Essay Abstract

A mindless universal swarm of interlaced deterministic physical Turing Machines, driving billions of years of mindless physical evolution, can, and has given rise to living cells, that, in turn, have evolved to give rise to minds that can explicitly express aims and intention. Before the advent of life, the universe is mindless, devoid of semantics, devoid of aims and intention; nothing more than a deterministic machine following mindless mathematical laws in a physical form. The universe has a dual nature - an informational universe is layered on top of the physical universe. Every physical object in the universe has a physical side and an informational side. The information side is the configuration of physical particles that make up physical objects. Informational evolution drives the physical to implement ever-higher levels of informational complexity. Informational evolution drives the emergence and evolution of life. Living things evolve faster by learning from experience. Learned experience is semantics. Organisms with brains learn rapidly and gain tremendous advantage from complex semantics, including the semantic of aims and intention. Aims and intention give awareness, planning, behavioral purpose, and options for rapid response. Aims and intention arise to not only enhance survival, but also provide the means to get better at survival.

Author Bio

I began in astronomical research on the Viking Mars Orbiter program analyzing image data sent back from Mars. My original intent to become an astronomer was replaced with a passion for building software for astronomical image processing and understanding. I've built rapid prototyping systems and specialized languages for imaging, graphics, and systems simulation. More recently, I have been founding, building, and working in Internet startup companies. I have always worked on personal research projects that have led to new startups. My long-term goal is to build a digital entity with full access to natural language.

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Hi Bruce, I like the way you precisely define the concepts you will be talking about.

You diverge from your ealy definitions when you begin to talk about evolution having aims. I am particularly bothered by the assertion that "The aim of evolution is to get better at surviving". Environmental challenges and unfortunate events have a part to play in evolution but there is no -purposeful- choosing of the progenitors of a new generation by nature. They either have survived and reproduced or they haven't. Selective breeding by people is different. That has prior aims of some kind of improvement.

A good read, thanks Georgina

    A good start toward defining the terms. But what is "mind"? Your link to the functioning of a society is food for though.

    Hodge

      Dear Amberden,

      Your observations are excellent, like "These computations never halt, never produce a definite final result. Computations may be infinite in sequence and require infinite time to complete, or may enter a non-terminating infinite loop. Turing proved that there is no possible algorithm that could determine, or prove, that some other algorithm would eventually halt."

      But I want have a little discussion on your words...

      'The universal causal event chain is the time-evolution of the state of the physical universe, starting from initial conditions of the Big Bang to the present day; a little over 13.8 billion years into this universal event chain.'.............. First of all the the big bang time was uncertain. In Dynamic Universe Model, there is no Bigbang. Probably you will make some small changes in your essay concept, except that your essay very good. My congratulations.

      For your information Dynamic Universe model is totally based on experimental results. Here in Dynamic Universe Model Space is Space and time is time in cosmology level or in any level. In the classical general relativity, space and time are convertible in to each other. That is one of the differences in both the models....

      Many papers and books on Dynamic Universe Model were published by the author on unsolved problems of present day Physics, for example 'Absolute Rest frame of reference is not necessary' (1994) , 'Multiple bending of light ray can create many images for one Galaxy: in our dynamic universe', About "SITA" simulations, 'Missing mass in Galaxy is NOT required', "New mathematics tensors without Differential and Integral equations", "Information, Reality and Relics of Cosmic Microwave Background", "Dynamic Universe Model explains the Discrepancies of Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry Observations.", in 2015 'Explaining Formation of Astronomical Jets Using Dynamic Universe Model, 'Explaining Pioneer anomaly', 'Explaining Near luminal velocities in Astronomical jets', 'Observation of super luminal neutrinos', 'Process of quenching in Galaxies due to formation of hole at the center of Galaxy, as its central densemass dries up', "Dynamic Universe Model Predicts the Trajectory of New Horizons Satellite Going to Pluto" etc., are some more papers from the Dynamic Universe model. Four Books also were published. Book1 shows Dynamic Universe Model is singularity free and body to collision free, Book 2, and Book 3 are explanation of equations of Dynamic Universe model. Book 4 deals about prediction and finding of Blue shifted Galaxies in the universe.

