Re: Is the universe computable?

From: Frank <logical.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 01:54:12 -0800

Hi, this is my second post. My name is Frank Cizmic and I'm a computer Engineer from Uruguay.
David Barrett, I'd like to comment on one aspect of your reasoning with which I have some doubts.
If I understand correctly, you are saying that *if* the universe is the result of a "program", then it is very strange that at any one point in time this program doesn't "go nuts", making strange things occur, like popping pink elephants out of nowhere, or resisting prediction by us sentient beings by violating its previous "good behavior".
But what would, exactly, constitute "strange behavior" on the part of the universe? One could argue that the universe can't go completely wacko because we would cease to exist, and that would violate, the anthropic principle.
So what would constitute "strange" behavior? Isn't life strange enough? Aren't we facing new facts every day? If by strange you mean "twilight zone" kind of events, wouldn't we eventually adjust to this and end by considering it normal behavior. Isn't this, in a sense, what we experience since birth? A wacky universe, that is always surprising us , but never to the point where we lose sanity. One could posit that we, in a sense, would cease to be, if we lost our mental health. This might be formulated like a variant of the anthropic principle. We always live in a Universe that makes a minimum of "sense", otherwise, our psyque would eventually break down, and we would, essentially, cease to be.

cheers
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: David Barrett-Lennard
  To: everything-list.domain.name.hidden
  Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 7:45 PM
  Subject: Is the universe computable?


   



   

   How can a past which has been well behaved prevent strange things from happening in the future?

   

   
Received on Mon Nov 03 2003 - 23:51:49 PST