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Is God a Mathematician?

Everything in our universe happens according to strict rule of law: the laws of physics. These laws can be understood en described through the language of mathematics. But math is not merely essential in describing and understanding the laws of physics which govern our universe. Math can be observed throughout our universe: we discover math's signature in the swirl of a nautilus shell, the whirlpool of a galaxy, and the spiral in the center of a sunflower. Math was essential to everything from the first wireless radio transmissions to the prediction and discovery of the some physicists boson and the successful landing of rovers on our neighboring planet Mars.

So then, let’s assume that we are characters in a simulated universe, as some genius philosopher argued almost two decades ago. Could it then be possible that math is the programming language through which this simulated universe can be understood? Could it thus be that God is a post human programmer/mathematician, and we are “avatars” created or “programmed” in his image? Are we mere copies of a meta version of “The Sims”, which is run on an extremely powerful quantum-computer in the future? Is “The Sims” nothing but a mini-game, programmed and created using C++, within this “Earth” game, programmed and created by God using math?

Kraftwerk - Numbers

Further online wondering about “mathematics”:

Independent thought in an era of (mis)information

We live in an age of information. Every day we consume parts of information that are passed on to us through all kinds of media: television, newspapers, tweets, blogposts, books, etc. In an age of propaganda and extremely biased or blatant fake news, it’s more important than ever to realise that these media outlets are used by certain interest groups (governmental, political, economic, ...) to persuade us to adapt to their view of reality.

In society today, it seems, the allegory of the cave is extremely relevant. We are the chained prisoners, our screens (smartphones, television, computermonitor, ...) are the rock wall onto which shadows (a very limited, biased or false view of reality) are projected by journalists, propagandists, marketeers and film makers.

This is why we really ought to be critical towards all information that reaches us through all these media outlets. We need to think for ourselves and inform ourselves. Or to quote some genius psychologist:

Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities -- the political, the religious, the educational authorities --- who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing -- forming in our minds -- their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable open-mindedness, chaotic, confused vulnerability to inform yourself.

▶ Daft Punk - Television rules the nation 

Further online wondering about “media, propaganda and fake news”:

The end is nigh

#wherearewegoing - Doomsday is coming. As you may have heard before, our planet is full-on stacked with weapons of mass destruction. As governments continue to build up their (nuclear) weapons arsenal, we as a human race are now capable of destroying our home planet many times over. But destroying it only once would be enough to put an end to our very existence, to put end to the memories of our past, our present and our future.

In a city somewhere a group of genius scientists devised an imaginary clock that keeps track of the time we have left. Considering there have already been numerous accidents with these nuclear weapons in the past, we may just have to believe only a miracle can save us from our impending doom. But just remember, on this clock we can turn back time and save our souls. So maybe we don’t need a miracle. It’s up to us. It’s up to you. Act now, before it’s too late.

▶ Faithless - Mass Destruction

Further online wondering about the “doomsday clock and the nuclear threat”:

For stardust thou art, and to stardust shalt thou return. 

#whoarewe - Imagine the existential crisis that befell some genius priest when he was the first to discover that the creation of the universe started with the Big Bang, not with God dividing light and darkness as written in Genesis. A book he considered the holy word of God.

Today this priest might find some comfort considering the Bible isn’t completely wrong after all. Indeed, the book of Genesis is mistaken when it forgets to mention the Big Bang being prior to the division between light and darkness. Nevertheless, Genesis sure is spot on claiming that “we are dust and to dust we shall return.”

As the video above explains, most of the materials that we're made of comes out of dying and exploding stars. Some of these materials are as old as the universe, others landed on earth maybe only a hundred years ago. All of these materials mix together to form our human bodies. So, in a sense, we truly are made of stars. And Genesis isn’t all wrong after all.

▶ Kansas - Dust in the Wind

▶ Moby - We Are All Made of Stars

Further online wondering about “stardust”:

What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning?

According to the tradition of some island everyone has one or several “Ikigai”: a passion that gets you out of bed in the morning, something worth living for. It’s your duty to find out your ikigai.  As you as a person change over time, so does your ikigai. Thus, your quest for your ikigai is a never-ending quest.

How does that sound for finding purpose in life?

Further online wondering about “ikigai”:

How to deal with fate: Wu Wei

#whyarewe - A somewhat similar approach to the western idea of "Amor Fati" is found in the eastern daoist aproach of "Wu Wei". "Wu Wei" roughly translates to English as "doing nothing" or "effortless action". A practitioner of "Wu Wei" avoids resisting against the workings of the universe. Instead, much like the practitioner of "Amor Fati", the daoist practioner accepts that what is necessary and goes along with the nature of things, without resisting it. Like the stoic, the daoist avoids fighting forces larger than himself.

