Is The Universe A Computer? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is about everything. Life, the Universe, everything. If you've read these amazing books, you know the answer is 42, but what's the question? To find out what the question was, they built a giant computer we call Earth. And though it seems silly, perhaps Douglas Adams was correct, and that not just earth, but the WHOLE UNIVERSE is an incredibility complex computational system, processing the answer to some unknown question. The universe IS made up of information, similar to a computer, and physics (you know, the basis of the universe) certainly is based on computational principles. But is it running some grand program? Will the answer be 42? Make sure you have your towel, and watch the episode!
Reading List:
-- An Introduction to Digital Philosophy, Edward Fredkin, International Journal of Theoretical Physics, Vol. 42, No. 2, February 2003 ( C ° 2003) - Edward Fredkin1
-- The Computable Universe, edited by Hector Zenil
-- Information, Physics, Quantum: The Search for Links, by John Archibald Wheeler
-- Against Digital Ontology - Luciano Floridi
"a computer of such infinite and subtle complexity that organic life itself will form part of its operational matrix."
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Zero Factorial - Numberphile
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[@awsomeabacus9674]

spoilers: We do know why the bowl of petunias thought "Oh no, not again". It was because the bowl of petunias was actually one reincarnation of a creature named Agrajag, whom Arthur has inadvertently killed many times thorough his many adventures and Agrajag's many reincarnations. Agrajag eventually became aware of this endless cycle of death at the hands of Arthur and rebirth. So when he was reborn as a bowl of petunias plummeting to its death and saw Arthur, he thought "Oh no, not again" before smashing into Magrathea, once again at the hands of Arthur. This is revealed in the third book in the series, Life, the Universe and Everything.

[@gunnaryoung]

awsomeabacus I was about to say that when I saw you did.

[@awsomeabacus9674]

as it turns out, knowing that revealed very little about the universe

[@gunnaryoung]

awsomeabacus Adams does that all the time it seems, you think something is a random throwaway line that was sort of funny only to have it show up later.

[@awsomeabacus9674]

Gunnar Young one of the many reasons why i love his work

[@gunnaryoung]

awsomeabacus me too

[@EricGragsone]

Whether or not it's the purpose, I think the Universe becoming self-aware should be goal. While we don't make computer programs with self-awareness in mind, we would find it uniquely intriguing should a program exhibit such behavior. But the idea that we're in a simulated universe that can create simulated universes, suggests to me that we're an implementation of a Quicksort algorithm.

[@alexlewis1036]

...maybe we're meant to prove all true statements about the real numbers by existing atemporally and in (countably? we don't know enough to be sure) infinite (sets, which in themselves are countable & finite) possible configurations? Who am I kidding, they make even less sense than p-adic numbers. You can't even have real numbers except as abstractions of discrete systems....oh. Perhaps a higher-order abstraction of a discrete complex/probability dimension--a fast fourier transform or something similar--would suffice. I call this the "Godel's a Jerk and We're Gonna Prove Him Wrong (incorrectly)" hypothesis.

[@placer7412]

@@alexlewis1036 what

[@Ferbcakes071]

If the universe really is a computer, then by figuring out it is a computer have we just broken the fourth wall?

[@bradley1048]

Well, we haven't figured it out. Speculation is different from knowing.

[@MaximumGame471]

In case you're interested, 42 in Japanese can be pronounced as 'shini' which also means 'death' in Japanese. I thought that was interesting.

[@jasonnickson4173]

Thats funny, duglas adams has said he chose the number 42 because it was number that holds, held, no meaning.

[@yangzixiang6605]

actually no japanese-speaking person ever would look at the number 42 and pronounce it as "shini". they'd say "yonjyuu-ni", which literally means four tenths and two. even if they read the numbers literally, like "four two" instead of forty two, it'll be pronounced as "yon-ni"

[@KevintheBooth]

It's funny how there's so many video coming out recently reviewing concepts I've been positing since I was 12 and trying to talk to people about. It'd so different growing up today... It's be sooo much easier to learn and develop..

[@rngouveia]

I think thats evidence of the evolution of culture - Even with all the reality shows and LOLCats =P

[@t.g.crouch6768]

Roger Gouveia Hey! Do not dis LOL Cats!!! 8)

[@Isaacandjed]

Same. Maybe it's like we're in a future Sims game.

[@Opethfullcovers]

KevintheBooth Learn some English please.

[@RedFlyer411]

When i first saw the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in middle school with my family, one of my sisters asked what the bowl of tulips meant by "Oh no, not again". Before my father could answer my middle school self said " Well it is because flower pots always fall" because at the time I assumed that every pot of flowers that fell from...well anywhere felt this way. My dad glared at me and told me my answer was wrong, and it wasn't something that simple, and I wasn't supposed to get the answer. Now at the age of 20, I still think I was pretty close to the *right* answer, but I needed a question to reach.... *Shit now, I'm thinking a lot again!* *This is why I stopped reading Science Fiction lately.*

[@ryanturner6920]

11 dimensional Superbeings wanted more cat videos. And since pretty terrible things happen to kittens when they are exposed to 11 dimensional space, they made us to make cat videos for them.

[@phabelgreene7875]

Clicked on this for the Hitchhiker's Guide reference in the thumbnail. Wasn't disappointing.

[@Wizborg]

Watching this after the untimely recent passing of Terry Pratchett, and of course Douglas Adams in 2001, I love the way the turtle reference was there.. :) RIP two of the greatest authors of the modern age.

