Digital philosophy
Encyclopedia
Digital philosophy is a direction in philosophy
and cosmology
advocated by certain mathematician
s and theoretical physicists, e.g., Gregory Chaitin
, Edward Fredkin
, Stephen Wolfram
, and Konrad Zuse
(see his Calculating Space
).
Digital philosophy grew out of an earlier digital physics
(both terms are due to Fredkin), which proposes to ground much of physical theory in cellular automata. Specifically, digital physics works through the consequences of assuming that the universe is a gigantic Turing-complete cellular automaton.
Digital philosophy is a modern re-interpretation of Gottfried Leibniz
's monist
metaphysics
, one that replaces Leibniz's monad
s with aspects of the theory
of cellular automata. Digital philosophy purports to solve certain hard problems in the philosophy of mind
and the philosophy of physics
, since, following Leibniz, the mind
can be given a computation
al treatment. The digital approach also dispenses with the non-deterministic essentialism
of the Copenhagen interpretation
of quantum theory
. In a digital
universe
, existence
and thought
would consist of only computation. (However, not all computation would be thought.) Thus computation is the single substance of a monist metaphysics
, while subjectivity
arises from computational universality
. There are many variants of digital philosophy, but most of them are digital
theories that view all of physical reality
and mental
activity as digitized information processing
.
and the double-slit experiment
in quantum mechanics. While admitting that quantum mechanics yields accurate predictions, Fredkin
sides with Einstein in the Bohr-Einstein debates
. In "The Meaning of Relativity," Einstein writes, "One can give good reasons why reality cannot at all be represented by a continuous field. From the quantum phenomena it appears to follow with certainty that a finite system of finite energy can be completely described by a finite set of numbers (quantum numbers). This does not seem to be in accordance with a continuum theory
, and must lead to attempts to find a purely algebraic theory for the description of reality. But nobody knows how to find the basis for such a description." Einstein's hope is a purely algebraic theory, but Fredkin attempts to find a purely informational theory for the description of reality. However, physicists find some vagueness, problems with Bell theorem compatibility, and lack of empirical falsifiability in Fredkin's expression of his ideas.
In "Digital Philosophy (DP)," Chapter 11, Fredkin raises the question, "Could physics
have a strong law of conservation of information
?" Fredkin answers his own question
, "If so, we have to rethink particle disintegration
s, inelastic collision
s and Quantum Mechanics
to better understand what is happening to the information. The appearance of a single truly random event
is absolutely incompatible with a strong law of conservation of information
. A great deal of information is obviously associated with the trajectory
of every particle and that information must be conserved. This is a big issue in DP yet such issues are seldom considered in conventional physics
."
there will be some microscopic process that violates that symmetry." Therefore, according to Fredkin, at the Planck scale
, ordinary matter could have spin angular momentum that violates the equivalence principle
.There might be weird Fredkin force
s that cause a torsion in spacetime
.
The Einstein-Cartan theory extends general relativity theory to deal with spin-orbit coupling when matter with spin is present. According to conventional wisdom in physics, torsion is nonpropagating, which means that torsion will appear within a massive body and nowhere else. According to Fredkin, torsion could appear outside and around massive bodies, because alternate universes have anomalous inertial effects
.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and cosmology
Physical cosmology
Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion...
advocated by certain mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
s and theoretical physicists, e.g., Gregory Chaitin
Gregory Chaitin
Gregory John Chaitin is an Argentine-American mathematician and computer scientist.-Mathematics and computer science:Beginning in 2009 Chaitin has worked on metabiology, a field parallel to biology dealing with the random evolution of artificial software instead of natural software .Beginning in...
, Edward Fredkin
Edward Fredkin
Edward Fredkin is an early pioneer of digital physics. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy . His primary contributions include his work on reversible computing and cellular automata...
, Stephen Wolfram
Stephen Wolfram
Stephen Wolfram is a British scientist and the chief designer of the Mathematica software application and the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine.- Biography :...
