I've recently been thinking that chance may not exist at all. In other words, It is possible to predict the future, as long as you know EVERYTHING that is going on. In everything I mean everything down to the atom.

The thing is, everything we do, every interaction on Earth is just an interaction with atoms. So if we had an identical big bang, everything, and I mean everything would be exactly the same. Even if world-altering decisions depended on the roll of a dice, the dice would roll the same way. Exactly the same way... down to the atom.

Think about it. If you always throw the dice from the exact same angle, at the exact same height, from the same floor (all down to the atom)... it would always land the same way.

You might think "But I have control over what I do, so that isn't 'fate' ". But then again we don't control what we want, what we feel. So in a way, we actually have absolutely no control over what we do.

The advantage of believing in this theory for me, is that it stops you pondering 'what ifs' in life. There are no what ifs.

Now think if (lol a what if, but not in the way I meant it) in the big bang one atom was altered. Think how much it could change, even to the point where humans might not exist.

It is this deteministic "Pool Billiard" view.
You are right for really large objects (marcocosmos)

But when going down to atomic level, the quantumeffects
prohibit to measure and predict the current and future states.

These effect get really small in large scale systems,
but are very valid for small systems.

So the probabilistics of quantumeffects will not change wheter a star will explode or not,
(the probabilistic behaviour of the thousands of atoms will even out to have any significan impact)
but they will decide, whether a Uranium-atom will fall appart now,
or in 1 hour.


So if you devcide your fate on whether a star will explode or not,
is a game of no chances, since you know the future.
(well if you had all information, but I mean there is only one possible future for the specific star)

Deciding your fate on whether a Geiger-Counter will click now or in 2 seconds
is a game of complete chance.
(cant be predicted for shure !)

I'm quite sure chance exists. However I do sort of believe in relative chance more than a 0.0000032423023464567 chance. Randomness exists too, not sure how I could prove this, but chance is there too. I don't believe in 'paths that we simply must follow'.

OT:

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But then again we don't control what we want, what we feel. So in a way, we actually have absolutely no control over what we do.

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I'm quite sure I can control what I want and especially what I wish to feel. Emotions can be supressed (not saying that's healthy ) so basically we can feel how we want and actions do not really have limits, there's only a mental limit. "Thinking" you're not able to do something usually won't get you there as easily as a more positive attitude and confidence. I understand there are certain 'limits', but most of them are physical of nature, not a limit in choice.

(e.g. try to breath underwater longer than the current world record probably won't get you anywhere, however you're definately free to try.)

Cheers

So randomness does exist... its something Einstein wouldn't agree with you on; 'God does not play dice'

PHeMoX, I see what you mean, but that's not the point. The point is, if I knew every detail of your mind I could predict what you are going to do in given situations. That's because, just like a computer your mind is built to respond to things a certain way. You react to your surroundings, the way your mentality lets you, just like a computer if then structure (much, much more complex though). Believe it or not, like the computer, you have no choice in it. The way your mind works, which is determined by your genetics and your environment, affects what you do, not you.

I think that's the best way to explain it, and I'm not psychiatrist, so that's open for discussion, but that's my theory.

Either there is true randomness, or way too many factors for us to calculate at this time. This included the possibility of different dimensions we can't observe, but they can still have effect on us.

In any case, it is as good as random from our perception.

Yes, true "randomness" does indeed exist. Just look below.

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x = int(random(10)); // x is set to a number between 0 and 9

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The new "NOAH 2" game in development is sooo random that nobody can ever predict it. Guaranteed!
Woo, Ha, Ha!

Or I mean that no human can...
I guess that GOD can, however, because he can interpret c-script code running in real time on any PC, so he has an advantage with predicting all kinds of things...

Btw, isn't true "chance" pre-defined as not knowing events?
WHO is this person? Human, GOD or what?

The subject of "true" CHANCE really depends on who is observing it, right?

A un-knowledgable bum on the street, for example, probably experiences more chance than we do?

I'm afraid I can't agree to what you said. GOD can _not_ predict the development of your NOAH 2 game. No matter how hard he tries, GOD will never be able to tell how many bugs are still in your C-Script code.

You don't believe that? The mathematical proof is here:

http://manual.conitec.net/bugs.htm#proof