Is Anything Random?

Not D&D because I'm not looking for that formal of a discussion.

Is anything ever random? For example, people say than when you flip a coin, the side it lands on is random. But surely the side it lands on is determined by (admittedly many) variables, such as the height and rotation given to it, and the friction of the surface it lands on, and so on. There seem to be so many of these variables that we can label it as effectively random, but is anything truly random? Even free will isn't truly random..

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

qgujxj39

I don't think so, for the same reasons as you gave. I believe that the universe is made up of two things: a set of laws by which everything abides, and a set of initial conditions from which everything evolved. If we ever knew these laws and these conditions (which would, of course, never happen) and had a machine capable of processing them (which would also never happen), then we could determine the state of the universe at any point in the future.

Reply 2

Jabbamuffin

A computer program with a 50% chance of getting x or y is random, surely?

Reply 3

nolongerhearthemusic

Random number generator?

Reply 4

WiBurn

Nothing is truly random. We only perceive randomness when he don't see or understand the reasons behind something.

Jabbamuffin

A computer program with a 50% chance of getting x or y is random, surely?

It's perceived randomness. There will be a reason behind it choosing X or Y.

nolongerhearthemusic

Random number generator?

Again, there will be a logical reason behind it generating a set number if you so chose to seek it out.

Reply 5

Nashy19

Welcome to the predetermination debate.

Reply 6

Wakeke

Radioactive decay is considered completely random and based on no factors/variables I believe.

Reply 7

somethingbeautiful

No, everything is not random otherwise it would make the world predetermined. Then you end up opening that whole can of worms of the existence of 'God'. I personally believe we are not predetermined and we control our own future - to an extent (eg, a person living in ethiopia with no money etc is highly unlikely to become a lawyer, no matter what they do). But I think we have a large degree of freedom and control over our lives ergo it can't be random.

Edit. I've confused myself, feel free to ignore.

Reply 8

rupertj

MarcusTheEskimo

Read 'fooled by randomness' by Nicolass Taleb.

I don't believe that anything is random, only that it appears to be so to those with finite knowledge. If we had infinite knowledge, nothing would be random from our perspective. This is the same answer I would give to those who claim that determinism contradicts discoveries in quantum mechanics about so-called 'randomness'.

One could even argue that randomness is itself determined. Randomness is just as lacking in substance or meaning as 'time'. Einstein said, 'time is what you measure with a clock' - that is, that time only exists from our perspective, that it's a construction and it has no intrinsic meaning - and I believe that randomness is analogous to time. Who agrees with this?

Reply 9

Nashy19

somethingbeautiful

Edit. I've confused myself, feel free to ignore.

I was going to say... you're just making contradictions :p:

Reply 10

MarcusTheEskimo

Wakeke

Radioactive decay is considered completely random and based on no factors/variables I believe.

I don't believe that can be the case though. There has to be a reason for it decaying.

Reply 11

Vokes

MarcusTheEskimo

I don't believe that can be the case though. There has to be a reason for it decaying.

No, it is (as far as we understand so far) completely random. There are no hidden variables we dont know about.

It is one of the features of quantum mechanics that some processes are truely random, it's mind boggling but interesting stuff :smile: