Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id QAA00104 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 4 Apr 2001 16:18:17 +0100 Message-ID: <010601c0bd19$c6e803a0$5eaefea9@rcn.com> From: "Aaron Agassi" <agassi@erols.com> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745D60@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Subject: Re: Determinism Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 11:13:16 -0400 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vincent Campbell" <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 8:25 AM
Subject: RE: Determinism
> >> Why does perfect knowledge negate freedom?
>
> <More precisely, perfect knowledge would negate choice. Because the
> more one
> > knows, this tends to narrow one's choices. -Down to the one optimal
> > decision, given adequate knowledge. And perfect knowledge would
certainly
> > be
> > adequate!>
> >
> I'm not sure I follow this, maybe I'm missing something.
>
> Surely the closer to perfect knowledge one gets the greater the
> freedom- the greater the choices? This stems from the increased capacity
of
> understanding causal relationships, and thus our ability to manipulate
them
> to our own ends (men on the moon and all that...).
>
> Vincent
>
No, just the opposite:
The less you know, the more options may seem viable. But the more one knows,
the more choices are eliminated, because it becomes clear that they would
not achieve the desired outcome. if one had perfect knowledge, there would
always be only one optimum decision in ever circumstance. No range of
choice.
>
>
>
> ===============================================================
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>
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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