Critique of Determinism: In Favor of Probabilistic Determinism

This paper argues that such strictly deterministic formulations rely on idealizations that obscure an essential physical feature: the objective growth of information associated with irreversible processes. Drawing on thermodynamics, information theory, and the foundations of quantum mechanics, the paper is based on the notion of ontic entropy as a measure of the objective informational content instantiated by physical systems. This paper proposes a classification of determinism based on the informational characteristics of physical evolution. By distinguishing between strict causal determinism, probabilistic determinism, and chaotic determinism, it becomes possible to analyze causal structure without conflating necessity with lawfulness or probability with indeterminism.