The stoic approach of "Amor Fati" is a more radical approach though. It's more radical in the sense that it wants us to embrace, or even love all that will happen or has happened to us, both the good and the bad. The "Wu Wei" approach doesn't necessarily want us to embrace our fate. Instead, it wants us to live in harmony with all that will happen to us, and adjust ourselves accordingly. It wants us to be flexible and spontaneous, like water, accepting change and acting accordingly only when deemed necessary.

▶ The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Further online wondering about “Wu Wei”:

How to deal with fate: Amor Fati

#whyarewe - Amor Fati is the idea that one has to embrace that what is necessary. A practitioner of "Amor Fati" thus embraces his fate or destiny.

As we now have good reason to believe, we don't have free will. You can argue, relying upon some genius physicist’s theory of general relativity, that God does not play dice with the universe and that the future is set in stone. Or, you can argue against this physicist’s theory relying upon some other genius physicist’s uncertainty principle stating that God does play dice with the universe, and that everything that happens in it is just a matter of chance or randomness.

Either way: you probably have no choice but to accept or even embrace the outcome, no matter what. Because, if you don't, you are competing against forces larger than yourself, which will ultimately lead to anxiety and thus more suffering.

▶ Bob Dylan - A Simple Twist of Fate

Further online wondering about “Amor Fati”:

The answer to life, the universe, and everything = 42

#whyarewe - This famous quote is from the book “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”. In the book an advanced civilization builds a supercomputer to answer the question of the meaning of life. The supercomputer didn’t quite understand the question, so after thousands of years calculating, the answer it came up with was the complete random answer of “42″.

Fun fact: when you ask some really nosey online search engine this very question, it will give you the same answer

Why should you read “Waiting For Godot”?

#whyarewe - Life is absurd: reality probably is an illusion, everything we perceive might well be nothing but consciousness and there’s no free will whatsoever. How then do we give meaning to our lives? Do we give meaning ourselves? Or is that also a matter of fate or chance?

The absurd play “Waiting for Godot” by some genius writer who won a price revolves around humanity’s desire for meaning in the universe and the universe itself, which we now have good reason to believe, is completely meaningless. And in that sense, the play is very suitable in answering our said question: how do we find meaning in this absurd life?

On some online videochannel you can find another great analysis of the play. Be sure to check this video out as well!

▶ The Moldy Peaches - Jorge Regula

Further online wondering about “Waiting for Godot”:

Videos:

Philosophy Tube - “Waiting for Godot” Explained with Philosophy

Is Reality an illusion? Are we some kind of Computergame Characters?

#wherearewe - The Simulation Argument is kind of like a modern day “Allegory of the Cave”-story. This video explains “The Simulation Hypothesis” from some genius philosopher quite nicely. This philosopher argues that it is plausible that we are living in some kind of computer simulation. The idea was popularized by some genius car salesperson.

Now, before you burst into laughter, please realize that not only this philosopher, but also some physicists are starting to suspect physical reality is an illusion.

▶ Kraftwerk - Computerworld

Further online wondering about “The Simulation Hypothesis” and “Reality”:

Is Free Will an Illusion?

#wherearewe - Some person who’s really good at studying brains gives a simple explanation of the theory of eternalism, in which free will is non-existent. In his view free will is the subjective sense, the feeling we get when the unconscious brain makes the decision giving us the impression that it was the conscious mind that just made that decision.

▶ Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Further online wondering about “determinism” and “free will”:

#wherearewe - There’s this genius physicist who once came up with a theory of general relativity suggesting that there is no real difference between the future and the past. Everything is happening all at once. We are just these feeble human beings consciously experiencing the current passage of time. Now is to time, as here is to space. As if God is reading a book “Planet Earth” and he’s now reading page 2020 in the 21st chapter. Crazy, huh?

Truth be told, this physicist’s views are challenged by some other genius physicist’s uncertainty principle, as we can learn from some other person who’s really good at doing science in this video. In the video this scientist claims that "God plays dice with the universe” and that the uncertainty principle kind of proves the existence of free will. But in this view it’s still God rolling the dice of the universe, isn’t he? And we, as pawns on the board game, are still unable to change the outcome. It’s probably a matter of fact that God himself is not able to change to outcome of this game of chance. Playing dice is a matter of chance, a matter of randomness, right? So the future might not be fixed as this first physicist mentioned here claims, but might be random. And randomness by itself doesn’t imply the existence of free will? Right?

▶ Pink Floyd - Time

▶ Tom Waits - Time

Further online wondering about “time”:

Are you yourself? Or is your self an illusion?

#whoarewe - Some person who’s really good at philosophy and science explaining the idea of no-self. In Buddhism there’s this doctrine called “anatta”, which states that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance that can be called the soul. It’s also one of the themes covered in Ghost in the Shell. This view also resonates with the view of us being nothing else but spirits in a spiritual world. Believing you own an unique soul is vanity.

▶ De La Soul - Me Myself and I

Further online wondering about “Anatta”: