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01. Re: end of season 1 (Trevor)
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Date: 16 Nov 1998 16:43:35 -0400
From: Trevor
Subject: Re: end of season 1

On 15-Nov-98, ctltheory wrote:

> Also feedback on the experiments from others would be interesting,
>though perhaps difficult.


SOME NOTES REGARDING THE CALCULATING UNIVERSE

In newsletter 3/98 tb made a remark about what systems in the
"real world" might be calculating".

An interesting question. I suppose it just possible that all sorts of
seemingly innocent systems in fact are part of some invisible (psuedo)
neurological system and are secretly indulging in private dreams and
phantasies.

However there is a more "objective" ((Psudo) Scientific) answer:

All analogies must exhibit symmetry: If a rose can be an anology for a
cabbage then a cabbage must also be an analogy of a rose.

If a Universal Turing Machine can simulate any system which can be
explicitly described in terms of Transformation Rules then any such system
can presumably simulate a Universal Turing Machine (by implication in
general, but specifically it simulates the Turing Machine which is
simulating it!). This is the basis for the original question.

However, following the Second Law of Thermodynamics, all systems should
degenerate to an Entropic static (or Homogenous) state.

So if we concider physical systems as "calculators" then they are
presumably all calculating the set of values that will result in the
terminal Entropic state.

If one accepts that a system which has ceased to change in time has "gone
wrong" and one accepts Murphy's Law which states that "If anything can go
wrong then it will" -then we can assume that all physical systems are
actually calculating how they can fulfill Murphy's Law.

Before we get too worried by this disquietening piece of natural rebellion
we can console ourselves with the idea that a system which does not change
in time is essentially dead! So our dissident systems are also essentially
calculating their own death.

If we concider "Death" as being a kind of "Checkmate" in the game of life
(i.e. we are prevented from doing any of the things that would have
prevented us from dying) then we can see there is also an element of
paradox in death (i.e. That which should be done (to keep us alive)
cannot be done for some reason).

So what a clever universe we live in! Day and Night, in all kinds of
weather, whether we are asleep or awake it is busy calculating the
Ultimate Paradoxical and Subversive Euthenasia, finally making sure that
at last everything goes wrong!

Greetings,

tb(2)

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