KARL JASPERS FORUM
TA93 (Müller)
Commentary 17
MATHEMATICAL LAWS AND REALITY
by Adhanom Andemicael
31 May 2007, posted 2 June 2007
<1>
Below, I've posted an excerpt from an article by Ross Rhodes ([4D Worldx]
Message #32852:
<http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/argument/Argument4.html>).
<2>[Adhanom Andemicael]
According to some philosophers, reality consists of three things:
1) An objective, physical world.
2) Mathematical algorithms.
3) 3D mental images generated by these algorithms.
<3>
We usually assume that there is an objective, physical world. However, strictly speaking, it is not necessary to make this assumption. We can conceive of a reality that has just *two* components:
1) Mathematical algorithms.
2) 3D mental images generated by these algorithms.(1)
***
<4>[Ross Rhodes]
A Cybernetic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
<5>Abstract
This paper surveys evidence and arguments for the proposition that the universe as we know it is not a physical, material world but a computer-generated simulation -- a kind of virtual reality. The evidence is drawn from the observations of natural phenomena in the realm of quantum mechanics. The arguments are drawn from philosophy and from the results of experiment. While the experiments discussed are not conclusive in this regard, they are found to be consistent with a computer model of the universe. Six categories of quantum puzzles are examined: quantum waves, the measurement effect (including the uncertainty principle), the equivalence of quantum units, discontinuity, non-locality, and the overall relationship of natural phenomena to the mathematical formalism. Many of the phenomena observed in the laboratory are puzzling because they are difficult to conceptualize as physical phenomena, yet they can be modeled exactly by mathematical manipulations. When we analogize to the operations of a digital computer, these same phenomena can be understood as logical and, in some cases, necessary features of computer programming designed to produce a virtual reality simulation for the benefit of the user.
<6>
The computer analogy.
As John Gribbin puts it, "nature seems to 'make the calculation' and then present us with an observed event."[2] Both the "how" and the "why" of this process can be addressed through the metaphor of a computer which is programmed to project images to create an experience for the user, who is a conscious being.
<7>
The "how" is described structurally by a computer which runs a program. The program provides an algorithm for determining the position (in this example) of every part of the image, which is to say, every pixel that will be projected to the user. The mechanism for transforming the programming into the projection is the user interface. This can be analogized to the computer monitor, and the mouse or joystick or other device for viewing one part of the image or another. When the user chooses to view one part of the image, those pixels must be calculated and displayed; all other parts of the image remain stored in the computer as programming. Thus, the pixels being viewed must follow the logic of the projection, which is that they should move like particles across the screen. The programming representing the parts of the image not being displayed need not follow this logic, and may remain as formulas. Calculating and displaying any particular pixel is entirely a function of conveying information to the user, and it necessarily involves a "change" from the inchoate mathematical relationships represented by the formula to the specific pixel generated according to those relationships. The user can never "see" the programming, but by analysis can deduce its mathematical operation by careful observation of the manner in which the pixels are displayed. The algorithm does not collapse into a pixel; rather, the algorithm tells the monitor where and how to produce the pixel for display to the user according to which part of the image the user is viewing.
<8>
The "why" is problematical in the cosmic sense, but is easily stated within the limits of our computer metaphor. The programming produces images for the user because the entire set up was designed to do just that: to present images to a user (viewer) as needed by the user. The ultimate "why" depends on the motivation of the designer. In our experience, the maker of a video game seeks to engage the attention of the user to the end that the user will spend money for the product and generate profits for the designer. This seems an unlikely motivation for designing the universe simulation in which we work and play.
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NOTES
1. Mathematical laws and algorithms can exist abstractly without actually "running" on a computer.
Target Article 61 http://www.kjf.ca/61-TAAND.htm http://www.kjf.ca/
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Adhanom Andemicael
e-mail <Andemicael@worldnet.att.net>