06-12-2026, 02:41 PM
Summary
The 2013 Notices of the AMS interview with legendary mathematician John Horton Conway focuses heavily on his "Free Will Theorem" (co-developed with Simon Kochen) and his philosophical views on quantum mechanics.
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The 2013 Notices of the AMS interview with legendary mathematician John Horton Conway focuses heavily on his "Free Will Theorem" (co-developed with Simon Kochen) and his philosophical views on quantum mechanics.
- The Free Will Theorem: Conway argues that if humans possess true free will (meaning our choices are not entirely predetermined by the past history of the universe), then elementary particles must also possess their own form of "free will" in how they respond to experiments.
- Rejecting Determinism: He calls strict physical determinism—the idea that everything we do was predetermined at the Big Bang—"ludicrous." While he admits he cannot mathematically disprove determinism, his theorem proves that physicists cannot disprove free will either.
- The Three Axioms: The theorem relies on three physical axioms: Fin (information has a maximum speed), Spin (particles exhibit specific predictable spin properties), and Twin (entangled particles mimic each other's behavior even when separated).
- Mathematical Philosophy: The interview highlights Conway's characteristic wit and unconventional, puzzle-driven approach to mathematics, viewing the discipline as a playground of discovery rather than a rigid system of rules.
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