Editing Determinism (section)

==== Classical theories ====
{{further|Macroscopic quantum phenomena}}
Since the beginning of the 20th century, [[quantum mechanics]]—the physics of the extremely small—has revealed previously concealed aspects of [[Phenomenon|event]]s. Before that, [[classical mechanics|Newtonian physics]]—the physics of everyday life—dominated. Taken in isolation (rather than as an [[approximation]] to quantum mechanics), Newtonian physics depicts a universe in which objects move in perfectly determined ways. At the scale where humans exist and interact with the universe, Newtonian mechanics remain useful, and make relatively accurate predictions (e.g. calculating the trajectory of a bullet). But whereas in theory, [[Universality (philosophy)|absolute knowledge]] of the forces accelerating a bullet would produce an absolutely accurate prediction of its path, modern quantum mechanics casts reasonable doubt on this main thesis of determinism.

This doubt takes radically different forms. The observed results of quantum mechanics are random but various [[interpretations of quantum mechanics]] make different assumptions about determinism which cannot be distinguished experimentally. The standard interpretation widely used by physicists is not deterministic, but the other interpretations have been devised which are deterministic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoefer |first=Carl |date=2024 |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |editor2-last=Nodelman |editor2-first=Uri |title=Causal Determinism |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/determinism-causal/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University}}</ref>