      With axioms like... No Isotropy; No Homogeneity; No Space-time continuum; Non-uniform density of matter(Universe is lumpy); No singularities; No collisions between bodies; No Blackholes; No warm holes; No Bigbang; No repulsion between distant Galaxies; Non-empty Universe; No imaginary or negative time axis; No imaginary X, Y, Z axes; No differential and Integral Equations mathematically; No General Relativity and Model does not reduce to General Relativity on any condition; No Creation of matter like Bigbang or steady-state models; No many mini Bigbangs; No Missing Mass; No Dark matter; No Dark energy; No Bigbang generated CMB detected; No Multi-verses etc.

      Many predictions of Dynamic Universe Model came true, like Blue shifted Galaxies and no dark matter. Dynamic Universe Model gave many results otherwise difficult to explain

      Have a look at my essay on Dynamic Universe Model and its blog also where all my books and papers are available for free downloading...

      http://vaksdynamicuniversemodel.blogspot.in/

      Best wishes to your essay.

      For your blessings please................

      =snp. gupta

        Dear Bruce,

        I really like your essay. You very clearly and methodically go through all the points.

        I think you slightly change the topic of the essay contest for the better. Rather than writing about goals and intentions of the universe, you write about human beings having goals and intentions. That is a better question. The universe does not seem to have goals. We do.

        I appreciate your point about objects being both physical and potentially representing information. This dual notion gives one much to think about.

        I like your example with the word HELP in the sand with stone. We can go further and say that someone who sees it but does not know English will not see its semantics. Information is also subjective.

        I was wondering about ants. They seem to know about their environment. They are capable of complex responses to their environment. But I do not think that they have consciousness. Similarly a program that is being executed. It does not seem to be conscious even though it is following the semantics of its input.

        The thing that is missing in your discussion in the concept of will. Aims, goals and intentions need will. We not only understand the semantics of our environment but we want something different about our environment. We don't just understand it, we want to change it. Evolution also must take into account will. Why should a species or a member of a species want to continue to exist? Not for a physical reason.

        Thank you for much to think about.

        Please take a look at my essay.

        All the best,

        Noson Yanofsky

          Dear Bruce M Amberden,

          Please excuse me for I have no intention of disparaging in any way any part of your essay.

          I merely wish to point out that "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) Physicist & Nobel Laureate.

          Only nature could produce a reality so simple, a single cell amoeba could deal with it.

          The real Universe must consist only of one unified visible infinite physical surface occurring in one infinite dimension, that am always illuminated by infinite non-surface light.

          A more detailed explanation of natural reality can be found in my essay, SCORE ONE FOR SIMPLICITY. I do hope that you will read my essay and perhaps comment on its merit.

          Joe Fisher, Realist

          You have nicely discussed about the FQXi question. I forgot to add...

          Best

          =snp.gupta

          • [deleted]

          • Post #8

          Hello Georgina,

          Thank you for your kind comments and questions about evolution.

          Evolution is an implicit combinatorial probabilistic process that operates on populations of organisms where random environmental challenges and unfortunate events are the selection criteria applied to distributions of genetic variability. Examining the long-term collective fossil evidence illuminates evolution's implicit meta-intentions.

          I make two observations.

          One: evolution selects for survival - only those individuals in a population that survive, produce offspring and the next generation. There is no direct purposeful selection, but in aggregate, evolution's meta-effect is a selection for survival. Evolution's primary implicit aim is to select for survival.

          Two: populations over time accumulate survival traits - populations get better at survival. A repeat of similar environmental challenges and unfortunate events are no longer survival events. This second meta-effect is that populations get better at survival. Evolution's secondary implicit aim is to get better at surviving.

          Take a look at this article on the BBC website: Life may actually be getting better at evolving: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170301-life-may-actually-be-getting-better-at-evolving.

          There is an extensive literature detailing active research on these subjects. Search for learning in gene networks on google.

