Epigraph

The Crashing Blow! What is the Crashing Blow? What will explain to you what the Crashing Blow is? On a Day when people will be like scattered moths and the mountains like tufts of wool, the one whose good deeds are heavy on the scales will have a pleasant life, but the one whose good deeds are light will have the Bottomless Pit for his home ––what will explain to you what that is? –– a blazing fire. (Al Quran 101:1-11)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, the Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Do humans have free will and are we accountable for our actions?

Thanks to Pierre-Simon Laplace all sciences had a goal to inspire for determinism in study of nature, in the nineteenth century. This view was possibly challenged by quantum mechanics starting in 1920s. But, the nostalgia has continued to be all too pervasive in academia and the halls of the top universities of the world.

So, what is determinism?

Laplace, a distinguished French mathematician and astronomer, is renowned for his contributions to celestial mechanics and statistics. His encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte is particularly famous for highlighting the relationship between science and theology during the Enlightenment.

In 1796, Laplace published Exposition du système du monde (The System of the World), a comprehensive work detailing his understanding of the universe’s mechanics. When presenting this work to Napoleon, the following exchange reportedly took place:

• Napoleon: “You have written this huge book on the system of the world without once mentioning the author of the universe.”
• Laplace: “Sire, I had no need of that hypothesis.”

This anecdote, though its exact wording is debated, illustrates Laplace’s commitment to a scientific explanation of the cosmos that does not invoke divine intervention. His approach exemplifies the Enlightenment ideal of seeking natural explanations for natural phenomena.

Laplace’s perspective was further underscored by his contemporary, the mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange, who, upon hearing of the exchange, remarked: “Ah, but that is a fine hypothesis. It explains so many things.” This comment highlights the differing views on the necessity of theological explanations in scientific discourse.

While the precise details of this meeting may be apocryphal, the story has become emblematic of the shift towards secular scientific inquiry during that era. Laplace’s insistence on empirical evidence and mathematical rigor set a precedent for future scientific endeavors, emphasizing that natural laws could account for the workings of the universe without recourse to supernatural explanations.

The Thought Experiment

Laplace posited that if an intelligence knew “the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe,” it could, using the laws of classical mechanics, compute the entire history and future of the cosmos. In his words:

“We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future.”

Information Philosopher

This concept underscores the deterministic nature of classical physics, where the future is entirely determined by the present, leaving no room for randomness or uncertainty.

Challenges to Laplace’s Demon

While Laplace’s Demon elegantly encapsulates determinism, subsequent scientific developments have highlighted limitations to this notion:

• Thermodynamic Irreversibility: The second law of thermodynamics introduces the concept of entropy, indicating that certain processes are irreversible. This irreversibility suggests that even with complete knowledge of a system’s current state, reconstructing past states may be fundamentally impossible. Wikipedia
• Quantum Mechanics: At the quantum level, phenomena are inherently probabilistic. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, for instance, asserts that one cannot simultaneously know the exact position and momentum of a particle. This intrinsic uncertainty challenges the premise of Laplace’s Demon, as complete knowledge of all variables is unattainable. Wikipedia
• Chaos Theory: Even in deterministic systems, chaos theory reveals that slight variations in initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes, making long-term predictions exceedingly sensitive and practically unpredictable. This sensitivity undermines the demon’s ability to forecast the future accurately. Wikipedia

Philosophical Implications

Laplace’s Demon has profound implications for discussions on free will, determinism, and the nature of scientific inquiry. If the universe operates in a strictly deterministic manner, the concept of free will becomes contentious, as all actions would be preordained by preceding events. However, the challenges posed by modern physics suggest that indeterminacy and probabilistic events play a fundamental role in the cosmos, potentially allowing for free will and spontaneity.

Conclusion

Laplace’s Demon remains a pivotal thought experiment in the philosophy of science, encapsulating the deterministic worldview of classical physics. However, advancements in thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and chaos theory have illuminated the complexities of predicting the universe’s behavior, highlighting the limitations of determinism and the potential for randomness and uncertainty in natural processes.

These are the foundations for the ubiquitous debates among philosophers about determinism, compatibilism and libertarian free will.

Many an atheist philosophers like Daniel Dennett have tried to thread a needle to have enough free will to maintain rationality in human judicial systems but not enough to give God any authority in afterlife. This assertion requires further exploration in future articles.

For further exploration of Laplace’s Demon and its implications, you may find the following resources insightful:

Spooky Science: Laplace’s Demon – Elements for Berkeley Lab

Laplace’s Demon – Information Philosopher

Laplace’s Demon – Wikipedia