Determinism

 It appears obvious to most of us (experientially) that every event is preceded by a causal event, at least going back as far as the beginning of the universe. This is referred to as the deterministic view. To get around the creation event problem, we first created gods, then God, then an infinite inanimate forever universe. All would exist without a cause (Aristotle’s “unmoved mover” or first cause). While the causality (deterministic) theory makes obvious sense, it has problems, initially with free will and now with quantum mechanics. The deterministic view posits that with absolute knowledge regarding current state and the causes of events (including the laws of nature) we should be able to predict future states. Absolute knowledge regarding anything has so far proven to be impossible. However, if we all can agree that every event is caused by prior events, how can free will be a thing? Well, it seems that we can hold two opposing truths simultaneously. Possibly, somehow, we do not hold our decisions and the resultant action events to be 100% caused by prior events. Quantum mechanics also throws doubt on a causality chain view. Particles (waves?) appear to have multiple minds of their own making them unpredictable, unlocatable, and undefinable (wave or particle) thus producing randomness and probability in contradiction to determinism. Can you imagine the upheaval regarding morality and justice if it is determined with absolute certainty that free will does not exist? And, what if we went the other direction and determined that all events are random and unpredictable? 

Something from Nothing

 I recent asked a correspondent the question, "Over 300 years ago Leibniz asked the question, 'Why is there something, rather than nothing?'. Scientists, psychologists, and philosophers have been trying to answer that question since. What is your best guess?

The response I received was, "why not"?.

I wrote back: "Actually, a brilliant response. Your question implies that an eternal power (the first cause), on a ‘why not?’ whim, brought the ‘something’ (a universe) into being. Heraclitus and Aristotle both believed that initial and continued existence was consistent with causality, that all events were the effects of previous causes. Many people still believe that, that first cause, that eternal power was/is an omniscient God. Of course, that doesn’t answer the why question. The scientific answer is that we, and the universe, just are. A more recent theory is that the universe and life and human potentiality always was, that there never was a ‘nothing’. Quantum mechanics demonstrates that ‘nothing’ is an impossibility."

Climate Change

The following is from Copilot on 1/2/2025 when forced to predict the number of deaths over what periods of time if nothing more is done to slow/top climate change:

The projected death toll from climate change varies depending on the specific impact and the time frame considered. Here are some estimates based on current research:

1. Extreme Temperatures: By the end of the century, extreme temperatures (both heat and cold) could cause around 10.8 million deaths annually.

2. Air Pollution: Climate change and air pollution combined could result in approximately 19.5 million deaths annually by 2100.

3. Natural Disasters: Floods, droughts, heatwaves, tropical storms, wildfires, and rising sea levels are expected to cause significant mortality. For example, floods alone could account for 8.5 million deaths by 2050.

4. Overall Impact: The World Economic Forum estimates that climate change may cause an additional 14.5 million deaths by 2050.

Wisdom

I wrote the below sometime in 2019 but didn't publish it until now.

"They" say that with age comes wisdom, the ability to discern truth. I'm now 77 and I don't feel in any way wise. Take religion. Is there a God? I don't know. But I do know that pajama bottoms for those with male genitalia should have flies. Regarding climate change, I don't know.

Shorts 2

I wrote this in 2019 and failed to publish it until now.

Once in a while you need to walk to a different corner of a familiar room and view it from that angle.

Most would think that 77 years is a long time. I don't feel that it is. Possibly because I see my life in four phases, or 'acts' might be better. There was that that ended with high school, then there was the Army as an enlisted soldier followed by the Army as an officer and finally the longest (in years), yet the shortest period followed retirement from the military. The older one becomes the faster one gets older. And there will be no fifth act.

"This delayed frontal cortical maturation means that adolescents aren’t at adult levels of expertise at various cognitive tasks, like recognizing irony or Theory of Mind—the ability to operate with the knowledge that someone else has different information than you do." This quote from the magazine, Nautilus, kind of explains the bad behavior of college students but doesn't explain that of the administrators and professors.

Free Will

The existence or essence of free will continues to be discussed, argued and studied by philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists, among others. Even laymen like me seek a final answer. So I'll throw my druthers into the game and say that superficially free will doesn't exist as we understand it: the decision to think or act in one or another way or not at all. I do not believe that we are controlling how we act or think, rather that the end result is merely the summation of our memory of historical experiential evidence.

Patriotism

Originally written in 2019 or 2020 but not published.

Patriotism - a confusing concept, not so much in theory but in action. We tend to say that those who volunteer to serve in the military or another government branch that requires some degree of sacrifice or at least considerable discomfort or risk are patriotic. I suspect that many of these "patriots" are so only in appearance having in addition to love-of-country other good reasons for choosing to serve. Typically, the longer they serve the more their reason for continuing to serve is to support the country. Nothing confusing about that. Where it gets confusing is where politics gets involved.

Many in government today are experiencing a patriotic cognitive dissonance not unlike that experienced by many soldiers who fought in (or escaped fighting in) the Vietnam conflict. When you enter the military or accept a civilian position as a federal employee, you swear to serve and support the country. Later you may be asked to perform an act inconsistent with your value or belief system, an act directed from and informed by a political perspective with which you disagree.