, and Konrad Zuse
Konrad Zuse
Konrad Zuse was a German civil engineer and computer pioneer. His greatest achievement was the world's first functional program-controlled Turing-complete computer, the Z3, which became operational in May 1941....
(see his Calculating Space
Calculating Space
Calculating Space is the title of MIT's English translation of Konrad Zuse's 1969 book Rechnender Raum , the first book on digital physics....
).
Digital philosophy grew out of an earlier digital physics
Digital physics
In physics and cosmology, digital physics is a collection of theoretical perspectives based on the premise that the universe is, at heart, describable by information, and is therefore computable...
(both terms are due to Fredkin), which proposes to ground much of physical theory in cellular automata. Specifically, digital physics works through the consequences of assuming that the universe is a gigantic Turing-complete cellular automaton.
Digital philosophy is a modern re-interpretation of Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
's monist
Monism
Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry. Accordingly, some philosophers may hold that the universe is one rather than dualistic or pluralistic...
metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, one that replaces Leibniz's monad
Monad
-Philosophy:*Monad a term meaning "unit" used variously by ancient philosophers from the Pythagoreans to Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus to signify a variety of entities from a genus to God....
s with aspects of the theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
of cellular automata. Digital philosophy purports to solve certain hard problems in the philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
and the philosophy of physics
Philosophy of physics
In philosophy, the philosophy of physics studies the fundamental philosophical questions underlying modern physics, the study of matter and energy and how they interact. The philosophy of physics begins by reflecting on the basic metaphysical and epistemological questions posed by physics:...
, since, following Leibniz, the mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
can be given a computation
Computation
Computation is defined as any type of calculation. Also defined as use of computer technology in Information processing.Computation is a process following a well-defined model understood and expressed in an algorithm, protocol, network topology, etc...
al treatment. The digital approach also dispenses with the non-deterministic essentialism
Essentialism
In philosophy, essentialism is the view that, for any specific kind of entity, there is a set of characteristics or properties all of which any entity of that kind must possess. Therefore all things can be precisely defined or described...
of the Copenhagen interpretation
Copenhagen interpretation
The Copenhagen interpretation is one of the earliest and most commonly taught interpretations of quantum mechanics. It holds that quantum mechanics does not yield a description of an objective reality but deals only with probabilities of observing, or measuring, various aspects of energy quanta,...
of quantum theory
Introduction to quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is the body of scientific principles that explains the behavior of matter and its interactions with energy on the scale of atoms and atomic particles....
. In a digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
, existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
and thought
Thought
"Thought" generally refers to any mental or intellectual activity involving an individual's subjective consciousness. It can refer either to the act of thinking or the resulting ideas or arrangements of ideas. Similar concepts include cognition, sentience, consciousness, and imagination...
would consist of only computation. (However, not all computation would be thought.) Thus computation is the single substance of a monist metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, while subjectivity
Subjectivity
Subjectivity refers to the subject and his or her perspective, feelings, beliefs, and desires. In philosophy, the term is usually contrasted with objectivity.-Qualia:...
arises from computational universality
Universality (philosophy)
In philosophy, universalism is a doctrine or school claiming universal facts can be discovered and is therefore understood as being in opposition to relativism. In certain religions, universality is the quality ascribed to an entity whose existence is consistent throughout the universe...
. There are many variants of digital philosophy, but most of them are digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
theories that view all of physical reality
Philosophy of physics
In philosophy, the philosophy of physics studies the fundamental philosophical questions underlying modern physics, the study of matter and energy and how they interact. The philosophy of physics begins by reflecting on the basic metaphysical and epistemological questions posed by physics:...
and mental
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
activity as digitized information processing
Information theory
Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Information theory was developed by Claude E. Shannon to find fundamental limits on signal processing operations such as compressing data and on reliably storing and...
.
