At each moment in time, we are making decisions about what each of us individually is doing and each small decision made by each individual changes the options for the future by shaping the world as it exists. There are two fundamental possibilities here, I think: either, at each junction there are infinite possible decisions or there are a finite number of possible decisions - let me discuss the implications of these two possibilities.
Let's say that there are a finite number of possibilities. In this case, if there are options A, B, and C and you choose A, you can never again choose B or C or any of the other options stemming from these. Thus, you have narrowed the possibilities in the future to 1/3 of what they otherwise would have been. Over time then, each set of decisions would further narrow the possibilities and the ultimate implication of this would be that we would approach a single moment in time when there was only one option remaining - the apocalypse? If that event is pre-determined, does that mean we have no free will?
Otherwise, there are infinite options generated at each moment in time and as time passes you are not limiting future possibilities only creating new different sets of possibilities. One of my friends said she'd read something about how some physicists believe that different decisions can have long-term implications, creating parallel paths between people that re-intersect based on an earlier decision.
Let me explain what I mean by parallel paths. For example, Sarah Broudy and I met in Oxford summer camp junior year of high school and were placed two doors apart in the dorm there. We then saw each other admit weekend here at school and then were placed into the same freshman dorm, two doors apart. Our parents met as we were moving in, and we found out that her grandfather taught my father medicine and further our parents had attended the same college and the same classes in college and could reminisce about specific lectures. This theory would apparently suggest that all of these connections may link back to an earlier decision made by, say, her grandmother. That single decision made it more likely that each of these following events would occur. An interesting explanation for a set of pretty improbable events. I'd be interested in if others have heard of this theory and can elaborate or if you have other ideas for why connections like this may arise and what this might imply for our options in the future.
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Mission Statement
The Human Thought Experiment strives to answer the question of whether we can make any further progress on figuring out our existence simply by creating a movement of thought. Is it within our mental abilities to explain our situation, or will we find that the nature of the universe is truly beyond our comprehension? Although some individuals grappling with big ideas may have previously found the pursuit frustrating and fruitless, the Human Thought Experiment is meant to change that paradigm by creating a truly productive forum. At a time when science and religion are often at odds, The Human Thought Experiment offers an alternative approach and is meant to include people of all ages, all backgrounds, of all ideas, and is meant to truly revolutionize the manner in which we address our existence. The two best assets humans have are our cognition and our ability to communicate; the thoughts must come from individuals like you and the Human Thought Experiment will provide the tools of communication. There is at least a possibility that intense human thought on this subject directly could lead to greater understanding of our existence: this is that experiment.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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