Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

Not enough information

created by PikeWake

(idea) by PikeWake (1.2 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Tue Aug 01 2000 at 10:25:56

If you accept that the universe is deterministic then it would follow that if you knew the current state of the universe you could predict the future.

Now, the universe is a bit big to cram inside your head, or even into a decent sized computer, so you'll never know enough.

Trying to predict the future of the entire universe might be overly ambitious, but do you know enough to predict any event with 100% accuracy? Afraid not...

Let's take a classic example: Tell me all the possible outcomes of a coin toss. You would probably say "Heads or tails" first and then "It may land on end". Enough? No. There is the probability that the coin will disintegrate in mid air, get eaten by a passing wildebeest or any such thing. The probability for any of these events is infinitesimal, but it's still there. Same thing goes for any activity you think you know all the possible outcomes for. You can say "If I drop a rock, it will fall," and you will probably be right, but you're actually simplifying things a little.

This kind of simplification is useful and serves as a model of the universe that is a lot smaller than the real thing. Just don't make the mistake of confusing the model with the reality. It will only lead to the belief in such silly things as randomness and the construction of strange models of reality like religion or atheism.

It's just a case of not knowing enough. No magic involved.


printable version
chaos

Too much information Baggy Pants and the Nitwits randomness PLMN
Lynne Thigpen Dunblane model ambitious
Wild Cards The Sacred and Profane Lover's Fried Mango Destiny or Free Will?
Wildebeest Absence makes the heart grow fonder Atheism Universe
Infinitesimal computer deterministic Nathan
Magic religion
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
Drink up!
Invader ZIM
spelling reform
The New Revised Guide To Internet Funni
Health dangers of leaded gasoline
Windows 1.x
pocket full of quarters
Futurist Manifesto of Lust
It's OK to be a healthy geek
A.J. Liebling
winter
John Prine
Belief and Technique for Modern Prose
Waking Life
New Writeups
santo
The Host(review)
LostPsion
"Shut the Fuck Up" Theaters(idea)
Vanish
The line between normal and not(place)
Vanish
insanity(thing)
beatrice
You've been slowly taking me over for nearly a year, do you know that?(idea)
Berek
YouTube(thing)
shaogo
How to Pretend to Have a Job(idea)
hapax
Les Provinciales(review)
zoeb
The Scene(review)
aneurin
Telephone Numbers for drama purposes(idea)
Alnilamski
Cosmicopolis(fiction)
eien_meru
measure(idea)
Dreamvirus
pussy willow(thing)
czeano
Three "T"s(idea)
UncleM
Vantage Point 2: Fractal Thread Count(idea)
This page courtesy of The Everything Development Company