Digital philosophers
- Rudy RuckerRudy RuckerRudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
. In his book "Mind Tools" (1987), mathematician/philosopher Rudy RuckerRudy RuckerRudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
articulated this concept with the following conclusions about the relationship between Math and the universe. Rucker's second conclusion uses the jargonJargonJargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
term 'fact-space' ; this is Rucker's modelScientific modellingScientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. Science offers a growing collection of methods, techniques and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modelling...
of realityRealityIn philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
based on the notion that all that exists is the perceptions of various observers. An entity of any kind is a glob in fact-space. The world - the collection of all thoughts and objects - is a patternPatternA pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
spread out through fact-space. The following conclusions describe the digital philosophy that relates the world to fact-space.
- The world can be resolved into digital bits, with each bit made of smaller bits.
- These bitBitA bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s form a fractalFractalA fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
pattern in fact-space. - The pattern behaves like a cellular automatonCellular automatonA cellular automaton is a discrete model studied in computability theory, mathematics, physics, complexity science, theoretical biology and microstructure modeling. It consists of a regular grid of cells, each in one of a finite number of states, such as "On" and "Off"...
. - The pattern is inconceivably large in size and dimensions.
- Although the world started simply, its computationComputationComputation is defined as any type of calculation. Also defined as use of computer technology in Information processing.Computation is a process following a well-defined model understood and expressed in an algorithm, protocol, network topology, etc...
is irreducibly complex.- Edward FredkinEdward FredkinEdward Fredkin is an early pioneer of digital physics. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy . His primary contributions include his work on reversible computing and cellular automata...
. In his paper "Finite Nature" (1992), computer pioneer Edward FredkinEdward FredkinEdward Fredkin is an early pioneer of digital physics. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy . His primary contributions include his work on reversible computing and cellular automata...
stated two fundamental laws of physical informationPhysical informationIn physics, physical information refers generally to the information that is contained in a physical system. Its usage in quantum mechanics In physics, physical information refers generally to the information that is contained in a physical system. Its usage in quantum mechanics In physics,...
. In terms of unsolved problems in physicsUnsolved problems in physicsThis is a list of some of the major unsolved problems in physics. Some of these problems are theoretical, meaning that existing theories seem incapable of explaining a certain observed phenomenon or experimental result...
these two fundamental laws have two fundamental consequenceConsequenceConsequence may refer to:* In logic, consequence relation, also known as logical consequence, or entailment* In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior...
s.
- Edward Fredkin
- All information must have a digital means of its representationRepresentation (systemics)Representation, from the most general and abstract systemic perspective, relates to a role or function or a property of an abstract or real object, relation or changes.For example,* an ambassador or a sport team may represent its nation....
. - An informational process transforms the digital representation of the state of the system into its future state.
- If Fredkin's first fundamental law of information is correct then Einstein's theory of general relativity theory is not entirely correct, because the theory does not rely upon digital information.
- If Fredkin's second fundamental law is correct then the Copenhagen interpretationCopenhagen interpretationThe Copenhagen interpretation is one of the earliest and most commonly taught interpretations of quantum mechanics. It holds that quantum mechanics does not yield a description of an objective reality but deals only with probabilities of observing, or measuring, various aspects of energy quanta,...
of quantum mechanicsIntroduction to quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics is the body of scientific principles that explains the behavior of matter and its interactions with energy on the scale of atoms and atomic particles....
is not entirely correct, because quantum randomness lacks a digitally deterministic explanationExplanationAn explanation is a set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, context, and consequencesof those facts....
.- Stephen WolframStephen WolframStephen Wolfram is a British scientist and the chief designer of the Mathematica software application and the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine.- Biography :...
. In Chapter 9 of his 2002 1200-page best-seller A New Kind of ScienceA New Kind of ScienceA New Kind of Science is a book by Stephen Wolfram, published in 2002. It contains an empirical and systematic study of computational systems such as cellular automata...
, the scientist and software developer Stephen WolframStephen WolframStephen Wolfram is a British scientist and the chief designer of the Mathematica software application and the Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine.- Biography :...
presents an outline of a multiverseMultiverseThe multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
automatonAutomatonAn automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
.
- Stephen Wolfram
- Below the Planck scalePlanck scaleIn particle physics and physical cosmology, the Planck scale is an energy scale around 1.22 × 1019 GeV at which quantum effects of gravity become strong...
