Q&A 5, First Answer

My question is: Can the universe be partly determined and partly indetermined?

I think so.  The most common example of indeterminacy scientists bring up is that of the existence of miniscule particles, the movements of which may not be determined - that is, they may move randomly.  If such particles exist and are scientifically measurable, it follows that they have at least some effect on other things; if they have no effect whatsoever, then how could anyone measure them, or even detect them for that matter?  Thus, the existence of any one indetermined thing would necessarily make large portions of the universe, if not the entire universe, intermined in at least some respects.

However, even in such a case, I do not think that all elements of the universe would have to be indetermined.  For example, let us examine the case of the aforementioned indetermined miniscule particles.  The movement of these theoretical entities is random; there is no way to predict it.  This does not mean that the particles are random in all respects.  While one cannot tell whether they will move right or left, up or down, backwards or forwards, one can predict with certainty that they will not transform into walruses.  So it is with all things in the universe, as far as humanity is currently aware.  Whether or not some aspects of some (or all) things are random, other aspects are not.  Thus, the existence of indeterminism does not utterly destroy the possibility of determinism.