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For those that understand a little basic physics, a question

Special relativity revealed, in no uncertain terms, that all time exists at one point, right now, when viewed from all possible spatial viewpoints. The future is as set in stone as the past.

How can this be reconciled with a concept of free will?

I know there are people who have studied physics and yet still have the concept of a free will. How do you account for the obvious discrepancy between the realities of space-time and a non-deterministic concept of free will?

This is actually a question, I am not trying to make a point.

Update:

David and Scott. I think I understand it pretty well. If you were (purely theoretically) able to slice space at a "moment" of time, someone 10 billion light years away moving away from me would have the now of 150 years in the future at my point in space. As such, taking all viewpoints, the events of the future are certain.

Update 2:

TheMadProf - great answer. However, the multiverse concept is rather hard to apply to the macro universe and is really can only apply at a quantum level. I find it hard to conceive of how classical newtonian (Einstein, in this cas) physics can be applied to something which is really only an issue at the quantum level.

20 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    'All possible spatial viewpoints' would include a multi-verse concept, wouldn't it? That would mean that all possible outcomes are equally viable and free will is just the following of one such pathway from a certain space-time viewpoint.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I Love Physics.

    Great questions, but my answer is only a guess.

    Since we are beyond nature, some of our attributes may well be beyond nature as well.

    If you ever watched Star Trek TNG, there was an episiode where all of time was changed, but one of the people one board (played by Whoopi Goldberg) sensed that time had changed, and then everyone had to try and change things back again.

    Well, maybe we're that way. Maybe our free will is beyond time and even time altering. Therefore, whereas everything else is set, we can cause it to change, thus, changing the stone.

    It's all speculation, but since time is not absolute, and we have a nature beyond nature (you have to consider that part of us is beyond physical, ie made by God), there are some possibilities of some pretty strange things happening.

    For those of you that say time can't be changed, how do you know it already hasn't? If history is being changed right now, all of the history books would have been changes as well as all of our learning.

    Maybe we would know if our memories were altered. Maybe our dreams would tell us something different.

    Cool Weird stuff!

    .

  • 1 decade ago

    Your statement suggests that time exists at one point and only one point: now. However, this is not a statement about the actions taken in time (present or future), only about the occurrence of time itself. This statement also cannot say whether or not the future, although set to occur, actually exists before it occurs. Thus, one could argue that future does not exist. In doing so they set a foundation to say that God does not have to know the future in order to maintain omniscience. God knows all of time without knowing the future because it does not exist for God to know it. Thus, God can maintain God's all knowing quality and humanity can maintain their free will without giving up either and without violating special relativity.

    Sorry to mix metaphysics with physics, but when talking about God and time it is hard not to.

  • 1 decade ago

    Free will is the ability to think without preconceived ideas to cloud the thought process. Relativity is a concept in the time -space continuum of which I am not well read.

    To the slack-jawed hill billy relativity is going on a date with his first cousin and hitting a home run. And his free will to marry her or him if he wants to.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I don't really believe in free will but I believe in a non-causal, non-material mind besides the signals in the brain.

    And I think determinism proves that this thing exists, because the act of non-causal observing is redundant with determinism.

    Not sure how or if this applies to free will.

    But I think that between lives there is some type of will, which implies there is a will besides determinism.

  • 1 decade ago

    Other spatial points don't exist in reality, only theory.

    There is only the now.

    This morning I rode my motorcycle to work......that can't be changed.

    I have the choice of taking a bus or taxi home. Once I choose and do, then I can't change the past. Time moves forward.

  • korban
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    God said I reveal the end from the beginning! Time lines are being studied now and the universe does not have to work on our one, we can only move forward, God said The names are written in the Book of Life, so it is over before it began!

    Free will has only one choice to serve God or Satan, that's it, two choices to pick from. You can't claim to be in middle ground as that makes you a liar!

    So God gave us the freedom to choose once not to choose everything we do, If you are for Christ then he will live in you as he said he would and it will be his will we do, No choice we just follow his teaching and we are not given a choice as to what parts to Choice!

  • 1 decade ago

    Without writing an essay. (check link below). I can read a book or listen to a record I may know how the book ends and what the music sounds like. My knowing did not write the music or the book.

  • ?
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    You seem to be suggesting that free will does not exist in this Universe, but if it does exist (and I think we do have free will) then obviously your original interpretation of Special Relativity is incorrect.

  • 1 decade ago

    Time has been played out. Just like a movie reel. God lives outside of time and God knows the end from the beginning. God knows already how man behaved to his free will.

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