, there is an informational substrate that allows the build-up of time, space, and energyPhilosophy of physicsIn philosophy, the philosophy of physics studies the fundamental philosophical questions underlying modern physics, the study of matter and energy and how they interact. The philosophy of physics begins by reflecting on the basic metaphysical and epistemological questions posed by physics:...
by means of an updating parameter. - The updating parameter for the multiverse is analogous to time via a mathematical isomorphismIsomorphismIn abstract algebra, an isomorphism is a mapping between objects that shows a relationship between two properties or operations. If there exists an isomorphism between two structures, the two structures are said to be isomorphic. In a certain sense, isomorphic structures are...
, but the updating parameter involves a decomposition across alternate universesMany-worlds interpretationThe many-worlds interpretation is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction, but denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an...
. - The informational substrate consists of network nodes that can simulate random network models and Feynman path integralsPath integral formulationThe path integral formulation of quantum mechanics is a description of quantum theory which generalizes the action principle of classical mechanics...
. - In physical reality, both energyEnergyIn physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and spacetimeSpacetimeIn physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
are secondary features. The most fundamental feature of reality is signal propagationWave propagationWave propagation is any of the ways in which waves travel.With respect to the direction of the oscillation relative to the propagation direction, we can distinguish between longitudinal wave and transverse waves....
caused by an updating parameter acting upon network nodes. - The multiverse automaton has a model consisting of informational substrate, an updating parameter, a few simple rules, and a method for deriving all of quantum field theoryQuantum field theoryQuantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
and general relativity theory, - The totally finite nature of the model implies the existence of weird, alternate-universeMany-worlds interpretationThe many-worlds interpretation is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction, but denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an...
forces that might, or might not, be too small for empirical detection.
Fredkin's ideas on physics
Fredkin takes a radical approach to explaining the EPR paradoxEPR paradox
The EPR paradox is a topic in quantum physics and the philosophy of science concerning the measurement and description of microscopic systems by the methods of quantum physics...
and the double-slit experiment
Double-slit experiment
The double-slit experiment, sometimes called Young's experiment, is a demonstration that matter and energy can display characteristics of both waves and particles...
in quantum mechanics. While admitting that quantum mechanics yields accurate predictions, Fredkin
Fredkin
Fredkin:* Edward "Ed" Fredkin** Edward Fredkin's ideas on Digital philosophy** Fredkin finite nature hypothesis, in digital physics** Fredkin gate, a computational circuit suitable for reversible computing...
sides with Einstein in the Bohr-Einstein debates
Bohr-Einstein debates
The Bohr–Einstein debates were a series of public disputes about quantum mechanics between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, who were two of its founders. Their debates are remembered because of their importance to the philosophy of science. An account of them has been written by Bohr in an article...
. In "The Meaning of Relativity," Einstein writes, "One can give good reasons why reality cannot at all be represented by a continuous field. From the quantum phenomena it appears to follow with certainty that a finite system of finite energy can be completely described by a finite set of numbers (quantum numbers). This does not seem to be in accordance with a continuum theory
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
, and must lead to attempts to find a purely algebraic theory for the description of reality. But nobody knows how to find the basis for such a description." Einstein's hope is a purely algebraic theory, but Fredkin attempts to find a purely informational theory for the description of reality. However, physicists find some vagueness, problems with Bell theorem compatibility, and lack of empirical falsifiability in Fredkin's expression of his ideas.
In "Digital Philosophy (DP)," Chapter 11, Fredkin raises the question, "Could physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
have a strong law of conservation of information
Reversible computing
Reversible computing is a model of computing where the computational process to some extent is reversible, i.e., time-invertible. A necessary condition for reversibility of a computational model is that the transition function mapping states to their successors at a given later time should be...
?" Fredkin answers his own question
Question
A question may be either a linguistic expression used to make a request for information, or else the request itself made by such an expression. This information may be provided with an answer....
