'What' is definite?

If one viscerally experiences a full 10 seconds of one's future in a dream and remembers the experience when it happens again, does that preclude free will? Was that moment avoidable?

 

Nothing is definite. Our scientific knowledge is still subject to our interpretation. Our measurements of the universe are our brain's way of making sense of what is observable through our senses. We can observe and interpret it in the context of what we already know, but even the most concrete principles of science, such as gravity, could become something else entirely when put in the context of what is currently unknown to us. The only things that are definite are what exists outside of humans' interpretation of existence.

 

I'm reminded of something a wise friend said to me years ago while we were both tripping, with his usual amused grin: "There are no final truths, so we'll have to be contented with intermediate truths."

 

By all means talk to lots of people, and gather their theories and ideas, but the key is to put each one through the rigorous testing of your faculties of reason and logic before buying into anything, should you wish to buy into anything at all. Make your research balanced. Explore all areas of human scientific understanding, from psychology to biology, alongside exploration of religions. You will then be able to put the ideas into a stable factual context and explore safely.

Unfortunately, your 3 stage plan is rather simplified. When it comes to the meaning of existence and other such questions, the process is far more complex and of course we can never know if the "truth" is ever reached. It can become dangerous to believe that one theory is definitely "the truth" and spend your life pursuing it. We of course do not have and may never gain a definite answer.

"That God exists we cannot show,
So do not know but need not care.
Thank God we do not know; we know
We need the unknown. The Unknown is There."
-Louis Macneice

 

Yes. :2thumbsup:

Always be willing to revise your worldview based on new data. Most people aren't - it's hard and sometimes heartbreaking work - easier to make your stand wherever and stick with it to the bitter end.