Ask A Genius 488 – Decoupling (2)
December 29, 2018
[Beginning of recorded material]
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What does this imply for material events in relation to information and information processing?
Rick Rosner: Material events can happen without much affecting the information processing or the way the information processing is perceived in the information processing entity; unless, the material events in our universe are of sufficient scale.
That all the little things happening on planets and the individual nuclear reactions within stars are not each notable information events within the information processing entity.
That the same way – not the same way as I am still looking for a good metaphor – or in the metaphor of a captain of a ship not caring or perceiving what is happening in the individual planks of the ship.
Unless, something macro happens with those planks. But any kind of cellular events in the wood or even if the wood has worms or barnacles stuck to it. The general motion of the ship through the water in the operation of the ship does not get affected by what is going on in the planks.
Similarly, the graininess of the material world, which is necessary for us to exist because we are made of trillions of cells and the cells each have their own mechanisms and everything is important for our existence down to the atomic level.
But in terms of how the atomic events that we depend on… when you’re talking on the beach, you perceive sand approximately. You do not perceive what happens under the sand. All your perceptions.
A lot of stuff goes unperceived. Even though, the sand is supporting you. There is possibly a large decoupling between material events in our universe – the stories of our lives – and the information processing that is going on and manifested in the matter that we’re composed of.
[End of recorded material]
Authors[1]
Rick Rosner
American Television Writer
Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Editor-in-Chief, In-Sight Publishing
Footnotes
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Rick Rosner 