, "If so, we have to rethink particle disintegration
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
s, inelastic collision
Inelastic collision
An inelastic collision, in contrast to an elastic collision, is a collision in which kinetic energy is not conserved.In collisions of macroscopic bodies, some kinetic energy is turned into vibrational energy of the atoms, causing a heating effect, and the bodies are deformed.The molecules of a gas...
s and Quantum Mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
to better understand what is happening to the information. The appearance of a single truly random event
Event (probability theory)
In probability theory, an event is a set of outcomes to which a probability is assigned. Typically, when the sample space is finite, any subset of the sample space is an event...
is absolutely incompatible with a strong law of conservation of information
Reversible computing
Reversible computing is a model of computing where the computational process to some extent is reversible, i.e., time-invertible. A necessary condition for reversibility of a computational model is that the transition function mapping states to their successors at a given later time should be...
. A great deal of information is obviously associated with the trajectory
Trajectory
A trajectory is the path that a moving object follows through space as a function of time. The object might be a projectile or a satellite, for example. It thus includes the meaning of orbit—the path of a planet, an asteroid or a comet as it travels around a central mass...
of every particle and that information must be conserved. This is a big issue in DP yet such issues are seldom considered in conventional physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
."
Fredkin's "Five big questions with pretty simple answers"
Accordin to Fredkin, "Digital mechanics predicts that for every continuous symmetry of physicsSymmetry in physics
In physics, symmetry includes all features of a physical system that exhibit the property of symmetry—that is, under certain transformations, aspects of these systems are "unchanged", according to a particular observation...
there will be some microscopic process that violates that symmetry." Therefore, according to Fredkin, at the Planck scale
Planck scale
In particle physics and physical cosmology, the Planck scale is an energy scale around 1.22 × 1019 GeV at which quantum effects of gravity become strong...
, ordinary matter could have spin angular momentum that violates the equivalence principle
Equivalence principle
In the physics of general relativity, the equivalence principle is any of several related concepts dealing with the equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass, and to Albert Einstein's assertion that the gravitational "force" as experienced locally while standing on a massive body is actually...
.There might be weird Fredkin force
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...
s that cause a torsion in spacetime
Torsion tensor
In differential geometry, the notion of torsion is a manner of characterizing a twist or screw of a moving frame around a curve. The torsion of a curve, as it appears in the Frenet-Serret formulas, for instance, quantifies the twist of a curve about its tangent vector as the curve evolves In the...
.
The Einstein-Cartan theory extends general relativity theory to deal with spin-orbit coupling when matter with spin is present. According to conventional wisdom in physics, torsion is nonpropagating, which means that torsion will appear within a massive body and nowhere else. According to Fredkin, torsion could appear outside and around massive bodies, because alternate universes have anomalous inertial effects
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
.
Are Fredkin's ideas compatible with M-theory?
(who is asking this question?)- Fredkin uses many metaphorMetaphorA metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s and confusing analogies in attempting to convey his ideas. Straightforward interpretations of Fredkin's ideas seem to violate Bell's inequalities. However, careful consideration might reveal considerable merit underlying Fredkin's metaphors. - Let us imagine that our universe consists of the following 5 components:
- a one-dimensional antimatter clock that measures the flow of information running backward in time;
- a one-dimensional matter clock that measures the flow of information running forward in time;
- a six-dimensional directional-measuring device that measures the flow of information with respect to curvature and torsion of spacetime;
- a three-dimensional volume-measuring device that measures the amount of information with respect to volume;
- an alternate-universe engine that runs the 4 Fredkin measuring-devices with respect to information.
- Let us assume that the 'alternate-universe engine' is basically similar to the model described in Wolfram's "A New Kind of ScienceA New Kind of ScienceA New Kind of Science is a book by Stephen Wolfram, published in 2002. It contains an empirical and systematic study of computational systems such as cellular automata...
