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Computational irreducibility breaks the apparent paradox. "You" are an extremely complicated computational system. Even if the choices you make are fully determ

Computational irreducibility breaks the apparent paradox. "You" are an extremely complicated computational system. Even if the choices you make are fully deterministic given the current arrangement of the atoms, molecules, cells in your body and the situation of those in the wider universe (which is an oversimplification of the quantum mechanical reality), "you" are still making the choices and you still have free will in that sense. due to computational irreducibility, there is no system that could ever replace you without being you. Even if you could magically perfectly replicate the human mind in a digital form, it would still experience different inputs and possess different methods of output, and the digital simulation would immediately diverge. There would be two of "you", and each would be different and would have their own free will.

tux1968 6y ago
But that is true for all computationally irreducible systems, including inanimate objects. But people want to feel like there is something special about them that goes deeper than the current arrangement of their atoms. That there is a real possibility of more than one outcome starting from this configuration of atoms, and that the outcome that actually materializes is theirs for the choosing.
- red75prime 6y ago
  The assumption that choices of a decision-making system are predetermined is totally useless. It doesn't allow to simplify decision algorithms or anything. So, just make a decision and let the universe worry about providing initial conditions, which physically lead to the chosen action.