Summations Only

Just like art or music, science can study and ask why certain paintings are appealing. Or why certain facial features are deemed attractive. How does the universe exist? why does the universe exist?
Are these two questions the same?

Exactly. If one ask what is the purpose of the existence of the universe one could invoke a purposeful agent such as God. However one could also postulate the universe exist because it wants to. Or the status quo is the only alternative and existence is all there is. I do not know. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling? Good question Stragger,
perhaps we individually derive the meaning from such questions. Yes. I like to believe so, otherwise I'd become very nihilist and depressed.

Can you think of any other reason to think otherwise?If the universe's existence is some absurd arbitrary condition that gave rise to sentient conscious beings. It is this eventuality that someone like myself would attribute this to some purpose.We are part of the universe, we in some way perpetuate our existence by way of participating in it. Observation affects reality. So why is it ludicrous to think perhaps there is a universal observer with a mind that can affect all reality? Oh I know because that would invoke to much woo.

I agree, although I must say even a broken clock is correct twice in 24 hours. Meaning even if a premise is based unreliable data, it could still be the right answer. I agree, but science must still come face to face with the possibilty that reality may be more woo-like than we can imagine.

Hello Straggler, On the contrary there seems to be some research that does in fact relate to QM and the brain.
Quantum mind - Wikipedia

Since initial condition are inherently indeterminable, causality breaks down on the subatomic level.
Causality is dependent on prior initial conditions, it is inherently impossible to "determine" the attribute of an electron or subatomic particle fully.randomness is natures way of maximizing entropy.I do not think dualism exist, I think our conscious brain can not be removed from the equation of what is manifesting our thoughts. Not woo per se, but some yet unexplained phenomenon.Edited by 1.61803, : removed the word "this"

what if all possible selections where equally valid and the one that grandma X chose was actualized in this universe, but grandma Y and grandma Z in some other universe selected other teas?Edited by 1.61803, : added quote

One theory to explain how wave functions can be every possible outcome and then when observed manifest a single out come is what is known as the multiverse theory. Every possible outcome is equally valid in it's perspective universe.

Everything is deterministic. Given enough data a model can be constructed.But the snag is initial conditions are hinged on the indeterminable nature of subatomic particles.I do not have a "problem" with determinism at all, it is how the universe operates.It is yet to be determined if quantum discoherence in ambient media like brains can not have coherent domains like within molecules.I do not think my thoughts are determined. I think they are products of random determinism. On the basis that it is yet undetermined if such a thing as a human brain can act as a quantum computer.

It's like saying if granny was born 1 million timesCould every single instance of granny from zygote to her current age be reproduced down to the atom?Could every nerve cell firing be replicated exact?Could it be 100 percent conclusive which tea each incarnation would choose?Its all about initial conditions. And also every probablistic cascade downstream from every random event upstream.Science can make good accurate predictions, thats why CAT Scans work, factoring in the randomness of particles. Schrodingers equations do just that. Wave functions propagate in a determistic fashion. The computer fills in the gaps.

I don't know. Because we are a intimate part of the mosaic of what makes up our reality we do participate and make actual choices. I believe the universe operates on a probablistic matrix. Some say our "freewill" is illusory but then again what is not? As Bluegene has stated, science can and will study anything that is real. And science is working on developing a quantum computer. Science has already developed and embraced the random nature of QM and it poses no barrier to human ingenuity. It is yet to be fully understood, but never the less we always seem to find a work around. I do not disagree. Science is a way to obtain knowledge and someday a grand unifying theory of everything will be discovered and dualism will prove to be false. But that does not mean there will still be no mysteries to solve imo.

It is determined up to a point. The brain activity propagates before consciousness dictates a choice. However who's not to say some quantum entanglement is not going on? That there is indeed some spontaneous collapse of the wave form once a "observation is made" and a choice is made. It is still deterministic, but novel and spontaneous as well. Rather than completely dependent on prior conditions, the choice is chosen by the thinker/observer/subject/person/dude/conscious mind.
So even though it looks on the surface like the choice precedes consciousness, it is in fact spook action at a distance and the apparent time lag is simply our biological hard ware trying to catch up. Yes.