Philosophy

Take this very moment, pause time, rewind it back 10 seconds, and press play again. Give all conscious beings the ability to remake the previous few decisions and actions.

Would, or even could, there be any differences 10 seconds later when we get back to our starting point?

A more tangible thought experiment on my flavor of determinism:

Flip a coin. First, rummage around to find a coin. Perch it on your bent fingers with your thump poised under it, and let your thump spring upward and watch the coin rise and fall to the ground. Heads...

Now rewind time to just before you started looking for the coin, and play it forward. Internally your brain is in the exact same state as it was the first time. You know nothing about the rewind and believe this is your first attempt. All of your cells in your entire body are in the same state. All of your neurotransmitters are all at the same place in the same quantities, neurons all at the same charges. Exteriorly the coin is at the same place. Everything about the room is the same, the air with the same immensely complex arranged stack of molecules, the speed of those molecules, temperature, and all background noise, frequency pulses traveling through the air that could negligibly affect the coin outcome is the exact same. Even the most minute fluctuations of gravity negligibly acting on the molecules in the air is the same, due to the same arrangement of molten magma churning 1800 miles under you is the same, every conceivable aspect of existence that could alter that coin flip is the same.

What about this same exact input, could result in a different output? Your attention on the coin has just the same amount of distractions as it did before, same thoughts were racing in your mind leading up to our pressing play in time from the rewound point. Given the chance to flip a coin again, you find the same coin, flip it with the same manner of force, it traverses the same molecule field as it did before, and it inevitably lands the same as it did the first time.

If all there is in nature and nurture, then with the same exact nature and nurture you get the same exact human.


If I was born into your body and raised in your place with your caregivers, I believe I would have no ability not to turn out like you in every way. With the same biology and the exact same initial life experiences, I believe I would develop the same thoughts have the same actions/reactions.

I use the same reasoning above to justify this claim as well