I can conceive of a unicorn (does not exist), but not a square circle (cannot exist), suggesting a difference between the two. In a deterministic world, a thing which will never exist, something like a unicorn, is exactly the same as an impossible thing, in the sense that potential existence contradicts necessary existence, a paradox. So, in this deterministic setting, we should be no more able to conceive of a unicorn than any other paradoxical object, like a square circle. So, as ridiculous as it sounds, I am sincerely confused as to why I can imagine a unicorn. Sure, at the smallest scale there is some interpretive room to claim non-determinism, but our brain is a classical object, not a quantum one. Despite the fact that the brain, like all things, is composed of quantum sized particles, consciousness is emergent only at scale -- lest we claim otherwise and go down a truly schizophrenic rabbit hole. How do I square this circle? submitted by /u/TrainingCamera399 [link] [comments]