Causal-order superposition as an enabler of free will
Abstract
It is often argued that bottom-up causation under a physicalist, reductionist worldview precludes free will in the libertarian sense. On the one hand, the paradigm of classical mechanics makes determinism inescapable, while on the other, the leading models that allow a role for quantum effects are noncommittal regarding how conscious agents are supposed to translate indeterminacy into self-formed choice. Recent developments, however, not only imply that self-formed decisions are possible, but actually suggest how they might come about. The cornerstone appears to be causality superposition rather than quantum-state entanglement, as is usually assumed, and the natural arena for applying these developments is (perhaps ironically) a framework that was built without any consideration for quantum effects.
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Cite
@article{arxiv.1610.02395,
title = {Causal-order superposition as an enabler of free will},
author = {Salvador Malo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.02395},
year = {2016}
}
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6 pages