This is another one of those questions that seems easy. A random event is an event where the outcome is unpredictable, and no factors influence it. Another better definition is that every outcome is equally likely. But what actually is random in the real world? Well, we know that coin flips are random. We know that slot machines are random (assuming they aren’t rigged). We are also capable of making random choices all the time.
There’s also quantum mechanics, which is considered to be truly random. All of these suggest that random events do exist in our world.
However, believe it or not, this is actually an idea that is still being questioned. It all started when a friend of mine asked a question about entropy. Entropy is a scientific word typically used to refer to disorder, or randomness. There is a law of thermodynamics that states entropy is always increasing in an isolated system. Our universe is an isolated system, so disorder is always increasing in the universe. I didn’t research it as thoroughly as others have, but my interpretation is this:
In our perception, we have ordered and disordered states. For example, we have an unbroken egg. This, to us, is a state of low entropy. However, there are tons of ways in which an egg can be broken, much more than an egg remaining intact. For that reason, because there are many more ways for the world to be disordered than ordered, the universe will tend to move towards states of high entropy. Another way of thinking about it, for me, is that as more events happen, the probabilities of something happening in the future becomes more and more unpredictable. For example, hypothetically let’s have a person. If the probability he learns to ride a bike is 0.2, and the probability he eats breakfast is 0.8, the probability of one happening is much higher than the probability of both happening. If I keep adding events, this keeps creating combinations and permutations of events that could happen. This increases the number of possibilities the universe could have had, which makes the next event happening even more “random” or unpredictable. I don’t know if this is actually what entropy means, but that is how I thought of it.
What does this have to do with anything? Well, it got me thinking about if we could predict the unpredictable. Things that “seem” random may not be random but simply appear that way. This led me to Chaos Theory. You might have heard this from Jurassic Park, but Chaos Theory essentially says that within seemingly random and unpredictable systems, there appear patterns, suggesting that even if something is deterministic (meaning definite, not left up to chance) it may become so convoluted that we can’t predict it. A small change might lead to a ridiculous amount of complexity in a system.
This suggests to me that things we see as probabilistic, or determined on probability, might simply be deterministic. A long time ago, I thought of an idea concerning molecular paths. Molecular paths appear to us as random. However, this is likely because the movement of molecules is dependent on so many factors it’s just practically not possible. However, if we know every single factor influencing a molecule, it could theoretically be possible to predict the path of an individual molecule over time. Knowing this, if we apply it to every single molecule in the universe, doesn’t it mean every event is predictable? If I’m just a mass of molecules that is moving because of the natural movement and influence of other molecules, then do I really have free will? If we can predict the path of each molecule, it likely means the path that all molecules will follow is predictable. And if they are predictable, they have a fixed outcome, so they are deterministic. Could this mean that we don’t actually free will? If every molecule’s path is predetermined by what came before it, is my decision really my decision, or is everything I do predetermined by other molecules?
This is very speculative. We haven’t exactly predicted individual molecule path before, and I am also currently not qualified enough to speak on ideas of quantum mechanics. However, I do believe that if my theory is true, and the path of all molecules is predetermined, it supports the idea that we have a “destiny”. That’s essentially what destiny is. Every choice we make isn’t probabilistic but predetermined. I am of the opinion that even if we have a destiny, believing in a future destiny is pointless, because we cannot adequately predict what will happen to us (just like Chaos Theory). One small observation missed and that could change our entire lives. So, while this theory doesn’t truly change anything about daily life, it’s interesting to think about.