'Microtubules don't matter': dev argues the brain is a computer and free will is no mystery
ctjlewis · x · 2026-10-06
ctjlewis pushed back against claims that computational theory of mind denies free will:
- On Penrose-style 'microtubule quantum magic' arguments: even if real, microtubules are just another thing you can simulate, so they don't refute computationalism
- To concerns that deterministic chains of thought erase free will: your environment isn't deterministic, and free will is simply the label we assign to an agent making its own choices — not something magical
- His stance: the brain is a computer, and that's fine; we even give 'little talking computers' free rein sometimes, letting them choose what to study or create
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