CHAOS (Free will and)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 413 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
J. CRUTCHFIELD et al. state: “Innate creativity may have an underlying chaotic process that selectively amplifies small fluctuations and molds them into macroscopic mental states that are experienced as thoughts. In some cases the thoughts may be decisions or what are perceived to be the exercise of will. In this light, chaos provides a mechanism that allows for free will within a world governed by deterministic laws” (1989, p.49).
This hypothesis could be well grounded if the brain's neuronal nets are the seat of chaotic processes. (This subject would justify a thorough investigation). It would be the case if various interconnected subnets should simultaneously show independent periodic oscillations whose frequencies would not have a common divisor.
As to \term“{deterministic laws}” it is now obvious that the meaning of the word “deterministic” direly needs a careful revision, precisely in the case of chaotic behavior in complex systems: determinism is not abolished, but it becomes relativized in a way which is not yet quite clear.