On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 01:25 Dr Russell Standish wrote:
> "But presumably the argument is about certain cognitive skills which
helped our species be extraordinarily successful, and also gave us the
capability to understand algebraic topology."
I've always found it a bit mysterious that humans are so good at abstract
mathematics. I can see that the evolutionary pressures to improve tool making
and hunting skills could have given us basic mathematical capabilities - but we
are far better at it than seems reasonable. i.e. it seems a stretch to imagine
our ability to understand differential equations and prove Fermat's last
theorem just fell into place as an accidental by product of something else.
It seems to me that a lot of complex engineering in our brains must exist to
support the level of abstract reasoning we are capable of - and I don't see
much evolutionary advantage to explain how this evolved.
We are familiar with the idea that a large multiverse could explain the
apparent fine tuning of our universe to support conscious observers. I.e. given
we are conscious observers it shouldn't be surprising that we find ourselves in
a part of the multiverse that allows our existence.
However, right now we aren't just conscious observers, we are conscious
observers pondering the unreasonable effectiveness of brains to do mathematics.
Maybe similarly to the fine tuning argument we shouldn't be surprised to find
ourselves in a part of the multiverse where brains did develop mathematical
ability. It would have been extremely unlikely for our brains to have evolved
the way they did - but in a sufficiently large multiverse we will inevitably
find ourselves in the place where it did - given that we are observer moments
that must have exactly that kind of abstract reasoning capability to understand
this point!
Is it valid to use this kind of reasoning? To use the details of the type of
conscious experience we are having right now to condition the type of universe
we expect to find ourselves in? I'm not sure to be honest - but I think there
is a mystery to be explained so the idea is appealing.
Note if it's true that evolving mathematical capability was a long shot, then a
consequence of it would be that it would be very unlikely that we find
technologically advanced aliens in the observable universe. There are a lot of
stars out there - but the small probability of brains evolving abstract
reasoning would overwhelm that I suspect.
- Steven Ridgway
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Dr Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders
Visiting Senior Research Fellow [email protected]
Economics, Kingston University http://www.hpcoders.com.au
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