - Ismael concludes that the notion of a total, external "God's eye view" of the universe is a logical impossibility for any observer embedded within that universe.
- At 1:04:03 - "You experience the future as coming into being as it's experienced. So it wasn't there already and now you're just seeing it. It's coming into existence." - Ismael describes the fundamental phenomenological difference between our experience of time and space.
Takeaways
- The self is not a fixed soul or object but a dynamic narrative you build through your choices, memories, and actions over time.
- Free will is compatible with physics; it arises from the fact that no system can perfectly predict its own future, leaving room for self-determination.
- The idea of a single, objective "truth" encompassing all of reality is a logical fallacy; reality is composed of countless, valid, but incomplete internal perspectives.
- Cherish individual experience and memory, as the death of a person represents the permanent and irreplaceable loss of a unique informational universe.
