Rebels in The Garden of Eden? ‘Westworld’ S3: A few thoughts on Free Will and Determinism

‘‘Forest: Everything we do is predicated on the idea that we live in a physical universe, not a magical universe.
Katie: Are you doubting that?
Forest: Not the physical universe. But I am scared we might be magicians.’’ (Episode 4, ‘‘Devs’’)

There are of course many many themes being explored in the TV show ‘Westworld’ and I have written on some of those already on my Medium page. Now, I want to take a look at a very serious and still unanswered ancient philosophical question that has arisen in the most recent Season of ‘Westworld’: whether our lives are predetermined from birth (or from our very creation) or whether we have a will that can make decisions independent of our materialist deterministic causal universe and thereby actively choose and change our future?

In the 3rd episode of ‘Westworld’ Dolores explains to Caleb how ‘Rehoboam’ the supercomputer built by Liam Dempsey Snr., and Serac is an AI that intends to control every aspect of humanity’s existence and create the future for humanity. She explains to Caleb this even involves every single individual and shows him how his future has already been decided. Caleb will commit suicide in ten years. Hence he is kept in low-paying menial jobs as his life is of…