Information and the First Cause

_{Eric Hedin

December 15, 2022

Information, Intelligent Design, Physics, The Design of Life}

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The famous American physicist John Wheeler did not shy away from seeking to understand the most fundamental aspects of our universe. Wheeler coined the aphorism “It from bit” to describe his conviction, born of the many discoveries in particle physics and cosmology in the twentieth century, that information (characterized by the computer storage term “bit”) preceded and produced everything else (“it”). He elaborated:

Otherwise put, every it—every particle, every field of force, even the spacetime continuum itself—derives its function, its meaning, its very existence entirely—even if in some contexts indirectly—from the apparatus-elicited answers to yes or no questions, binary choices, bits.

John Archibald Wheeler shortly before his death. www.themarginalian.org

It from Bit symbolizes the idea that every item of the physical world has at bottom—at a very deep bottom, in most instances—an immaterial source and explanation; that what we call reality arises in the last analysis from the posing of yes-no questions and the registering of equipment-evoked responses; in short, that all things physical are information-theoretic in origin.¹
Thus, in Wheeler’s conception, information precedes and transcends matter, energy, time, and space.
We also know, as philosopher of science Stephen Meyer has emphasized, that in every case where we are able to trace information back to a source, we arrive at an intelligent agent—a poet or computer programmer or composer or architect.² When we couple the “It from Bit” insight with this observation regarding our uniform experience with information creation, we are led toward a conclusion that strongly echoes a core claim of theistic religion such as we find in the Hebrew scriptures announcing that nature “pours forth speech” and is the result of a divine mind’s spoken words “in the beginning”³—or, as one of the New Testament authors put it, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and “all things were made through him.”⁴
Quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger, in reviewing Wheeler’s contributions to quantum phenomena, notes this same connection between the discoveries of modern physics and what he terms “old knowledge.” Zeilinger states:

In conclusion it may very well be said that information is the irreducible kernel from which everything else flows. Then the question why nature appears quantized is simply a consequence of the fact that information itself is quantized by necessity. It might even be fair to observe that the concept that information is fundamental is very old knowledge of humanity, witness for example the beginning of gospel according to John: ‘In the beginning was the Word.’⁵
[1] John A. Wheeler, “Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links”, in W. Zurek, Complexity, Entropy, and the Physics of Information (Redwood City, California: Addison-Wesley, 1990).

[2] John Archibald Wheeler, A Journey into Gravity and Spacetime (New York: W. H. Freeman, 1990). John Archibald Wheeler, “Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links,” in Feynman and Computing, edited by Anthony J. G. Hey (Boca Raton, FL; Taylor and Francis Group LLC, 2002), 109.

[3] Stephen C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), 394-395.

[4] Psalm 19, Genesis 1.

[5] John 1:1, 3a.

Excerpted from Canceled Science (ch. 12), by Eric Hedin.

