Hi Roger and Group:
On Feb 2. Roger sent a post that summed up other posts wherein all
agreed in one form or another that if no one hears a tree falling in the
forest, it makes no sound. In other words, reality is observer-created. In
his typical colorful fashion, Roger summed it up like this:
> Pirsig states in SDOV that he doesn�t deny that something out there exists.
> However, empiricism demands that he not state what it is until it is
> intellectually experienced. There may be gremlins dancing under our beds every
> night when nobody looks, there really could be. But if we can never
> experience them, by definition they don�t exist in our universe.
Now in a new book comes an idea about reality that I had never heard
before. While it�s connection to the MoQ is tenuous, I thought it was
relevant enough to Roger's post to bring to the group's attention.
The idea is set forth in �The Age of Spiritual Machines" by Ray Kurzwell
He conjectures that reality operates in the same fashion as computer
simulations in software games that display images of a virtual world. The
portions of the virtual environment not being interacted with by the user
(that is, offscreen) are usually not computed in detail, if at all. The
software designers figure there is no point in wasting valuable computer
cycles on regions of the simulated world no one is watching.
He goes on to say:
�I would say that quantum theory implies a similar efficiency in the
physical world. Particles appear not to decide where they have been until
forced to do so by being observed. The implication is that portions of the
world we live in are not actually "rendered" until some conscious observer
turns her attention toward them. After all, there's no point wasting valuable
�computes� of the celestial computer that renders our Universe. This gives
new meaning to the question about the unheard tree that falls in the
forest.�
How's that for a new idea? But, wait. I take it back what I said about it not
being relevant to the MoQ. After all, what "turns her attention" to make an
observation?. Why, value, of course.
Pirsig wrote:
�See how this works? A thing doesn't exist because we have never
observed it. The reason we have never observed it is because we have
never looked for it. And the reason we have never looked for it is that it is
unimportant, it has no value, and we have other better things to do."
(Lila, Chap. 11)
Ah, yes. The more you get to know the MoQ, the more it seems to cover
all the bases.
Platt
MOQ Homepage - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
