In the most depressing interpretation of quantum mechanics, superdeterminism, the entire universe is deterministic—a hidden structure in the universe pre-correlates everything, and quantum randomness is an illusion.
It means no choice, no free will.
It is funny if superdeterminism is true because this universe developed observers, “consciousness,” and then humans, some of whom insist that free will exists.
It is also terrifying to convince everyone to believe in this interpretation because all things good and bad are fated; nobody is accountable but the universe. Why try to change things or be responsible if everything is already set?
Free will insisting on existing is fascinating regardless of the truth. It feels like asking the question, “Is reality real?” where the answer is always, “Reality is real because it chooses so,” because it wouldn’t exist otherwise—because there's nothing real outside of reality. It is not important, just wordplay, just set theory.
Now let’s take a detour.
What do people think when asked, “What is love?” “Baby, don’t hurt me”? The answer varies depending on what matters most right now. Lovers? Desire, romance, passion. Friends? Platonic love and consideration. Parents? The natural affection between parents and children. Married people? Commitment, compatibility, and tolerance. Libertarians? Growing together without losing yourself. Materialists? Gifts and rewards. Narcissists? The breaking down of the obsession to love oneself for another or others for once.
We confuse these instinctive affections, societal norms, ideologies, and psychological complexities into this one massive aberration of a concept called love. Does love arise from these? Maybe.
But here’s the thing. You also love in spite of things. Lovers love despite the significant other being clumsy, greedy, hot-headed, too emotional, and so on. Parents love their children although they might leave them someday. Friends trust the other to not make enemies of themselves when they make mistakes.
Love is just there, existing, insisting upon itself. And when asked why, it spawns many different reasons just to make sense. And it spawns so many promises in the future that might be alright even when unresolved—again, because of love itself. Like free will in the free will believers, it is creation regardless of the creator. It is self-referential.
Self-referential things, things that point to themselves, are weird and powerful. Nothing ever caused them. They can cause anything. If you wish, and as long as you refuse to be proven otherwise, believe in an idea and convince yourself that it is self-referential—that it is the cause, the purpose, the motivation of what you are and what you do.
And I hope it is a good idea for others too.
Or at least for me.