A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish

Re:A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish by andreyf on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @11:23AM (#347495)

I'm not sure I agree that there are complexities beyond our fundamental ability to understand (that's what the tank is a metaphor for, right?).

It might just be that if we are able to conceive something complex, we are able to abstract away and simplify it. It's just a matter of finding the right metaphors and abstractions.

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Re:A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish by byrneseyeview on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @12:12PM (#347556)

I'm not sure we can say one way or another; something beyond our understanding may be beyond our perception.

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Re:A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish by andreyf on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @03:33PM (#347877)

But how can can things outside of our perception be said to "exist"? (pass the bong, dude)

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Re:A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish by byrneseyeview on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @04:35PM (#347978)

If they have minor, persistent effects. So technically within our perception, but not really noticeable. If some force of nature made your shadow .1% shorter on even-numbered Thursdays, it would exist but be outside our perception for some value of perception.

Something whose existence cannot be observed or falsified doesn't 'exist' in any meaningful sense, but I suspect that there are things that exist, in a meaningful sense, even though they won't be noticed.

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Re:A programmer's view of the Universe, part 1: The fish by rw on Wednesday October 29, 2008 @11:45AM (#347515)

Look up Kolmogorov complexity.

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