It's not at all clear how quantum mechanics in general, or a thought experiment like Shrodinger's cat, should be interpreted. In the lab one can perhaps coax a

It's not at all clear how quantum mechanics in general, or a thought experiment like Shrodinger's cat, should be interpreted. In the lab one can perhaps coax a few atoms near absolute zero into a superimposed state, but not a large room temperature object like a cat, so that particular thought experiment is just that - not an observed experimental outcome. Is quantum randomness actually real, or just a reflection of an imperfect model of reality ? In any case, isn't William James really just considering the issue of free will ? If the world, including ourselves, is just an automata evolving according to (say) Schrodinger's equation, then does it really make any difference if it's deterministic or not ? Even at a classical level the future is unpredictable due to chaotic dynamics, and from a subjective (presumably misleading) POV we have free will, regardless of what the reality is.