On Nov 7, 10:44 am, "A. Wolf" <a.lup....domain.name.hidden> wrote:
> > But this begs the question "What is EVERYTHING?"
>
> I would say the class of all mathematical models which are not
> self-contradictory constitutes "everything". I'd even go so far as to
> suggest that's exactly what existence is, in a literal sense: a lack
> of mathematical contradiction. All things that are consistent exist
> and all things that exist are consistent.
>
I am realizing that I don't have time to get into this. I assume that
your use of the word "model" is equivalent to "theory". This brings
in Godel's Incompleteness Theorems, and the fact that your definition
of Everything implies that Everything is incomplete, i.e. that in many
of the mathematical "models"/theories that comprise Everything, there
are true statements which cannot be proven in the mathematical model.
Actually I think this is OK. I would take consistency/
noncontradiction over completeness any day. God bless you on your
journey and search for truth.
Tom
> This is broader than the MW interpretation which imposes additional
> tacit restrictions: that everything which /is constructable/ solely by
> /quantum perturbations/ occurring /since the Big Bang/ must exist.
>
> It also raises the question about whether we can assume there is a
> universe where I wore a red sweater instead of a blue one today. I
> would certainly guess that the probability of this happening is
> nonzero, but I have no way of confirming that there exists a
> particular model containing this state which is non-contradictory.
> Certainly the model couldn't be identical to the current universe I'm
> in, because I don't own a red sweater, and I can't readily envision a
> situation where quantum perturbations would make me wake up early
> enough to go purchase one.
>
> So I suspect that "everything" has lots of odd holes in it, but
> perhaps quantum effects smooth them out so well that we can assume
> nearly any conceivable change to our universe has non-contradictory
> representatives. I'd prefer not to assume that, even if I believe (as
> I do) that worlds which are not constructable from out Big Bang exist.
>
> Certainly there are worlds out there where I'm deluded into thinking
> that I have on a red sweater, though. ;)
>
> Anna
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Received on Fri Nov 07 2008 - 19:17:29 PST