Re:Regrets of the Dying (2010)
by herdcall on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @08:46AM
(#30599781)
There's a school of thought among physicists/philosophers called "eternalism" (also goes by "block universe") that posits that all the future is already "laid out," so to speak, and that free will is an illusion. The idea is that the current state of the universe (and mind in our case) dictates the next state (deterministic or stochastic) and we really have to control over the process. Many physicists subscribe to this view (Albert Einstein is supposed to have been a proponent), and I'm increasingly becoming a believer myself. The upshot is that we should never regret/second-guess the past or worry about the future because we really have no control.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Regrets of the Dying (2010)
by SketchySeaBeast on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @09:20AM
(#30600141)
That paints a veneer of effortlessness over everything that I don't much care for. Sure, we could in theory trace back our every impulse to some preceding energy or interaction, but it doesn't much help in the moment when you're trying to push hard to get done that last mile of your run. Even if the universe already knows if you're going to fail or not by the end of the run doesn't mean you do nor should you accept the easy result in the moment.
The universe knew you were going to think that and push yourself hard for the last mile
Of course, if we really have no control then we also can't control whether we regret the past or worry about the future, so why bother telling anyone that they should not do it?
But of course you had no control over whether you would tell anyone that, so I shouldn't question your decision.
The whole notion of 'should' is absurd under such a philosophy.
Re:Regrets of the Dying (2010)
by WheelsAtLarge on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @04:06PM
(#30606956)
There's also determinism. I know that when I kick a ball it will go on a direction I want. Not always but most of the time and the more I do it the better I get. If it's an illusion, thats ok. I will live with it the rest of my life. It works for me.
Re:Regrets of the Dying (2010)
by WheelsAtLarge on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @06:21PM
(#30608748)
Oops, should have written free-will not determinism.
The future has zero mass, thus has zero energy, thus most likely doesn't exist yet. It's a really long gamble to say that it does.
Re:Regrets of the Dying (2010)
by SketchySeaBeast on Tuesday March 08, 2022 @11:49AM
(#30602096)
Can't the same argument be made about the past? The measurement of mass and energy is very much a measure of the present.