With regard to the question of free will, the dichotomy of the universe as either determined or random is false, because for the existence of free will, both possibilities are a problem.
Mr. (not Mrs.) Jack said:
It should also be noted that under any dualistic conception of the universe there is a third possibility: Willed.
It seems to me that this is right on the mark. That's not to say that I hold the view that the universe is willed, far from it. But I do think that for free will to be an independent fact of the universe, this would have to imply that third possibility.
That a
deterministic universe rules it out, so much seems clear, but why would a
random universe be any better when it comes to the existence of free will? After all, the fact alone that some events are not determined by causes, as seems to be the case according to quantum theory, is not in itself sufficient to label them 'willed'.
Why did I use the phrase "to be an independent fact of the universe" just now, instead of the simpler "to exist"? Because, in a way, one could say that free will
does exist, while at the same time not being an
independent fact of the universe. In my view, free will is an aspect of our experience of being in the world. As such, it's not independent of our consciousness. Instead, it's a quale, like the experience of the redness of a rose, or the feeling of being the subject of motherly love. Free will is
what it's like for a conscious being to be one of the causative factors in a complex process.
My two cents.
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