The fact that in some circles the controversy between Free Will and Determinism in Nature is still debated, is a clear indication of how dominated we are by irrational arguments. As with Evolution versus Creationism, or Theism versus Atheism, some of us believe that for our claim to be true the opposing must be false.

Determinism is the concept that every event is pre-determined by antecedent causes and natural laws (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Free Will is the concept that we have a choice of a course of action from among various alternatives (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

Determinism and Free Will don’t oppose each other; on the contrary, they complement each other.

There is no refuting the facts that all naturally evolving systems (atoms, molecules, human beings, solar systems, galaxies) are components of a multi-dimensional Universe. But when a dimension, like the dimension in which human beings exist, is perceived from other dimensions (the dimension of our solar system, for example) we become indiscernible.

Free Will and Determinism are innate in Nature, but they are relative to the dimensions in which they are experienced and from which they are observed. 

To bring this concept to a level we can easily relate to, let’s try them on you, the person reading these words, as a current inhabitant of the planet we call Earth. You are without doubt or further discussion in possession of a relative degree of freedom to go places, choose from different options or decide what to do about tomorrow. But in a similar way as a neuron in your own brain, extending its tendrils to reach other neurons in the making of your mind, cannot be perceived from the dimension of your daily existence, your existence cannot be perceived from the dimension of the solar system. You are as imperceptible from that dimension, as a neuron is imperceptible from yours. Have you seen the beautiful images of Earth taken from space? … there is no sign of you in them. But there you are! Choosing. Trying to exercise your degree of freedom as best you can, yet at the same time knowing that environmental forces and the laws of Nature determine the color of your skin, the air that you breathe, the relative span of your life.

In the indomitable will to self-perpetuate, in the instinctive drive to bond, in the compelling urge to leave our mark in the world, Free Will is the engine of purpose and transformation, it is the fundamental force that makes us active participants in the unfolding or our own evolution, yet it undeniable that we are pre-determined to return to the ingenious unknown from where Life is created.

Reviewed February 2018

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Most of us are familiar with holograms and how they reproduce objects in three-dimensional images. But what most of us don’t know is the significance of the fact that if a small portion of a hologram is illuminated with a laser beam, it reproduces a three-dimensional image of the entire object, albeit smaller.

The reason for this is that when the object is being recorded on a holographic plate, light waves from the whole object impregnate each point of the hologram.

The Norwegian intellectual Jostein Gaarder in his book “Sophie’s World” explains this in a simple way: Modern laser technology can produce so-called holograms. If one of these holograms depicts a car, for example, and the hologram is fragmented, we will see a picture of the whole car even though we only have the part of the hologram that showed the bumper. This is because the whole subject is present in every tiny part. In a sense, our bodies are built up in the same way. If I loosen a skin cell from my finger, the nucleus will contain not only the characteristics of my skin; the same cell will also reveal what kind of eyes I have, the color of my hair, the number and type of my fingers, and so on. Every cell of the human body carries a blueprint of the way all the other cells are constructed. So there is ‘something of everything’ in every single cell. The whole exists in each tiny part. (Highlights are mine)

The Quantum physicist David Bohm basically said the same decades ago: “The fundamental essence of the whole is enfolded in each of its parts”. The Persian poet Rumi said the same in the 13^th Century: “What is the body? That shadow of a shadow of your love, that somehow contains the entire universe”. The Ionian philosopher Anaxagoras (500-428 BC) said the same thousands of years ago: “There is something of everything in everything”. But although this knowledge has been around for a long time, it is not yet a part of our current understanding of Reality!!! (Highlights are mine)

In a very fundamental way, our Universe is a Hologram in the sense that every one of its components … every atom, every molecule, every human being, every planetary system, every galaxy … is impregnated with a common set of universal characteristics. The significance of this fact is monumental: To be cohesive and evolve into the amazing levels of order and complexity where self-awareness has arisen, our Universe impregnates every single one of its components, no matter how minute, immense, simple or intricate, with a Universal Blueprint.

On post 11, I listed some characteristics of this Universal Blueprint Science has already discovered, and the Theories behind them. The two characteristics listed below have been briefly discussed in other posts (Posts 7&9 on Bell’s Theorem; 13&15 on Relativity):

1 – The first common characteristic of all natural systems (including us) is the interconnectedness of all components to perpetuate a cohesive yet supple form of organization.

2 – And the second one is the instinctive drive of all natural systems to attain, and sustain, optimum states of equilibrium between their physical mass and the energy consumed and exerted to power their evolution.

As more universal characteristics are described, it will become clear that as all natural systems (including us) embody the common characteristics of the Universal Blueprint … ‘The whole exists in each part’ … the whole thing, the whole magnificent hologram can be glimpsed at by understanding ourselves.

Revised June 2017

Note: New posts are usually published on the 1^st and 15^th of the month. To subscribe to the Blog, click on the RSS feeder (orange icon) on the left column of the Home page, down below the Archives.