> We cannot predict the outcome of quantum experiments, only their probability based on the previous state of the world. And that is not because our instruments are not sharp enough, it seems indeterminism is a fundamental part of quantum reality.
I know very little about QM, so I could be completely off here, but, not being able to predict the outcome of an experiment could be completely different to the outcome being deterministic.
Lay person point of view. Rewind the universe by an hour and replay. Does QM have anything to say about that? I'm inclined to think not, but I really don't know. In other words, does QM say:
1) The result would certainly be the same.
2) The result could certainly be different.
3) The theory doesn't tell us one way or another, meaning it doesn't exclude either 1 or 2 being true.
If it is 1, then we have determinism. If it is 2, then we have randomness. I don't think either of those are compatible with what people think of as free will (mysterious ability to choose outside of physics).
I think it's impossible to rewind the universe, so no sensical theory should say anything about that. A theory that theorizes about what happens if something impossible happens would seem to be waste of time. :-)
But I think the answer is: The outcome of a quantum experiment is random. So if the same experiment is repeated, it should most probably give a different answer, unless the answer is always the same, or one of only a few possibilities.
I know very little about QM, so I could be completely off here, but, not being able to predict the outcome of an experiment could be completely different to the outcome being deterministic.
Lay person point of view. Rewind the universe by an hour and replay. Does QM have anything to say about that? I'm inclined to think not, but I really don't know. In other words, does QM say:
1) The result would certainly be the same.
2) The result could certainly be different.
3) The theory doesn't tell us one way or another, meaning it doesn't exclude either 1 or 2 being true.
If it is 1, then we have determinism. If it is 2, then we have randomness. I don't think either of those are compatible with what people think of as free will (mysterious ability to choose outside of physics).