Atheists : If God isn't real then why does the universe operate by uniform laws if nature?
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us. How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable? "The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence."11 Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."12
If time is not linear, does it support the case for pre-determination as opposed to free will? In other words, if all that will happen already has happened how can we avoid the obvious outcome?
Oh, certainly. Seems pretty simple right?The “facts” as we understand them are ever changing, but either our universe operates mechanistically down to the quantum level and therefore given the proper knowledge future events could be predicted, OR, there is an element of randomness in which case probable outcomes could be predicted to a certain degree. Either way, future events are “determined” by past ones.So do we have free will, and should a free will that is constrained to a range of possible decisions still be considered free will? It seems that it's our language that's the problem. Free will in general is poorly defined. But at the very least, if past events cause future ones, or a range of possible future ones, then our possible actions are at least limited at best. I would argue that most people realize that free will doesn't mean doing “any possible thing you want at any possible time” although there are surely some who do think that. Nor can we say for sure that every little thing that happens has been pre-determined down to the last particle interaction (although it seems possible).No one can give you a ironclad argument either way, because the science of particle physics is one that is always changing and all we ever have is a degree of certainty that the current understanding is correct. But the thing about human knowledge is, it's never complete. And I doubt it ever will be.Therefore at best, we can conclude human actions seem at the very least partially deterministic based on our current understanding of the possible ways our universe operates. It's our definition of free will and the moral implications is has that needs to change.