Can free will exist in a finite universe?

Under what circumstances could free will exist in a closed, finite system?

These questions have me stuck in logic loops.

Anyone have any book recommendations on this topic?

Have you read “elegant universe” or “our mathematical universe”.  I understood maybe 5% of these books but they may answer some of your questions

Free will is simply the ability to affect the probability that deterministic events occur at a quantum level.

Right. So with that being said, in a finite system you would run out of possible outcomes. Even the smallest change in delta would exceed the limits of calculation in a closed system.

Then I start to think well maybe this pocket universe we live in is finite but is nested inside the infinite. And keeps going on forever.

Douglas Adams' improbability drive is genius.

I haven't read those books. But I will.

Free will exists, and the Universe is finite, and it cannot be infinite. Do you need a book to know that?

Ok so the universe is finite and the edges of the finite keep expanding into the infinite nothing beyond the edge of the universe. I can understand that. It’s difficult to picture mentally.

Why can't it be infinite?  Finite implies that there is a border where the universe stops and something else begins, which brings us into the infinite again.

Fabric of the Cosmos is also very good this way.

Not necessarily. Think about living on the surface of a sphere - there are no "borders" where it stops, but the surface IS finite, and can expand into "nowhere" (from the viewpoint of those on its surface) if the sphere itself expands into a dimension not really perceptible to those on that surface.  An expanding universe could be considered a sphere of higher dimensions - limited, but expanding into a dimension that we in the universe cannot perceive.

Mike

Note - the amount of variation in even a closed system can be considered to be effectively infinite.  Consider the variations possible in a single deck of 52 cards.  The number of possible combinations available just by shuffling that deck is 52!, which is slightly larger than the estimated number of atoms in the Milky Way galaxy. (8.06 vs 2.4, each x 10^67).

The finite is composed of the material (matter) universe. The Infinite is pure energy.

Anyone intrigued by this concept and/or needs an illustrative example should read Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott.

Free will is an illusion. Even if there are random events at the quantum level, this would not give you free will.

As for the universe being finite versus infinite, I find it hard to believe it is not infinite. I mean let’s suppose this universe began with a big bang and has finite boundaries… Well what happens 1 trillion trillion trillion light-years away from the supposed edge of this universe? Or further?  There must be other universes out there. An infinite number of them.

I’ve heard the idea of more than one universe referred to as “multiverse”, but don’t know if that’s different from what you’re talking about.

And your evidence to support that is....?
You sound like a flat earther.

Most current models lead to a multiverse where free will is an illusion. Dr. Brian Greene has several good books out on that topic.  I would encourage you to read them.

If there is no spacetime, there is no universe.  So any void beyond what is physical becomes irrelevant, and becomes only metaphysical.

This is such an interesting topic. I think it’s one of the reasons Astrophysics can be so humbling.



In reality it is a philosophical question. I think if you believe you have free will, then that is enough. What would you do if you didn’t have it? That very thought would be destined. How would you challenge it? Hold your breath until you pass out… not possible… do you not have free will? I am in favor of ‘I think; therefore I am’

Now I would tend to approach this more from a quantum mechanics perspective. There is much randomness at a micro level that is built into the ultimate macro universe. I choose to think free will starts here, and for me it’s quite elegant because it allows for probability and predictability without absolute certainty. Again, this a belief I choose, no proof here.

As others have mentioned there are a few authors who explore this at a high enough level to grasp without years of study.

The grand design by Steven Hawking jumps to mind and it a great starting point. Much has happened since 2010 in our understanding of the cosmos.

Free will outside of the control of the universe? Not really. But no one can say what the future holds. So your choices make a difference, not in spite of any lack of free will, but rather because your will, free or not, is an integral part of that future.