“Maybe life is information that manages to ensure its continued existence … ?”

8 Replies to ““Maybe life is information that manages to ensure its continued existence … ?””

1. 1
   Mung says:

   December 15, 2014 at 5:58 pm

   Selfish information? Why not. No one ever said the designers are not evil.
2. 2
   polistra says:

   December 15, 2014 at 6:19 pm

   Nice irony. Tenured faculty are among the most purpose-driven people in the world. They are willing to spend 30 years blindly obeying the commands of Thesis Advisers, in order to spend 20 years being the Thesis Adviser. Pure purpose. No joy, no intrinsic pleasure.

   And yet they refuse to acknowledge that NON-TENURE-TRACK life forms are capable of being driven by purpose.
3. 3
   bornagain77 says:

   December 15, 2014 at 7:52 pm

   This verse came to mind as I watched the video:

   Luke 24:5
   ,,,”Why do you look for the living among the dead?

   Of note, Consciousness precedes material reality and is therefore not a product of material reality

   A Short History Of Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness
   Excerpt: 1. Consciousness either preceded all of material reality or is a ‘epi-phenomena’ of material reality.
   2. If consciousness is a ‘epi-phenomena’ of material reality then consciousness will be found to have no special position within material reality. Whereas conversely, if consciousness precedes material reality then consciousness will be found to have a special position within material reality.
   3. Consciousness is found to have a special, even central, position within material reality.
   4. Therefore, consciousness is found to precede material reality.

   Four intersecting lines of experimental evidence from quantum mechanics that shows that consciousness precedes material reality (Wigner’s Quantum Symmetries, Wheeler’s Delayed Choice, Leggett’s Inequalities, Quantum Zeno effect):
   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uLcJUgLm1vwFyjwcbwuYP0bK6k8mXy-of990HudzduI/edit

   Also of interest:

   Erwin Schrödinger – “Do Electrons Think?” (BBC 1949)
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCwR1ztUXtU

   If people really want to find out where life comes from, I stongly suggest looking to the One who died on the cross and rose again as a propitiation for our sins:

   Shroud of Turin: Hoax or Proof of Resurrection? (feat. Photographer of Los Alamos, Barrie Schwortz) – video
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCyK2BzLy3Y

   Turin Shroud: a medical forensic study of its blood marks and image – G.Lavoie – May 2010
   Abstract – From extensive analytical studies of the Shroud of Turin we know that the image is not man-made, and from medical forensic studies of the blood marks we know that a crucified man was laid out on his back and wrapped in this cloth. But the question still remains as to what caused the shroud image. A forensic evaluation of the blood marks and a study of the effect of gravity on surface anatomy suggest that a natural event is not the most probable cause of shroud image formation.
   http://www.acheiropoietos.info.....oieWeb.pdf

   Turin Shroud Hologram Reveals The Words ‘The Lamb’ – short video
   https://vimeo.com/97156784

   Scientists say Turin Shroud is supernatural – December 2011
   Excerpt: After years of work trying to replicate the colouring on the shroud, a similar image has been created by the scientists.
   However, they only managed the effect by scorching equivalent linen material with high-intensity ultra violet lasers, undermining the arguments of other research, they say, which claims the Turin Shroud is a medieval hoax.
   Such technology, say researchers from the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Enea), was far beyond the capability of medieval forgers, whom most experts have credited with making the famous relic.
   “The results show that a short and intense burst of UV directional radiation can colour a linen cloth so as to reproduce many of the peculiar characteristics of the body image on the Shroud of Turin,” they said.
   And in case there was any doubt about the preternatural degree of energy needed to make such distinct marks, the Enea report spells it out: “This degree of power cannot be reproduced by any normal UV source built to date.”
   http://www.independent.co.uk/n.....79512.html

   Verse and Music:

   John 1:4-5
   In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

   Natalie Grant: “Alive (MARY MAGDALENE)” – Official Lyric Video
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1GzOUnUN20
4. 4
   Dionisio says:

   December 16, 2014 at 12:02 am

   A cellular solution to an information-processing problem

   biology might offer solutions to hard optimization problems

   optimal strategies have been arrived at multiple times in diverse cell biology contexts

   Read more here:

   http://www.uncommondescent.com.....ent-537002
5. 5
   Moose Dr says:

   December 16, 2014 at 12:49 am

   BA77, thanks again for the intriguing links. I really loved the ending of “The Experiment that Debunked Materialism”. Seth Lloyd, professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT said, “I’ve argued that the universe is effectively a quantum computer, in fact not even effectively — actually is a quantum computer.”

   This rings a bell with the latest piece of philosophy that I have been toying around with. My question is, “is the quanta, well, God”. When we experiment with the quanta, are we actually running experiments on the mind of God himself.

   This position would nicely combine three great philosophical lines of reasoning: science (which discovered the quanta and recognizes that all matter in the universe is made up of quanta), monism (the philosophy that all is God, and God is all — approximately), and monotheism — there is one all powerful, all encompassing, all knowing God.

   Hmmm, is this line of reasoning compatible with Christianity? So far I have found no reason to believe that it would not.
6. 6
   Box says:

   December 16, 2014 at 6:03 am

   At 3m57s the narrator suddenly stopped making any sense whatsoever:

   Hm, okay. So what is life, then? Things, processes,DNA, information? This got confusing very fast.

   One thing is for sure: The idea that life is fundamentally different from non-living things, because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than inanimate objects, turned out to be wrong.

   So, we have no idea what life is, but one thing is for sure: it’s just fermions and bosons.
7. 7
   ppolish says:

   December 16, 2014 at 12:00 pm

   You can’t have death without life. Our Universe is just as fine tuned for death as it is for life. Maybe the true purpose of the universe is to generate death.

   Some believe death (ie after-life) is the same as pre-life. A nothingness. Something from nothing leads to nothing from something. That violates so many laws it’s not funny. At least reincarnation is mathematically feasible:)

   But even reincarnation based beliefs point out a way to rise above the cycle of reincarnation. A way. As a Christian, I also firmly believe in a way. THE way;)

   Maybe the true purpose of our Universe is to generate death. Generate after-life. THE after-life.
8. 8
   tjguy says:

   December 16, 2014 at 12:30 pm

   Closing sentence of the video:
   

   “After all, it’s thinking about questions like this that makes us feel alive and gives us some comfort.”

   
   And, it is also thinking about things like this that makes us uniquely human(among other things)

   Maybe life is information that manages to ensure its continued existence …

   
   And why is it that they so often speak of non-living things as if they have mind, personality, purpose, intention, decision making ability, etc.?!!
   
   Information just is. It has no mind, purpose, intention, desire or goal. But talking about these things as if they do is common place in scientific literature. Why?! It’s so unscientific!

   Why not rather speak in a scientifically correct way?

   My guess is that it makes evolution seem more credible.
   Not to do that would constantly be emphasizing the randomness of the process and too much of that might negatively impact people.