Is independent choice possible?

TL;DR

This paper challenges the assumption that random choices can be truly independent, demonstrating that due to unknown initial states, independence cannot be guaranteed in any random number generation setup.

Contribution

It provides a general framework showing the fundamental limitations on achieving independent random choices due to unknown initial conditions.

Findings

Independence of generated randomness cannot be guaranteed.

The initial state and environment influence the randomness output.

Theoretical limitations affect assumptions in randomness and decision-making.

Abstract

This paper questions the generally accepted assumption that one can make a random choice that is independent of the rest of the universe. We give a general description of any setup that could be conceived to generate random numbers. Based on the fact that the initial state of such setup together with its environment cannot be known, we show that the independence of its generated output cannot be guaranteed. Some consequences of this theoretical limitation are discussed.