<div dir="auto">Can downwards causation not exist in a universe whose laws are fully deterministic?<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Consider that the neurons push and guide molecules (neurotransmitters) around as much as the molecules define the operation of neurons.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The illusion that causes work only bottom-up I think stems from taking reductionsm too far.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">If we can do readily admit that molecules tell neurons how to behave, why are some so reluctant to admit that neurons can also tell molecules how to behave?</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I think Roger Sperry gives the best treatment of this in his "Mind, Brain, and Humanist Values" ( <a href="https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/sperry/Mind_Brain_and_Humanist_Values.html">https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/sperry/Mind_Brain_and_Humanist_Values.html</a> )</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Jason </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Oct 25, 2025, 1:12 AM Giulio Prisco via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Cellular automata, downward causation, and libertarian determinism<br>
(2). Some more thoughts, and a Sudoku-like game based on cellular<br>
automata.<br>
<a href="https://www.turingchurch.com/p/cellular-automata-downward-causation-644" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.turingchurch.com/p/cellular-automata-downward-causation-644</a><br>
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</blockquote></div>