Comments by "Contour Integral" (@contourintegral8571) on "What I've Learned" channel.

There is no proof that free will does not exist. Actually this video says that free will does exist, but it is placed within certain natural boundaries, which is okay. But free will does exist, and quantum physicist Michio Kaku, for example, thinks so too.
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@Kanzu999 No, not everything is determined. The behaviour of quantum particles also shows that there is always a probability, but no pure determinism.
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@CriticalThinkerZ If I'm correct, Libet's experiment postulates that it is possible to read one's brain for a decision which is made 10 to even 30 seconds or so before it is actually surfaced at the level of conscious realization. But I have some problems with it. First, what about quick decisions that are made in much less than 10 seconds? Second, even if it is true that a conscious realization appears only a few seconds after the brain has already "made" the decision, this does not still imply that it was made not at free will. And, third, it can also be possible that it is not the decisions that are made by the brain deterministically that manifest, but those are, rather, suggestions by the brain based upon the person's preferences and past experiences. It is like in quantum mechanics - there is always a probability, but it is never 100%. So I do not really agree with how this experiment is interpreted. I.e. I'm convinced that it is being misinterpreted.
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@Kanzu999 I don't think that it is random, strictly speaking. It is just that one cannot predict location of the particles, as they depend on their wave function (probability waves), but I wouldn't say the behaviour is random. Also, our world is a quantum world in the sense that what one can observe on the quantum level also applies to larger scales. It is all a question of probabilities and their averages for objects comprised of trillions of particles.
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@Kanzu999 Quantum mechanics operates naturally not in a similar way that statistical probability does (your example with a die). For a die, if all physical parameters and initial conditions are taken into account, it is possible to predict with 100% certainty how it will land. But for quantum mechanics it is impossible to predict. Also, concerning free will, it remains one of the principal questions of philosophy and neither free will nor its absence has been proved. Given the absence of proof, however, I CHOOSE to believe in free will and responsibility attached to it.
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@Kanzu999 It looks like you are assuming that the universe is deterministic. But if quantum mechanics is not deterministic (and it is not), then how can one say that the universe is deterministic? Now consider also the fact of the phenomenon of consciousness. Even if the world were deterministic, this would not necessarily apply to conscious living beings. Whenever you do something, do you feel that you are determined to do so? Do you feel responsibility for your actions? If so then this is another pointer to the existence of free will. Or do you think that is all an illusion? Thinking that is an illusion is a bit too far-fetched in my opinion. You are also saying that there are many proofs of the absence of free will and yet I haven't seen one except for Libet's experiment, and that one I have already explained why it is not really convincing.
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@Kanzu999 "Quantum mechanics just adds slightly more randomness to everything." It's not clear how you deduce that quantum mechanics adds "slightly more" randomness to everything and what you exactly mean by that. It doesn't seem to make sense to me. "We are not in control of quantum mechanics. So whether there is quantum mechanics or not, there simply isn't room for free will." I don't see the connection. You also say that your admission to the absence of free will in you makes you more in control of your life, which, again, doesn't really make sense. You cannot be in control of your life if you have no free will.
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Notably, Libet himself did not deny the existence of free will. I'm quoting: The finding that the volitional process is initiated unconsciously leads to the question: Is there then any role for conscious will in the performance of a voluntary act (Libet, 1985)? The conscious will (W) does appear 150 msec before the motor act, even though it follows the onset of the cerebral action (1W) by at least 400 msec. That allows it, potentially, to affect or control the final outcome of the volitional process. An interval msec before a muscle is activated is the time for the primary motor cortex to activate the spinal motor nerve cells, and through them, the muscles. During this final 50 msec, the act goes to completion with no possibility of its being stopped by the rest of the cerebral cortex.)
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