Big Think Don’t fall into the determinism trap. Everything is, in fact, random | Lee Cronin
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Sep 18, 2025 Explore the universe's origin from the Big Bang, where energy transforms through chaos and cosmic events. Discover how randomness isn't just disorder but a key player in life's evolution. Patterns emerge that can replicate, survive, and thrive, leading to a complex, ordered universe. It’s a cosmic dance where what looks deterministic is shaped by billions of years of chaotic trial and error. The universe spins like a slot machine, revealing that beneath apparent order lies a magnificent randomness.
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Randomness Is The Universe’s Fuel
- Lee Cronin argues the universe is fundamentally random at the quantum level and provides the fuel for complexity.
- Apparent determinism arises because evolutionary processes amplify and stabilize successful patterns over time.
Determinism Is Historical, Not Fundamental
- Cronin explains that deterministic-looking systems result from error correction through evolutionary history.
- The more predictable a system, the more it reflects accumulated selection, not fundamental determinism.
Replication Sparks Complexity
- Small random molecules occasionally form and usually perish, but some can copy themselves using local resources.
- Replication plus survival creates a history that grows complexity spontaneously.