Comments

CD: "to make the always problematic, plain language of Genesis “harmonize” with the reality of its complete inconsistency w/ deep time,,," Young Earth Creationism (YEC) is certainly not now, nor has it historically been, the ‘official’ position of the church, but YEC is a recent 20th century movement within protestant circles of Christianity.
History of Creationism - March 23, 2013 - The Creationists - By Ray Lakeman Excerpt: Creation Science (YEC) is a new movement of the twentieth century. It arose as a movement composed of trained scientists and lay Christian supporters from a wide range of Christian churches, and it has grown despite almost universal opposition from both mainstream scientists and the mainstream leaders in churches. In the early years of the twentieth century the self-described geologist George McCready Price stood virtually alone in insisting on the recent appearance of life and on a global flood catastrophe that massively rearranged the earth’s crust. Price was well-received by creationists, but made few converts beyond his Seventh Day Adventist Church. In 1932 the Evolution Protest Movement was formed in London, and is now called the Creation Science Movement, the oldest creationist society on Earth.,,, https://reasonablefaithadelaide.org.au/history-of-creationism/
St. Augustine himself stated, ”What kind of days these were it is extremely difficult, or perhaps impossible, to determine”
Biblical Reasons To Doubt The Creation Days Were 24-hour Periods - January 28, 2015 Excerpt: it may come as a surprise to some contemporary conservatives that some of the great stalwarts of the faith were not convinced of this (24 hour period) interpretation. Augustine, writing in the early fifth century, noted, ”What kind of days these were it is extremely difficult, or perhaps impossible, to determine” (City of God 11.7). J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937), author of the 20th century’s best critique of theological liberalism, wrote, “It is certainly not necessary to think that the six days spoken of in that first chapter of the Bible are intended to be six days of twenty four hours each.” Old Testament scholar Edward J. Young (1907-1968), an eloquent defender of inerrancy, said that regarding the length of the creation days, “That is a question which is difficult to answer. Indications are not lacking that they may have been longer than the days we now know, but the Scripture itself does not speak as clearly as one might like.” Theologian Carl F. H. Henry (1913-2003), one of the most important theologians in the second half of the twentieth century and a defender of Scriptural clarity and authority, argued that “Faith in an inerrant Bible does not rest on the recency or antiquity of the earth. . . . The Bible does not require belief in six literal 24-hour creation days on the basis of Genesis 1-2. . . . it is gratuitous to insist that twenty-four hour days are involved or intended.” Old Testament scholar and Hebrew linguist Gleason Archer (1916-2004), a strong advocate for inerrancy, wrote ”On the basis of internal evidence, it is this writer’s conviction that yôm in Genesis could not have been intended by the Hebrew author to mean a literal twenty-four hour day.” I want to suggest there are some good, textual reasons—in the creation account itself—for questioning the exegesis that insists on the days as strict 24 hour periods,,,. https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2015/01/28/biblical-reasons-to-doubt-the-creation-days-were-24-hour-periods/
a few more notes,
Old Earth Creation Science Word Study: Yom Conclusion With such a wide usage of the word Yom for many different time periods, it cannot be claimed that Yom in the Old Testament only represents a 24-hour period. During the creation account alone, Yom represents four different time periods. Rules of Hebrew, created by young earth Hebrew scholars, are invalid. Because of their biased position, they are trying to prove their own agenda. Since humans did not witness creation, our own concept of a 24-hour day does not apply. The only thing that matters is God’s concept of time. Thus, the only evidence we have to accurately assess the age of creation is the creation itself. Since the rocks and stars say we are billions of years old, that must be the truth. This fits perfectly with a literal interpretation of Genesis, and an inerrant Bible, and does not impact any other Biblical doctrines. 1 Television Show and Transcript, “Are the Genesis Creation Days 24 Hours or Long Periods of Time,” The John Ankerberg Show, 2005. http://www.oldearth.org/word_study_yom.htm Why I Reject A Young Earth View: A Biblical Defense of an Old Earth - Jonathan M. - 2011 Excerpt: If, therefore, it may be considered legitimate to take the seventh day as representative of a much longer period of time, then whence the mandate for supposing a commitment to interpreting the other six days as representative of 24-hour periods? Fourth, there is the multiple-usage of the word “day” in Genesis 1. Let’s take a look at the manner in which the word “day” is used in the Genesis 1 (up to 2:4) narrative alone: 1. Genesis 1:5a: “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.” Here, “day” is contrasted with “night”: Thus, a 24-hour day is not in view, but rather “day” in the sense of “daytime” (i.e. 12 hours). 2. Genesis 1:5b: “And there was evening and there was morning — the first day.” Here, the word does indeed mean a 24-hour day. 3. Genesis 2:3: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” To this, I have already alluded — the key point here is the absence of “evening” and “morning”, which denotes all of the previous six days. 4. The correct rendering of the Hebrew with respect to Genesis 2:4 is “This is the account of the heavens and the earth in the day they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” http://crossexamined.org/why-i-reject-a-young-earth-view-a-biblical-defense-of-an-old-earth/
