Definition
Physical determinism is the idea that the state of a system plus the laws of nature determine its future development. Carroll treats it as a useful classical ideal, modified but not erased by quantum mechanics.
Why It Matters
Determinism is the “boundary condition” of human agency. If every state follows necessarily from the previous state plus the laws of physics, the traditional view of free will as “magic” is dead. We must move to a more sophisticated, emergent vocabulary of choice. Failing to understand this leads to “Incompatibilist Panic”—the fear that if we are just atoms, our lives have no meaning.
Core Concepts
- Determinism removes the need for periodic external correction.
- Predictability is not the same as determinism; chaotic systems can be deterministic yet practically unpredictable.
- Quantum mechanics complicates classical determinism, depending on interpretation.
- Human-level agency can coexist with deterministic lower-level descriptions.