          Cheers,

          Bruce.

          Hello Hodge,

          Thanks for your comments. I did sidestep the definition of mind. My assumption was that since everyone has a mind, that everyone must have some rough definition of mind. I didn't have anywhere near enough space in this essay to attempt such a definition.

          I'm sure that you know that a definition of mind would fill, and already fills, multiple volumes. And that so far no one has come up with a fully satisfying definition or description of mind. As Marvin Minsky said, "Minds are what brains do!" So I will go with that definition for now. We all have brains, so we all have minds.

          Cheers,

          Bruce

          Hello Georgina,

          Some further thoughts on implicit vs. explicit intention.

          Mindless random systems can express aggregate behavior that is almost always accessible to observation and analysis (like a gas in physics). Behavioral rules derived from such analysis express implicit intentions.

          Explicit intention is expressed by organisms able to perform independent action. The more advanced the organism, the more explicit their actions can be.

          Cheers,

          Bruce

          Hello Mr. Gupta,

          Thank you for your kind words about my essay.

          I think that there are two sides to our universe. The first, the physical side, is governed by mindless mathematical laws operating like a mindless swarm of interlaced deterministic Turing Machines. The physical side is algorithmically driven and has no meaning or semantics.

          The second, the subjective side, is the side of life, sentience, and mind. This side overlays meaning and semantics on the physical side. It is amazing that mindless evolution has brought us into being.

          Cheers,

          Bruce.

          Hi Yanofsky

          I address the question of ant colonies having some form of intelligence in my essay, but I shouldn't pretend it is only about ants. It is basically a modeling of the Constitutional nation state.

          Also, I should thank you for introducing me to the concept of quaternions and octonions. I didn't quite get it when I read Dickau's essay. But when I read your essay, it became quite clear to me. The approach seems promising.

          Hi Amberdeen

          While I agree that social groups may have contributed to the growth of culture all over the world, perhaps an even more consequential result created by social groups is the Constitutional nation state. This is hinted at in your essay, "We are developing the knowledge, the understanding, and cultural technical ability to replace evolution with intelligent design. What shall we design?"

          Constitutional nation state appears to be the unavoidable result when we ask ourselves the questions suggested at the end of your essay, "What are our aims and intention? What is our goal?" My essay suggests that the only intention that makes sense is to protect and enhance the stability space that is available to ordinary people to lead their lives, and that premise naturally leads to the discovery of the structure of Constitutional nation state.

          All the best to you both!

          Regards, Willy

          18 days later

          Bruce,

          That was a very interesting read and viewpoit. I agree there are good and useful reasons to distinguish the 'superposed' parts you identify. I admit I did start in disagreement with some staemens, but as I carefully read the explanations I was persuaded, or rather more realised we're in quite close agreement. Our common interest in observational cosmology may help in that.

          Where we seem to diverge is that I assign 'information' more directly as the fundamental quantum states of information theory, which I identify as physical and causal in themselves. However as mathematics can describe those interactions (better than our brains have up to now!) I don't think our views really differ fundamentally. In any case your score is too low, but will causally now rise!

          I hope you may read my essay and give your own view.

          Well done, particularly for actually defining things properly which I think is a massive 'semantic' problem in physics!

          Very best

          Peter

          8 days later

          Dear Sirs!

          Physics of Descartes, which existed prior to the physics of Newton returned as the New Cartesian Physic and promises to be a theory of everything. To tell you this good news I use «spam».

          New Cartesian Physic based on the identity of space and matter. It showed that the formula of mass-energy equivalence comes from the pressure of the Universe, the flow of force which on the corpuscle is equal to the product of Planck's constant to the speed of light.

          New Cartesian Physic has great potential for understanding the world. To show it, I ventured to give "materialistic explanations of the paranormal and supernatural" is the title of my essay.

          Visit my essay, you will find there the New Cartesian Physic and make a short entry: "I believe that space is a matter" I will answer you in return. Can put me 1.

          Sincerely,

          Dizhechko Boris

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