Philosophical essay on free will, determinism, and computation

Free Will Universe believe we live in a Universe where information comes into existence through the creative endeavors of human beings. When Andrew Wiles discovered his solution to Fermat’s Last Theorem, he did something a computer cannot do and demonstrated non-computational thought. But there is an alternative explanation put forward by the determined determinists. Daniel Dennett - the standard bearer for this camp — believes everything in the Universe is entirely determined. He argues there is no place in the laws of nature for free will to arise. Both sides of the argument agree Turing prohibits a general- purpose machine from solving all mathematical problems, but that seems to be the extent of agreement. The determinists solve the Wiles Paradox by arguing he is a special purpose machine, perfectly able to find answers to non-computable problems. The Turing prohibition only applies to general purpose machines. Let us run a thought experiment to see what sort of Universe we would live in if special purpose machines were the answer to this puzzle. Ifthe Universe is determined, it can be modeled asa single algorithm. If everything in the Universe evolves according to a set of rules, it will run like a giant piece of clockwork or one large computer game. Each solar system, planet, and individual mathematician would evolve along preordained lines. Mathematicians would operate as software subroutine and would rely on further subroutines to explain the beating of their hearts and the way the molecules of their body interact. If our Universe were organized in this way: This Universe could not discover solutions to arbitrary problems. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_016041