do you believe that randomness exist? And that lottery machine 'randomly' spills out those numbers? Or do you think that everything is happening the way they are meant to be?

Question

anonymous · Answer

I believe that second is correct. 

Think of it this way, when you arrange 2 molecules in a certain way, they will react chemically in a certain way, it’s like a mathematical formula, if you add 1 to 1, it gives 2, no other answers are possible.

Therefore, hundreds of millions of year before, when life first started, when the first molecules interacted with each others in a certain way, it’s inevitable that hundreds of millions of year after， they will transform in a certain way, the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs, the evolution of chimps into human, the invention of electricity, the 911 tragedy, even natural disasters such as volcano eruption or deadly flood, could be predicted so long ago because our universe is atomically structure in a certain way.

Hence, if a mass murder killed so many people, it isn’t really his fault. That if one day the Earth becomes a dead planet because of wars or pollution, it isn’t really human’s faults.

One day you might wake up on the street begging for pennies, not you fault.

One day you might wake up, CEO, billionaire, a beautiful bade beside, some robot servants and a good future ahead, don’t be proud neither, because the structure of the universe zillion years ago made you end up this way.

abb0t · Answer

Differentiate (don't need to simplify):

$$f(x) = \tanh(\sec^3(x^3-2x+3))sech^{-1}(\sqrt{x^2-5})$$

anonymous · Answer

Hence, if we can stop time for a moment and take a screenshot that scans all molecules of the entire planet. And if technology is advanced enough for us to make a giganimmensic calculator, we could actually predict the future

kinggeorge · Answer

In most cases, I agree with you. However, there are some things that do generate actual random numbers. Recently, some properties of the quantum world have been exploited to create true random numbers. For example, see this website https://qrng.anu.edu.au/RainBin.php

anonymous · Answer

interesting...this seems to suggest that there's no such thing as free will. I disagree though.

anonymous · Answer

For example, in lottery, you picked number 7
Then the next day, when you watch TV, the lottery machine spits 7 too, so you won.
Now let's say you have a time-machine, and you go back to the exact moment when the lottery machine spits the number. Is it still going to give 7 according to this quantum theory?

anonymous · Answer

Yea but what can possibly make free will exist?

kinggeorge · Answer

It shouldn't matter in that case, since these quantum fluctuations can not be predicted. Most other machines, the answer would be yes. But with certain quantum machines, it will be just as random.

anonymous · Answer

Since we are not even close to understanding the brain fully, I'll refrain from commenting on free will.

anonymous · Answer

Another thing. If you take a scan of all the molecules inside John, and if technology allows, you construct another 'thing' identical to the molecular structure of John, will this 'thing' be alive?

kinggeorge · Answer

I've got no idea really. But I would think that if you constructed it to a fine enough degree, there should be no outwardly discernible difference between John, and the constructed John.

anonymous · Answer

I agree.