Timeline for Can mathematics help in defining free-will? [closed]
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
15 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 30, 2021 at 1:37 | comment | added | Gerry Myerson | @Tim, Birkhoff wrote a book about his mathematical formalization of beauty. Here's a link to a review: ams.org/journals/bull/1934-40-01/S0002-9904-1934-05764-1/… | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 17:33 | history | closed |
Neil Strickland Moishe Kohan Andy Putman Joseph Van Name Stefan Kohl♦ |
Not suitable for this site | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:58 | comment | added | mathoverflowUser | @TimothyChow: For music I have been there and tried my best: math.stackexchange.com/questions/4115897/twelfth-root-of-two. Harry Potter I would not over-formalize. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:56 | comment | added | mathoverflowUser | @JoelDavidHamkins: Thanks! | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:55 | comment | added | Timothy Chow | @stackExchangeUser Just because some philosophical concepts can be mathematically fruitful does not mean that all of them are. You could similarly ask for a mathematical formalization of God, love, morality, politics, beauty, music, purpose, boredom, Harry Potter, or stamp collecting. Unless the question is more precise, it will not be a good fit for MO. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:53 | comment | added | Joel David Hamkins | See also W. Hugh Woodin's article concerning free will and determinism cambridge.org/core/books/infinity/…. This is the article in which he proved his universal algorithm theorem. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:49 | history | edited | mathoverflowUser | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 288 characters in body
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| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:47 | comment | added | mathoverflowUser | @AndyPutman: Please read my comment for Thimothy. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:47 | comment | added | mathoverflowUser | @TimothyChow: My question aims at consequences of "free will" mathematical concepts borrowed from philosophy. For example Gödel borrowed from philosophy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber_paradox and it turned out to be interesting in mathematics. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:44 | comment | added | Andy Putman | Timothy is right. Math is good at many things, but resolving perennial philosophical debates is not one of them. But given that this futility rarely dissuades mathematicians from trying, I expect this question will attract a lot of half-baked “ideas”. I have therefore voted to close. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 15:36 | comment | added | Timothy Chow | I did not downvote or vote to close, but if you read some of the philosophical literature on free will, you will see that the concept is far too murky and controversial to admit mathematical formalization. The most one can do is to invent some mathematical concept and call it "free will" because it bears some superficial resemblance to the philosophical concept. Or one can use the term informally, as Conway and Kochen did. So I would say that your question is off-topic for MO unless you pick a specific mathematical concept and ask a specific mathematical question about it. | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 14:57 | review | Close votes | |||
| Jun 29, 2021 at 17:35 | |||||
| Jun 29, 2021 at 14:55 | answer | added | Carlo Beenakker | timeline score: 11 | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 14:49 | comment | added | mathoverflowUser | Is there anything unclear in the question or is it off topic to pose questions about free will? | |
| Jun 29, 2021 at 14:41 | history | asked | mathoverflowUser | CC BY-SA 4.0 |