More on White Rabbits.
Here is a thought experiment which attempts to prove the non existence of White Rabbits and of Black Rabbits. Definitions: 1) White Rabbits: phenomena that we cannot understand. Their existence indicates that the set of physical phenomena is larger than the set of ideas 2) Black Rabbits: ideas we can think of but which are not simulatable with computers based on physical laws. i.e., not implementable on a analog/digital computer. Their existence indicates that the set of physical phenomena is smaller than the set of ideas. Goal Demonstrate that Set(White Rabbits) = 0; Set(Black Rabbits) = 0 and thus prove that the mental universe is identical in size to the physical universe Assumption: COMP hypothesis: People thoughts can be simulated by a computer Converse COMP hypothesis: A computer program can be understood by a person. (hmmmm....) Reminder: Church/Turing Thesis: All algorithmic functions can be simulated by a computer. Converse Church Thesis: A computer can only simulate algorithmic functions Proof: Let's proceed via absurdum. 1) Let's say there are White Rabbits. Let's be a little more precise and say that there are devices (a kind of transistor that produces White Rabbits logic operations: WAND gates. Wonderful! I am an engineer and I'll use one of these WAND gates in the design of a White Rabbit Computer (WACO) just to fool the hackers, the CIA, the FBI, the KGB and the IRS. However, since a WACO can incorporate a WAND gate, so can a person (by the COMP hypothesis). Hence a person should be capable of generating the same outputs as the WACO and therefore predict a WACO (unless the White Rabbits device generates a totally random signal as in QM). Hence no White Rabbits. 2) Now lets say Black Rabbits exist. It means that I can think of a Black Rabbit but I can't program one on a computer. (I have done that so many times!!!! :-) ) By the COMP hypothesis all ideas should be programmable. Hence no Black Rabbits. Therefore Mental Universe == Physical Universe I realize the proof is shaky.... kind of like prestigitation with rabbits???... but it is a starting point....:-) George