," Chapter 9. How might the remainder of the "Digital Mechanics" philosophy described in (1)-(4) possess a meaning in terms of M-theory? - Matrix string theoryMatrix string theoryIn physics, Matrix string theory is a set of equations that describe superstring theory in a non-perturbative framework. Type IIA string theory can be shown to be equivalent to a maximally supersymmetric two-dimensional gauge theory, the gauge group of which is U for a large value of N...
formulates M-theoryM-theoryIn theoretical physics, M-theory is an extension of string theory in which 11 dimensions are identified. Because the dimensionality exceeds that of superstring theories in 10 dimensions, proponents believe that the 11-dimensional theory unites all five string theories...
as a random matrixRandom matrixIn probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathematically as matrix problems...
model. M-theoryM-theoryIn theoretical physics, M-theory is an extension of string theory in which 11 dimensions are identified. Because the dimensionality exceeds that of superstring theories in 10 dimensions, proponents believe that the 11-dimensional theory unites all five string theories...
might have a good approximation by a theory that has a gauge group consisting of U(N) for some large N. If such an approximation is valid, then the group U(N) might describe the 4 Fredkin measuring devices. The 6-phase clock described in Fredkin's "Digital Mechanics" might be a counting mechanism for the 6-dimensional directional-measuring device that measures the curvature and torsion of information flow. Note that all 4 of these hypothetical Fredkin measuring devices assume some sort of weird notion of absolute space, time, and information that would depend upon the 'alternate-universe engine' for any empirical validity. - Fredkin's concept of the multiverse as a finite automaton with absolute space, time, and information might be isomorphic to a sheaf uniformization axiom. Such an axiom might establish a sheaf structureSheaf (mathematics)In mathematics, a sheaf is a tool for systematically tracking locally defined data attached to the open sets of a topological space. The data can be restricted to smaller open sets, and the data assigned to an open set is equivalent to all collections of compatible data assigned to collections of...
that supports uniform mapping of Einstein-Hilbert actions and Feynman actions across alternate universes.
- Let us assume that the 'alternate-universe engine' is basically similar to the model described in Wolfram's "A New Kind of Science
See also
- Algorithmic information theoryAlgorithmic information theoryAlgorithmic information theory is a subfield of information theory and computer science that concerns itself with the relationship between computation and information...
- Calculating SpaceCalculating SpaceCalculating Space is the title of MIT's English translation of Konrad Zuse's 1969 book Rechnender Raum , the first book on digital physics....
- Cellular automata
- Copenhagen interpretationCopenhagen interpretationThe Copenhagen interpretation is one of the earliest and most commonly taught interpretations of quantum mechanics. It holds that quantum mechanics does not yield a description of an objective reality but deals only with probabilities of observing, or measuring, various aspects of energy quanta,...
- Gregory ChaitinGregory ChaitinGregory John Chaitin is an Argentine-American mathematician and computer scientist.-Mathematics and computer science:Beginning in 2009 Chaitin has worked on metabiology, a field parallel to biology dealing with the random evolution of artificial software instead of natural software .Beginning in...
- Digital physicsDigital physicsIn physics and cosmology, digital physics is a collection of theoretical perspectives based on the premise that the universe is, at heart, describable by information, and is therefore computable...
- Edward FredkinEdward FredkinEdward Fredkin is an early pioneer of digital physics. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy . His primary contributions include his work on reversible computing and cellular automata...
- Fredkin Finite Nature HypothesisFredkin finite nature hypothesisIn digital physics, the Fredkin Finite Nature Hypothesis states that ultimately all quantities of physics, including space and time, are discrete and finite. All measurable physical quantities arise from some Planck scale substrate for multiverse information processing...
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- Juergen Schmidhuber
- Konrad ZuseKonrad ZuseKonrad Zuse was a German civil engineer and computer pioneer. His greatest achievement was the world's first functional program-controlled Turing-complete computer, the Z3, which became operational in May 1941....
- Loopholes in Bell test experiments
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External links
- Dr. Edward Fredkin's Digital Philosophy site.
- Juergen Schmidhuber's site "Zuse's Thesis: The Universe is a Computer."
- Newsgroup: sci.physics.discrete.
- Mailing lists on yahoogroups.com: digitalphilosophy, digitalphysics
- Kelly, Kevin. 2002. God Is the Machine Wired 10.12
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Computation in Physical Systems Section 3.4 of this article discusses the foundations of digital physics/philosophy.