Does True Randomness Actually Exist?
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If you knew how every single particle reacts with every other particle, you could predict what would happen right? Even if that’s not possible, does not mean those effects won’t happen, even if impossible to track, it’s all happening anyway behind the scenes. So I’d have to say no. Nothing is truly random.
Kapp has managed to get recognition with a wikipedia page. But it sticks to his actual profession (Professor of electrical engineering) rather than his hobby.
He is someone @Optimissed cited. A Prof of electrical engineering who also dabbled in the philosophy of science and wrote (non-peer-reviewed) stuff about cosmology.
There was a website archiving his stuff, but it has expired (possibly because his son, who created it, has expired). Waybackmachine comes to the rescue! (For what it's worth)
https://web.archive.org/web/20230523145658/https://www.reginaldkapp.org/
No. “God doesn’t play dice with the universe” (or smthing like that) -Albert Einstein. Even through a secular worldview, I think #3542 sums it up. The only thing I think is random (or something we could never track) is human behavior. We know what CAN make people make certain decisions, but we will never be able to boil free will down to a science.
Balviman wrote:
If you knew how every single particle reacts with every other particle, you could predict what would happen right? Even if that’s not possible, does not mean those effects won’t happen, even if impossible to track, it’s all happening anyway behind the scenes. So I’d have to say no. Nothing is truly random.
Yes, you would have total determinism, open style, therefore predictability of everything.
You're saying that determinism may be true even though the reality of the interactions isn't known. So you're suggesting the possibility of determinism.
However, that's your conjecture but now you seem to be accepting it as fact. I think that true randomness exists. Others don't. I'm not sure a direct proof of either view is possible but let's say determinism is true. Doesn't that mean an incredible multiplication of the mechanisms of causality?
Contrast that with real randomness. True randomness allows a simpler proposition. So I'll go with true randomness and Occam's Razor or parsimony of unknown variables. I suspect Elroch tends to side more with determinism these days but I cannot be sure on that. Real randomness is so elegant though.
Elroch wrote:
He is someone @Optimissed cited. A Prof of electrical engineering who also dabbled in the philosophy of science and wrote (non-peer-reviewed) stuff about cosmology.
There was a website archiving his stuff, but it has expired (possibly because his son, who created it, has expired). Waybackmachine comes to the rescue! (For what it's worth)
https://web.archive.org/web/20230523145658/https://www.reginaldkapp.org/
I tried to contact his son years ago but no response. I concluded that his son wasn't interested in the subject matter and was "doing it for his dad" rather than having an interest in his dad's work.
There's stuff there about the modern epidemic of mental illness, which certainly exists. Among other things.
And things about meditation. he certainly had varied interests. He was a Professor Emeritus, meaning that (I think Leeds) university considered him to be of sufficient merit to award him the honorary title.
ARandomHuman45 wrote:
meditation is useless
Yes I agree. I think breathing's also over-rated.
Hey me too!
Memememmememe
That's a me-meme
To determine if a Variable Ratio is random, consider the following points:
- A Variable Ratio schedule provides reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.
- This unpredictability creates a sense of randomness in the timing of rewards.
- It is commonly used in gambling and games of chance, enhancing engagement.
- The variability can lead to higher rates of response compared to fixed schedules.
- While the outcomes are random, the underlying schedule is systematically designed.
- Understanding this concept is crucial in fields like psychology and behavioral economics.
noodles2112 wrote:
To determine if a Variable Ratio is random, consider the following points:
- A Variable Ratio schedule provides reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.
- This unpredictability creates a sense of randomness in the timing of rewards.
- It is commonly used in gambling and games of chance, enhancing engagement.
- The variability can lead to higher rates of response compared to fixed schedules.
- While the outcomes are random, the underlying schedule is systematically designed.
- Understanding this concept is crucial in fields like psychology and behavioral economics.
Noodles, what is the relevance of that?
A variable ratio in cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt) can be random or pseudo-random and it doesn't matter if it's random and probably impossible to determine. There's no point at all in determining it and it may be a mixture of random and non random. It's merely a possible mechanism used in the timing of rewards to reinforce behaviour which gains such rewards. It has zero relevance to the topic, you know.
Optimissed - I was curious about it so I got an answer via AI. The Vegas machines e.g. slots etc. are more complex than they were back in the beginning days so I was wondering if there is some sort of advanced technical "widening random gap" - like searching for the topics title - "true randomness" - will they ever create a gambling machine that produces "true randomness" ?
I saw a Columbo episode recently when the murderer was asked -
You like to gamble ?
answered -
What else is there ?
In other words, everything is a gamble to some extent - "random" !
If I am off topic I apologize.
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No-one can know more than a tiny fraction of everything. But everyone can have a little knowledge of many of the most important things. Education tries to achieve that before specialisation.