bornagain77_{December 16, 2022
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This lecture provides the proper perspective for considering Genesis in light of science. He provides the proper context for the length of days, etc. Long, but worth your time. Q and A afterward. Lennox nails it. CD, atheistic materialism is long dead and buried. The only reason it doesn't feel that way to you is because you and atheistic members of the scientific community remain steadfastly committed to perpetuating the lie, at all costs. You will know the truth after you take your last breath. https://youtu.be/0FmO2XKMe6gAnimatedDust_{December 16, 2022
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Querius/5 It's ironic that you would make this observation, with which I agree:
A scientific perspective is based on measurements, observations, experiments, and inferences. Following the science depends on the data obtained and its interpretation, which has and will continue to change, sometimes dramatically.
Ironic insofar as you will rely upon this "perspective" to make the always problematic, plain language of Genesis "harmonize" with the reality of its complete inconsistency w/ deep time OoL and evolutionary biology. But the same courtesy is never extended to the ongoing development of evolutionary biology. What is even more ironic is that you try to push it off to a "more appropriate" forum which is the intellectual equivalent of sweeping it under the rug. As ridiculous as Ussher's project to date creation was, at least he had the intellectual honesty to own it. From WJC's "mytho-history" nonsense to Ken Hamm or Kent Hovind's cartoonish, Ussher-esque portrayals of literal Genesis, this problem for Christianity is not going to go away. Without a literal Adam and Eve, original sin vanishes. If original sin vanishes, so goes Christianity, which, by all objective measures, is already on life-support........chuckdarwin_{December 16, 2022
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Seversky argues, "If information is always about something else, how can it be a first cause since whatever the information is about must have preceded it?" Well Seversky, obviously, the flaw is in your premise. i.e. "If information is always about something else,,," Information is not "always" about something else', information is "also" constitutive of what something is in the first place. i.e. Information, besides being about something, is also now shown to be what actualizes something and brings it into being in the first place,
constitutive 1. having the power to establish or give organized existence to something. actualize make real or concrete; give reality or substance to
In short Seversky, you have falsely presupposed that information is "always" and "only" about something else. Yet, information is "also" constitutive of, and is what actualizes, what something is in the first place. In this case, information is constitutive of "every particle, every field of force, even the spacetime continuum itself" (J. Wheeler). That information is "also" constitutive of, and is what actualizes, what something is is fairly easy to see with quantum teleportation experiments. As the following article on quantum teleportation states, "In principle, however, the ’copy’ (atom) can be indistinguishable from the original, (atom that was destroyed)"
Beam me up - Philip Ball - 30 September 2004 Excerpt: In fact, copying isn’t quite the right word for it. In order to reproduce the quantum state of one atom in a second atom, the original has to be destroyed. This is unavoidable - it is enforced by the laws of quantum mechanics, which stipulate that you can’t ’clone’ a quantum state. In principle, however, the ’copy’ can be indistinguishable from the original, and the process can take place at the speed of light. So it’s as if the original atom vanishes at one place and reappears elsewhere, sent there at light speed. In other words, this is a form of teleportation. Rainer Blatt and colleagues at the University of Innsbruck, and David Wineland’s team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, have independently transferred the quantum state of one ion to another. The transfer isn’t yet perfect - the copy is only about three-quarters identical to the original - but it’s significantly better than what any ’copying’ process can achieve without quantum teleportation. And there will surely be better to come. https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/beam-me-up/3004500.article
And as the following article states, "the transfer of quantum information is equivalent to moving the first particle to the location of the second."
