Posts: 5399
Threads: 256
Joined: December 1, 2013
Reputation:
60
Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 15, 2015 at 7:14 pm
This seemed like a very appropriate place for this random science fiction-y thought: If the Universe ever comes under a simple but elegant numerical formula, could mathematics be revealed as a language that contains a message from a transcendent being or system, devils that our minds are not equipped to dance with yet exist in everything our minds conceive?
The message: infinities boundless, ineffable, all, nothing, plural, one.
Posts: 18510
Threads: 129
Joined: January 19, 2014
Reputation:
90
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 15, 2015 at 7:22 pm
Sure! At some point the digits of pi start spelling out a message with greetings from the architect. The hard part is translating it...
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
Posts: 30129
Threads: 304
Joined: April 18, 2014
Reputation:
91
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 15, 2015 at 7:58 pm
Sagan speculated in Contact (the novel) there would be a sequence of numbers deep in the digits of pi that could be decoded into a picture of a circle, IIRC.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
Posts: 2234
Threads: 89
Joined: February 20, 2014
Reputation:
33
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 15, 2015 at 7:59 pm
if the message is Pi, then its one hell of a long message .
Posts: 19789
Threads: 57
Joined: September 24, 2010
Reputation:
85
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 15, 2015 at 8:19 pm
(This post was last modified: March 15, 2015 at 8:19 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(March 15, 2015 at 7:14 pm)Nestor Wrote: This seemed like a very appropriate place for this random science fiction-y thought: If the Universe ever comes under a simple but elegant numerical formula, could mathematics be revealed as a language that contains a message from a transcendent being or system, devils that our minds are not equipped to dance with yet exist in everything our minds conceive?
The message: infinities boundless, ineffable, all, nothing, plural, one.
Fixed that for you.
Posts: 5399
Threads: 256
Joined: December 1, 2013
Reputation:
60
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 16, 2015 at 12:35 am
(March 15, 2015 at 8:19 pm)Chuck Wrote: (March 15, 2015 at 7:14 pm)Nestor Wrote: This seemed like a very appropriate place for this random science fiction-y thought: If the Universe ever comes under a simple but elegant numerical formula, could mathematics be revealed as a language that contains a message from a transcendent being or system, devils that our minds are not equipped to dance with yet exist in everything our minds conceive?
The message: infinities boundless, ineffable, all, nothing, plural, one.
Fixed that for you. I see what you did there. But my inspiration was partly Stanislaw Lem's brilliant story "Non Servium" and I think that could fairly be called science fiction: http://themindi.blogspot.com/2007/02/cha...m.html?m=1
So! There!
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza
Posts: 19789
Threads: 57
Joined: September 24, 2010
Reputation:
85
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 16, 2015 at 12:54 am
I think Real Science fiction can be thought of as an exercise of reasonable, if not rigorous, deduction of the consequences of a speculative knowledge base that is not currently supported by actual science.
If all you have is the speculative knowledge base, and none of the reasonable deduction, then where is there any relationship to science?
Posts: 23543
Threads: 26
Joined: February 2, 2010
Reputation:
105
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 16, 2015 at 12:55 am
42, brotha. 42.
Posts: 5399
Threads: 256
Joined: December 1, 2013
Reputation:
60
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 16, 2015 at 1:04 am
(March 16, 2015 at 12:54 am)Chuck Wrote: I think Real Science fiction can be thought of as an exercise of reasonable, if not rigorous, deduction of the consequences of a speculative knowledge base that is not currently supported by actual science.
If all you have is the speculative knowledge base, and none of the reasonable deduction, then where is there any relationship to science? Fair enough. Philosophical fiction? Or is that too similar to theology?
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza
Posts: 33771
Threads: 1423
Joined: March 15, 2013
Reputation:
152
RE: Mathematics An Alien Language?
March 16, 2015 at 1:06 am
Mathematics must be quite alien, considering how I failed the class so much after seventh grade.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
|
![[Image: eUdzMRc.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i.imgur.com%2FeUdzMRc.gif)
