
Contents
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1. Indeterminism, Nonlocality, and Observer-Participation 1. Indeterminism, Nonlocality, and Observer-Participation
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1.1. QM Representations 1.1. QM Representations
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1.2. Indeterminism 1.2. Indeterminism
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1.3. Nonlocality 1.3. Nonlocality
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1.4. Measurement and Observers 1.4. Measurement and Observers
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1.5. Solving the Measurement Problem? 1.5. Solving the Measurement Problem?
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2. Many-Worlds and Bohm 2. Many-Worlds and Bohm
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2.1. Many-Worlds 2.1. Many-Worlds
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2.2. The Bohm Version 2.2. The Bohm Version
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3. Marginalizing QM 3. Marginalizing QM
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3.1. Standard Arguments 3.1. Standard Arguments
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3.2. Dennett 3.2. Dennett
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3.3. Honderich 3.3. Honderich
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4. QM and Consciousness 4. QM and Consciousness
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4.1. Penrose 4.1. Penrose
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4.2. Stapp 4.2. Stapp
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4.3. Eccles 4.3. Eccles
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5. Conclusion 5. Conclusion
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Notes Notes
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4 Quantum Physics, Consciousness, and Free Will
Get accessDavid Hodgson was Chief Justice in Equity and an Additional Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Although his career was in the law, he also had a long interest and involvement in philosophy. He published two philosophical books with Oxford University Press, Consequences of Utilitarianism (1967) and The Mind Matters (1991), and in recent years he published many articles on consciousness, plausible reasoning and free will.
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Published:02 September 2009
Cite
Abstract
This article examines the relevance of quantum mechanics (QM) to the free will debate. First, it outlines how QM involves three features potentially of relevance to free will, namely indeterminism, nonlocality, and what may be called observer-participation. Second, it looks at interpretations of QM that might be seen as restoring determinism to physics, namely the many-worlds interpretation and the Bohm interpretation. Third, it considers some objections that have been raised to the notion that QM is relevant to free will. Fourth, it reviews the approaches of Roger Penrose, Henry Sapp, and John Eccles. It concludes with some of the author's own thoughts.
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