Indeterminism

What Is Indeterminism?

Indeterminism is the view that outcomes are entirely indeterministic, in other words not deterministic at all.  Indeterminism arose from scientific research, particularly research showing that at the atomic level there is indeterminacy.

Heisenberg proposed the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics that it is not possible to determine accurately both the position and momentum of a particle.

Following acceptance of the uncertainty principle, Sir Arthur Eddington and others proposed that nature was also indeterministic.

What Are The Objections To Indeterminism?

A problem with the indeterministic view is that everything is open to chance. How does one state or event lead to the next a small amount of time later if there is no determinism?

Free Will

The indetermistic view does not neccesarily preclude free will.

From the scientific view, there will be no free will if everything is open to chance and nature.

However, there can indeterminism at a low level and free will, influenced by character, personality and morality at a high level.