Atom takes a quantum leap - 2009 Excerpt: Ytterbium ions have been 'teleported' over a distance of a metre.,,, "What you're moving is information, not the actual atoms," says Chris Monroe, from the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland in College Park and an author of the paper. But as two particles of the same type differ only in their quantum states, the transfer of quantum information is equivalent to moving the first particle to the location of the second. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2171769/posts
And as the following article states, “the photons aren’t disappearing from one place and appearing in another. Instead, it’s the information that’s being teleported through quantum entanglement.,,,”
Quantum Teleportation Enters the Real World – September 19, 2016 Excerpt: Two separate teams of scientists have taken quantum teleportation from the lab into the real world. Researchers working in Calgary, Canada and Hefei, China, used existing fiber optics networks to transmit small units of information across cities via quantum entanglement — Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance.”,,, This isn’t teleportation in the “Star Trek” sense — the photons aren’t disappearing from one place and appearing in another. Instead, it’s the information that’s being teleported through quantum entanglement.,,, ,,, it is only the information that gets teleported from one place to another. https://www.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2016/09/19/quantum-teleportation-enters-real-world/#.V-HqWNEoDtR
So not only can, as Seversky pointed out, information be about something else, but information is also now shown, via quantum teleportation, to tell atoms and photons exactly what to be. In short, information is shown to be constitutive of what something is in the first place. Information is not "always" and "only" about something else as Seversky falsely presupposed in his argument that information can't be the 'first cause'. It is also interesting to note that, since "the original (particle) has to be destroyed" in quantum teleportation because "you can’t ’clone’ a quantum state", then this teleportation of quantum information that tells a 'new' particle exactly what to be also lends fairly strong credence to the Christian's contention that it is the soul, not the material body, that defines who we actually are as persons. As Asher Peres himself, when asked by a journalist if quantum teleportation could transport a person’s soul as well as their body, answered, “No, not the body, just the soul.”
Teleportation is Here, But It’s Not What We Expected - 29 October 2019 Excerpt: In 2005, the obituary of physicist Asher Peres in the magazine Physics Today told us that when a journalist asked him if quantum teleportation could transport a person’s soul as well as their body, the scientist replied: “No, not the body, just the soul.”,,, ,,, teleportation does exist, although in the real world it is quite different from the famous “Beam me up, Scotty!” associated with the Star Trek series. Teleportation in real science began to take shape in 1993 thanks to a theoretical study published by Peres and five other researchers in Physical Review Letters, which laid the foundation for quantum teleportation. ,,, https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/physics/teleportation-is-here-but-its-not-what-we-expected/
Quote and Verse
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” George MacDonald - Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood - 1892 Mark 8:37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
Supplemental note:
Oct. 2022 - So since Darwinian Atheists, as a foundational presupposition of their materialistic philosophy, (and not from any compelling scientific evidence mind you), deny the existence of souls, (and since the materialist’s denial of souls, (and God), has led (via atheistic tyrants) to so much catastrophic disaster on human societies in the 20th century), then it is VERY important to ‘scientifically’ establish the existence of these ‘souls’ that are of incalculable worth, and that are created equal, before God. https://uncommondescent.com/off-topic/what-must-we-do-when-the-foundations-are-being-destroyed/#comment-768496
Also of supplemental note, Anton Zeilinger, is his recent 2022 Nobel prize lecture, stated, "That tells you something about the role of space and time (in quantum measurements). There's no role at all.",,,
"There's one important message I want to say here. When you look at the predictions of quantum mechanics for multi-particle entanglement,, so you could have one measurement here, one (measurement) there, an earlier (measurement), a later (measurement), and so on. These predictions (of quantum mechanics) are completely independent of the relative arrangements of measurements in space and time. That tells you something about the role of space and time. There's no role at all.",,, - Anton Zeilinger - 2022 Nobel Prize lectures in physics - video (1:50:07 mark) https://youtu.be/a9FsKqvrJNY?t=6607 Alain Aspect: From Einstein’s doubts to quantum technologies: non-locality a fruitful image John F. Clauser: Experimental proof that nonlocal quantum entanglement is real Anton Zeilinger: A Voyage through Quantum Wonderland - Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science”.
Verse:
Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
bornagain77_{December 16, 2022
