Reality and the Mechanical Universe

Philosophy, like Science, pursues the truth, yet without the empiricism which marks the objective nature of the Sciences. It is from this fact which arises the 'personal philosophy', an individual's conception of reality and their place within it. As living organisms, the self-preservation is perhaps the greatest focus of our minds, thus, humanity is often placed at the centre of an individual's perception of existence. It is incredibly difficult for one to separate their conception of reality from the value they place upon their own being. This is perhaps the origin of theology as a near-constant within the human condition, a universe centred around humanity is easier to live with, and does not come with the extensive existential baggage of a reality in which our entire existence is a spontaneity of mathematical chance upon the universe, surrounded by oblivion.

However, to create a true understanding of existence, we must rely only on objectivity and logic, though this is an almost Sisyphean task, given the difficulty of separating one's mind from the biases which come from a human mind, absolute logic in philosophical inquiry must be treated as a goal, to be strived for, and perhaps when it is achieved, a truly objective view of reality can be realised, though it will be certainly be a bleak one.

Reality follows the rules of mathematics and physics, with sufficient information, the outcome of any reaction can be calculated. (Though, due to Chaos Theory, and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, sufficient information is often impossible to gather, however, the point stands, if only conceptually.) The universe is predictable, particles move due to the laws of Physics, and the forces placed upon them, and those forces are created by unchanging constants and laws which govern reality. Ultimately, as long as the fundamental aspects of reality remain, reality will continue upon a rehearsed dance across galaxies and through time.

The logic here tracks, however the implication is unnerving indeed. Cut open your brain and you will find only particles, and energy, governed only by physics, and nothing beyond. There is no soul, consciousness is an emergent property of the vast computational power in the brain, created, like a machine, only of simple elements, layered in their billions to form something greater, a being. If the universe, however, is predictable, if one could know the position of a particle in the future, based on its velocity, this must extend to the brain as well, being made of the same material as all else, therefore, our actions as humans are influenced entirely by external reality, there is no 'will cortex', our decisions have existed since the origin of the universe.

It is difficult for us to accept this, the notion seems to be disproved by our very perception. Which may be why Free Will is one of the most closely held human beliefs. Free Will is an entirely human concept, we can still act as if we have dominance over our individual actions, it is a valuable narrative to uphold, because, despite our lack of free will, we must continue to exist.