Monday, June 7, 2010

Godly Gambles

Albert Einstein is famously remembered for this sound-bit of dogma, “God does not play dice.” Oxymoron in Einstein’s metaphor that he was, might have been illumined by none other than the Reverend Newton.

A capable Sir could prove in principle the outcome of every cast of die to be completely predictable. Were it possible to calculate every factor—initial position, initial rotation, initial velocity, the makeup of the surface upon which the dice lands and rolls, the plethora of resistances and pressures, etc. and any changes in those conditions during the toss—we could determine every outcome every time. Of course in order to calculate every factor in such an episode would require a God-like observer, one whose act of observation has no impact upon the results.

Such God-likeness has always been a practical ideal driving human scientific endeavor. If the past century has taught us anything it is never to say "never" (or "always") of human scientific formulation. Physical law after physical law, upon closer inspection, has admitted of exception. In the fullness of time, computing capability appeared, accelerating science's ability to model complex systems. When our grandchildren carry processors capable of processing tredaflops per second equipped with then-generation sensors, will quantum uncertainty, that bane of Einstein's genius, appear quite so uncertain?

Without resorting to anything as silly as supernature we are fully justified to expect the dawning of a glorious future day Einstein might have called Immanuel, a glorified humankind in the image of the Gods they once upon a time imagined for themselves. We may cast gowral into our midst, and all its decision is our own... as our laws and prophets foretold "We are all gods."

1 comment:

  1. must one still have chaos within oneself?

    ReplyDelete