Indeterminism in Classical Mechanics

About Course
The term classical mechanics is employed to contrast the idea of motion against an idea of change that doesn’t involve motion in quantum mechanics. There are at least three equivalent formulations of classical mechanics, called Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian mechanics. Classical mechanics also depends on Calculus, which had to be developed before classical mechanics could be formulated. Despite the apparent determinism of the theory, there are serious problems of indeterminism, which go unnoticed because the theory is used only for scenarios where it works. Thereby, a caricature of classical mechanics as a deterministic description of nature in contrast to choice and free will is created, which is not entirely accurate. In this course, we will survey various aspects of classical mechanics, their origins, the assumptions latent in its fundamental ideas, and why those assumptions are problematic.
Course Content
Historical Background
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The Unmoved Mover Argument
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The Theological Response to Unmoved Mover
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Parmenidean Response to Unmoved Mover
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Newtonian Response to Unmoved Mover
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How the Protestant Reformation Enabled Science
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Age of Enlightenment and Freemasonry
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Newton’s Questionable Writings