Q&A: Statistics and Free Choice
Statistics and Free Choice.
Question
Hello to the Rabbi, may he live long and well.
Assuming that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not know what I will choose—so choice is indeed free—but God is also known for His extraordinary wisdom: if there are people who can statistically observe what the person in front of them is planning to do, then all the more so God. Suppose He reveals Himself to me and tells me that a certain person definitely will not withstand this test. Will that person not withstand the test, or is the choice still free? After all, God knows all of that person’s inner psychological processes and the precise calculations of what will decide the matter. Is choice really just an illusion?
Answer
I don’t understand the question. If you assume (like I do) that He does not know what I will choose, that means choice is not just the sum total of all influences (otherwise He would know). There is something free there that is not determined by those influences.
If you think choice is an illusion, then of course the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what I will do (and not what I will “choose,” because I am not choosing).