The Philosophical Consequences of Virtual Particles
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Free Will Vs. Fate
Can physics answer the age-old question as to whether humans are in possession of Free Will or if there is some underlying force which propels us through life? Perhaps Virtual Particles are the key. One possible theory asks if the superposition of the all the constant background radiation of the universe could be responsible for the creation of Virtual Particles. Although the average superposition is zero, the superposition at specific points is not. At those points, though not zero, the sum of the energies is never very great, and just possibly it's enough to account for the seemingly random creation of Virtual Particles. If this is true, then virtual particles are not random at all. Einstein himself believe that "God does not play dice with the universe," and his theories support the idea of a specific path and a specific purpose for every particle--that is, Fate. Quantum Mechanics tends to disagree, however. It introduces the idea of uncertainty into the equations of existence and through Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, it propones the idea a multitude of paths is possible for each particle, that virtual particles themselves truly are random occurrences, that Free Will is ours. Perhaps then, there is a general theme of union for both relativity and quantum mechanics, for Fate and Free Will. In the larger scheme of things, the paths of particles, and physical bodies are quantitavely predictable with only negligible uncertainty. That is, Fate has reign over the major direction of life. But upon close examination, there is a definite perturbation and uncertainty of choice throughout the path of any and every object. That is, Free Will rules the daily life. So, while the overall trend of existence may already be set into the very fabric of spacetime, the paths toward whatever ultimate goal there may be are ripe for the choosing.