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Viola Lee @5, While Relatd might have an opinion, the Bible has no direct statement on your question. In 1650, Archbishop James Ussher famously computed the creation of the universe from the genealogy of Adam and his descendants from Genesis. However, there are significantly different interpretations of Genesis, which is a subject more appropriate for a theological website. A scientific perspective is based on measurements, observations, experiments, and inferences. Following the science depends on the data obtained and its interpretation, which has and will continue to change, sometimes dramatically. For example, consider polystrate fossils. A direct interpretation of fossilized polystrate trees would result in the inference that the trunks of such trees protruded from the earth for millions of years, which is not very likely considering contemporary observation. https://earthage.org/polystrate-fossils/ Other issues include https://earthage.org/sea-sloths-and-out-of-order-fossils/ Finally, I'd ask the question (on a different forum!), what is the length of one "day" as mentioned in Genesis? If the answer given me is 24 hours, I ask how long is one "hour," and so on. The point is that without periodicity, there's no way to measure time. Science, which is always being updated by new discoveries, should not be used to criticize or to be reconciled with what's written in the Bible. I believe these should remain in separate domains. Furthermore, scientific theories (and so-called "facts") should always be held loosely rather than becoming doctrinaire as seems to be common in academia. The OP mentions
. . . or, as one of the New Testament authors put it, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and “all things were made through him.”
"Word" in Greek is Logos, a thought, concept, or communication: https://www.britannica.com/topic/logos In other words, information. Currently, the concept of information is poorly understood from a scientific perspective. For example, you pick up two objects with different shapes. What's the ratio of intrinsic information between them? While this verse in the Gospel of John is very sweet to me, indicating the source of our existence (and compatible with the current understanding of quantum mechanics), I will take my own medicine and not make any scientific claims based on this passage in the Bible. -QQuerius_{December 15, 2022
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Realtd, when did the fall happen? In a young-earth context, like 6000 or so years ago, or in an old-earth context, tens of thousands of years ago when it is believed the first fully-human creatures appeared?Viola Lee_{December 15, 2022
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“ If information is always about something else, how can it be a first cause since whatever the information is about must have preceded it?” Gosh, Seversky, you’ve cracked it! You’ve annihilated ‘first cause” arguments. The very question that Aristotle made popular! And with an unanswerable child-like question too. Let me be the first to shake your hand before CD and SG arrive to praise you.Belfast_{December 15, 2022
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Buffalo at 2, God not only created the kinds, He made them adaptable but within limits. The Fall, a literal event, affected all of Creation. This caused not only deleterious mutations but a change in the function of some viruses and in the relationships of creatures toward each other. The first man, Adam, saw this happen along with the first woman, Eve. This broken relationship with Creation continued, but later, the Redeemer arrived and paid the price for sin by His sacrifice. Yet the effects of The Fall are still felt today and each person carries Original Sin. I don't think IDvolution, as a name, is a good one. I think Intelligent Design by itself suffices.relatd_{December 15, 2022
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IDvolution What is IDvolution? IDvolution - God “breathed” the super language of DNA into the “kinds” in the creative act. This accounts for the diversity of life we see. The core makeup shared by all living things have the necessary complex information built in that facilitates rapid and responsive adaptation of features and variation while being able to preserve the “kind” that they began as. Life has been created with the creativity built in ready to respond to triggering events. Since it has been demonstrated that all living organisms on Earth have the same core, it is virtually certain that living organisms have been thought of AT ONCE by the One and the same Creator endowed with the super language we know as DNA that switched on the formation of the various kinds, the cattle, the swimming creatures, the flying creatures, etc.. in a pristine harmonious state and superb adaptability and responsiveness to their environment for the purpose of populating the earth that became subject to the ravages of corruption by the sin of one man (deleterious mutations). IDvolution considers the latest science and is consistent with the continuous teaching of the Church. Arrows show information flow. IDvolution ID=Intelligently Designed volution - having a volute or rolled-up form.buffalo_{December 15, 2022
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If information is always about something else, how can it be a first cause since whatever the information is about must have preceded it?Seversky_{December 15, 2022
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