[ale] Gone OT: Cobb Laptop Deal

[Jeff Hubbs]

Let me put in a plug here for A NEW KIND OF SCIENCE by Stephen Wolfram.
I've only just started to penetrate this weighty tome but the thrust of
what he seems to be trying to say is that simple systems that obey
simple rules can exhibit very high complexity.  

For example, the 1-D elementary cellular automaton known as Rule 30
produces a pattern whose characteristic is statistically
indistinguishable from randomness (see
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Rule30.html).  This finding, to me, is
astonishing and tosses a giant spanner into the I.D. notion that complex
structures cannot arise from simple, granular processes that operate
according to simple, finite rules.  

Jeff



On Wed, 2005-08-17 at 12:53 +0000, aaron wrote:
> On Tuesday 16 August 2005 19:24, Jim Popovitch wrote:
> > Who the heck started this thread?  :-)
> > 
> > I'm surprised this hasn't morphed into Intelligent Design vs Evolution
> > yet?  :-)
> 
> Perhaps that's because there is not any real conflict between fanciful 
> defenses of mystic mythology and the factual science which they inevitably 
> affirm. :-)
> 
> By definition, the "intelligent design" philosophy argues that the 
> complexities of  the universe and our human ingenuity are the self 
> referential proof of an intelligent force underlying our existence.  As this 
> assertion relies entirely on scientific inquiry to provide evidence for the 
> complexity of the universe, it is nothing more than another argument for 
> evolution. In the end, the I.D. philosophy cannot deny the ultimate 
> intelligence of a life system design which has autonomously produced 
> reasoning beings capable of  inventing and employing the scientific processes 
> which, in kind, reveal the genius of design in the life mechanisms that 
> underly their own existence and intelligence.
> 
> Stating it another way, if there were a Great Omnipotent Deity behind the 
> existence of the universe, then the best argument for this ultimate 
> intelligence would be a universe comprised entirely of the cyclic, self 
> sustaining and evolutionary mechanisms that human science uncovers and 
> explores. The perfect intelligent universe will allow that its all powerful 
> creator need never lift a finger beyond the Big Bang; just light the fuse, 
> pop a cold one, sit back and enjoy the fireworks!   There's nothing more 
> elegantly intelligent than the idea of spark once, run forever!   If there is 
> an omnipotent intelligence responsible for amazing clockworks of the 
> universe, then human ingenuity is the end product by which the intelligence 
> of their autonomous, perpetual and evolutionary designs can be acknowledged, 
> and our intelligent processes of factual scientific discovery are the 
> ultimate homage to their genius.
> 
> :-)
> 
> peace
> (because the only sane nation is a nation at peace)
> aaron
> 
> 
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