On 7/21/2011 11:03 AM, Jason Resch wrote:
On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 10:54 AM, meekerdb <meeke...@verizon.net
<mailto:meeke...@verizon.net>> wrote:
On 7/21/2011 2:27 AM, Bruno Marchal wrote:
Axiomatics are already in Platonia so of course that
forces computation to be there.
The computations are concrete relations.
If the are concrete then we should be able to point to them.
If your mind is a computer, you don't even need to point to them,
everything you see and experience is direct evidence of the existence
of the computation implementing your mind.
Also, I don't think the "point test" works for everything that has a
concrete existence. How would a many-worlder point to the other
branches of the wave function, or an eternalist point to the past?
How would an AI or human in a virtual environment point to the
concrete computer that is rendering its environment?
They don't need axioms to exist. Then the numbers relation can
be described by some axiomatic.
And one can regard the numbers as defined by their relations. So
the "fundamental ontology" of numbers is reduced to a description
of relations.
Is a chair the same thing as a description of a chair, or an idea of a
chair?
The is no need to suppose they exist in the sense of tables and
chairs.
Assume both matter and number relations exist. With comp, the
existence of number relations explains the existence of matter,
That's the question. It seems that comp requires more than the
existence of number relations, it requires the existence of a UD or
equivalent. It requires the existence of all computation. I see no
reason to suppose these exist, at least not in any conventional meaning
of 'exist'. It certainly doesn't follow from my saying "Yes" to the
doctor that I believe they exist. It also has the problem that it
explains too much - the white rabbit problem.
but the existence of matter does not explain the existence of number
relations.
It may not explain them, but it exemplifies them. And in fact that's
how we learn what numbers are and how to count - long before we learn
Peano's axioms and Cantor's diagonalization.
It is therefore a simpler theory to suppose the existence of number
relations is fundamental and the appearance of matter is a
consequence, than to suppose both exist independently of each other.
Simpler, yes. But then, "God did it" and "Everything exists." are
simple too. An explanation with no predictive power isn't much of an
explanation.
Brent
Jason
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
