The Quantum Physics of Free Will

The Quantum Physics of Free Will

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Is the fact you are reading this story a decision you arrived at it by your own free choice, or was your interest programmed into the universe from the moment of the big bang? What makes free will such a fun topic is not only that it dives deep into physics, neuroscience, and philosophy, but also that we all feel we have a direct stake in the answers.

Some people get worked up about a supposed conflict between free will and determinism. Others see no conflict. Human consciousness and therefore the concept of free will are emergent properties, so whether microscopic physics is deterministic or not is irrelevant. There is a vigorous debate within physics over this very issue. Lots of researchers do think that human free will has something to do with the deep laws of nature. Within quantum mechanics, there are three basic arguments for such a connection.