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Philosophy Now

Philosophy Now is a newsstand magazine for everyone interested in ideas. It aims to corrupt innocent citizens by convincing them that philosophy can be exciting, worthwhile and comprehensible, and also to provide some light and enjoyable reading matter for those already ensnared by the muse, such as philosophy students and academics. Philosophy Now appears every two months. It contains articles on all aspects of Western philosophy, as well as book reviews, letters, news, cartoons, and the occasional short story. Since its small-scale launch in Britain in 1991, Philosophy Now has grown to become the most widely-read philosophy periodical in the English language. It is available from bookstores and newsstands throughout Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia.

Rick Lewis started Philosophy Now in 1991 and has been Editor ever since. Rick took his first degree at UMIST in Manchester, and later an MA at the University of York.



MAJOR TOPICAL AREAS OF DISCUSSION WITHIN PHILOSOPHY

David Boon - Boony's Room     DETERMINISMDeterminism is the philosophical view that all events in the universe, including human decisions and actions, are causally inevitable. That is to say, that a cause has an effect to the extent that everything that currently exists, now as it is, is a result of causality, including every choice any human ever made. This means humans do not have 'free will', our freedom of choice is an illusion and the current state of reality right now since the big-bang, is what was only ever going to be (the current state).   V   FREE WILL COMPATIBILISMCompatibilism is the belief that free will and determinism are mutually compatible and that it is possible to believe in both without being logically inconsistent. That the universe is deterministic but human conscious minds have free will within the determined universe.



BOONY'S ROOM: A thought experiment devised by Androcies to consider Determinism and Free Will/Compatibilism..

Two identical copies of cricketer David BoonDavid Boon MBE (born 29 December 1960) is an Australian cricket match referee, former cricket commentator and international cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1996. Known for his portly figure and distinctive moustache, Boon scored more than 7,000 runs at Test level, and made more than 100 appearances for both the Test and One Day International Australian side. were made unbeknownst to him, in an instant!

The two copies of "Boony", instantly appear facing each other from opposite corners of a white room that is 3 metres cubed, identical in all directions.

There are no causal effects differing in each of the Boony's slightly differing positions in spacetime. Nothing in this thought experiment regarding each version of David Boon once instantiated within the room is different in any way.

What happens next?

Do they both, at the same time, ask the exact same question of each other? Do they end up arguing because they both keep attempting to interject at precisely the same time with precisely the same dialogue?

After five minutes, the pair hear a voice asking them to draw a picture of their favourite fruit on the wall and are told there is a pencil in their left pocket.

Do they both turn and draw on the same symmetrically opposite part of the wall? Do they both draw identical images of the fruit?


If you wish to see a debate upon Philosophy Now Forum, regarding the above thought experiment - click the link: Boony's Room - a contemplation of Free Will & Determinism

The debate ended with agreement to disagree..between myself "attofishpi" & "Sculptor":---

Sculptor:
"The mind is a field generated by brain matter. If the matter is the same, so is the field in the same state. If they decide to have a random thought, then they are still bound to chose the same thought. If there is such a thing as a truly random event, which I doubt, then you are saying that free will is just random. I do not think those that promote the idea would be happy with that since they would still consider themselves to be powerless."


attofishpi:
"The brain has more logical gateways than atoms in the universe (apparently) where a consciousness mind exists at the level of quantum indeterminacy that can guide (affect) the material brain with decisions it makes. I can't imagine that an individual conscious mind could not think of something different to the other mind, simply because both were instantiated some 5 mins earlier.

If our free will will does rely on something that is random at the quantum level, then our 'will' must reduce the parameters of the randomness until they whittle down to a point where the mind makes a decision.

Obviously I haven't a level of expertise on the subject. I'd love the likes of Penrose to have a gander at this thought experiment and wonder whether he'd be with you all the way...both Boony's would be mirrored until dead, or whether he could explain how they could diverge. Would he state that the fruit drawn on the wall would be identical in every way, and in the exact symmetrically opposite side of the walls?"