LS The Lila Squad.


clark (clark@netsites.net)
Thu, 26 Mar 1998 05:09:14 +0100


Struan and LS,
  It seems to me that the first thing you and I have to do is come to some
agreement on Quantum Theory and the Theory of Deterministic Disorder before
we can progress any further.
  You say that Quantum Theory is a purely random system and that you see no
reason that we cannot have a Deterministic (predictive) system sitting on
top of a random system. I say that the atom, the molecular world, the
universe, and life are composed of Quantum electrodynamic and Quantum
Chromodynamic functions which are currently considered to be the basic
physical actions. This means that Quantum theory did not just give the
larger universe a start and then subside and go its own way. These Quantum
functions are an intimate and basic part of every atom and molecule and
element that makes up the totality of the universe. If there were not
predictability in these functions then there is no way that the remainder
of the universe could be predictable, since the universe appears the same
to us and to astronomers night after night, year after year, and century
after century then any change in function at the electrodynamic and
chromodynamic levels must either be non-existent or very slow indeed.
Obviously the same actions happen over and over in similar functions to
produce predictable results. To reiterate, we cannot separate Quantum
action from atomic and molecular action, therefore I conclude that the
action at the Quantum level must be predictable even though we have no
explanation for it at the moment.
  To my mind the universe was deterministic at the beginning because a
coherent physical process can be built up from the end of the Planck time
(I think about 10to the minus 43 seconds after the big bang) up to now.
Even so, the number of physical processes in the universe that change
linearly with time and are thus solvable with linear differential equations
are a very, very small portion of the totality of physical processes in the
universe. What was needed was an approach that would make possible the
extraction of meaningful information from nonlinear processes and thus
make possible a much deeper penetration of the dynamical systems of the
universe.
  That approach was found in Chaos Theory or Deterministic Disorder. This
theory allowed people to understand that many simple processes in nature
could generate great complexity without randomness.
    (An extract from the book "Chaos" by James Gleick)

"In non-linearity and feedback lay all of the tools for encoding and then
unfolding structures as rich as the human brain. --- Chaos shows how a
purposeless flow of energy can wash life and consciousness into the world.
--- Creation takes place at the edges where growth occurs, and because the
laws of growth are purely deterministic they maintain a near perfect
symmetry. A snowflake is a record of the history of all of the changing
weather conditions it has experienced.
  Evolution is Chaos with feedback. Dissipation is an agent of order. God
does play dice with the universe, but they are loaded dice. "

  The point of the above is to bring into the discussion the fact that,
from a purely deterministic beginning, there is a way to introduce
non-linearity into the physical processes of the universe which will give
us a way to escape pure determinism and restore effective free will. All of
this without a complete departure from determinism.
  In my previous posting I made the remark that in my opinion the universe
was a moral order which was not deterministic. By this I mean that the
universe is not predictable in a practical sense because of the complexity
involved.
  Again, in my view, evolution is a purely physical process which
progresses because of the fact that for a given physical environment every
possible combination of processes will occur given enough time. Those
processes that latch will supply a platform for further advances in
complexity. Given enough time those processes will supply a chain of
possibilities that can produce the best (in Pirsig's terms, most moral)
possible outcome. This is the deterministic process, as modified by
deterministic disorder, that I maintain produced us and the current
conditions. In Dynamic Quality and Pirsig's terms, this is a moral (in the
physical sense) process. In my view this process is not pure conjecture
because much of it can be verified experimentally and more can be made
plausible theoretically. Keep in mind that the term Chaos is an unfortunate
choice of terms that does not convey the true functioning of the process.
Deterministic Disorder is a better choice of terms although still not quite
satisfactory in my mind. I think that this picture is not the same and is
much more plausible than your idea of determinism coming out of the purely
indeterministic (according to you) Quantum process.
  It seems clear to me that the above process that I have laid out is
supported by observation and empiricism and believable theory and is in no
sense prodded by pure emotion.
  When we get to the sentient, human, level I think that we begin to
encounter a few, but not insurmountable, problems between purely physical
Dynamic Quality and Dynamic Quality from the human viewpoint. Ken Clark
   

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