[@slugfiller]

Not every computation is purpose oriented. Conway's game of life was designed specifically to demonstrate this, as well as other philosophical misconceptions about the universe. Given a starting position, it computes an endless series of patterned results, deterministically, but it does not have an "end goal". It just computes its own process. The universe could be said to do the same. Also, the universe is not deterministic. This is twice proven. Once through Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty in quantum mechanics. And again through the infinite solutions to Polchinski's paradox of time travel. For a computer to properly simulate the universe, it would need an on-hand true-random numbers generator. Interestingly, those are usually implemented by measuring the universe, and letting it do the random calculation.

[@DJFlare84]

So you're saying the Universe could be like a sandbox game? I can dig that. So basically anyone who plays MineCraft is TRULY META.

[@Azad69]

***** From what I've read (ANKOS by Wolfram, and related discussions), it is not true that the universe cannot be deterministic. The concept of "superdeterminism" is recognized as a potential loop-hole in the principles you mention, and frankly I don't see how a deterministic universe could be anything less than superdeterministic anyways? This view of the universe actually makes perfect sense to me, although all this talk about "computers" and "programs" only confuse the issue: if the universe is a deterministic computation, then in my view, that computation has to be completely abstract. There is no space, no energy, no matter and no time, only information, math and logic.

[@r3d0c]

universe is deterministic, please stop throwing buzzwords you heard from someone without knowing what it means; wave function collapses if it gets too big, universe is only probabilistic in quantum scales, not on "normal" or bigger scales; If you actually knew quantum mechanics and the math behind it, you wouldn't make such air-headed "stoner philosophy" hypothesis

[@slugfiller]

Azad69 "Superdeterminism" is a handwave in which every particle runs a simulation of the entire universe so that it knows where it has to go. It basically violates causality and locality by stating that particles are not guided by actual existing particles, but instead move of their own accord. It's really dumb once you take 10 seconds to think about it. Fact is, we have good evidence for locality. There's a reason we take it as part of the physical laws. Back when Newton was writing them, locality wasn't a part of it. It was added by Einstein, because certain observable phenomena just didn't make sense without it. rhn94 The fact that the wave function can collapse in more than one way makes it non-deterministic. Even if you could predict the actual moment of collapse (which would violate Heisenberg principle), you still wouldn't be able to predict the result. The entirety of quantum mechanics is contingent on the idea that you're only calculating probabilities, not end results. Also, randomness at small scales influences larger scales. I don't want to go Schrodinger's cat here, but even with the (sane) assumption that the waveform collapses while the box is still closed, the fact is that the waveform can collapse either way, meaning that the result after opening the box cannot be calculated in any way prior to running the experiment, even if all information was known in advance. From a more sane perspective, if you run a double-slit experiment with a sensor, and have a printer print 1 or 0 on a piece of paper based on the sensor output, no type of calculation will tell you what's going to be printed on the paper at the end of the experiment. And the paper is a hack of a lot bigger than "quantum scales". That makes the future of the paper non-deterministic.

[@steinarvatne6789]

Saar Korren I'm in no position to claim that I fully understand what superdeterminism means, but in the context of a discrete, computable universe, without any kind of probabilistic rules, superdeterminism is already a given is it not? Now, many people that know a lot more than me about QM will cry that hidden variables have been disproven, but it's my firm impression that the loudness of their cries is inversely proportional to their qualifications. I readily admit that my fondness for the idea of a computable universe is mostly based on it's philosophical beauty and some simple, intuitive instincts. However, there are some VERY bright and respectable people (even some that are well versed in QM) that seem to think that there could be something to it.

[@ThePantryRaider]

Maybe out universe is a program designed to be the exact copy of another universe to predict the outcomes of future events in the original universe.

[@TheRyadrian]

Yea and maybe the world is poos#3

[@PrettySick]

you should do a full video on digital ontology

[@zemorph42]

Now thousands of computer whizzes will devote their lives to try to hack the universe.

[@t.g.crouch6768]

Been looking for an access port for decades. Let me know if you find one.

[@monad_tcp]

If I only could command information to become matter, or matter to become information. Wait, that's nuclear fission...

[@somtwo]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I have to point out that "deterministic" does not mean there is a goal. Deterministic simply means the outcome can be determined (via some means) from the input.

[@DanielAvelan]

That's a huge difference, how come I've never though about it? Thanks dude.

[@xavier.justice]

"Life and all of its endeavors are all just a pursuit of wittling down our theories about the way the world works into computable, indisputable truths" ... love it!!!

[@krissisk4163]

If you read the whole series then you DO know why the bowl of petunias thought that.

[@bobbluered8984]

+Kris Sisk I was just about to say that.

[@DylanCorkern]

+Kris Sisk Yes but most people don't get that far... that poor soul.

[@Merkwerkee]

+Kris Sisk Poor Agrochak

[@acepedro12]

May I say this is probably the best moment in the whole series?

[@Jivvi]

Kris Sisk And you would also know that the question was "What is six times nine?"

[@jasonphoenix]

Side note: The bowl of petunias were one of the many reincarnations of Agrajag who Arthur Dent was inadvertently repeatedly killing.

[@MrVault87]

Damn it you beat me to it.

[@ProfesserLuigi]

It is also possibly a version of Diavolo from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[@AlexLovesDragons]

I legitimately have nothing to say on how awesome this video was... *mindblown*

[@evansonearth]

"we are a way for the cosmos to know itself" - Carl Sagan

[@tsjasmine28]

Its an interesting question, i think an equally interesting question is: if it is a computer, who or what designed and programmed it?

[@maythahussein6676]

Allah

[@tsjasmine28]

Maytha Hussein You mean the same entity that instructs people to kill non-believers and homosexuals? i don't think so.

[@maythahussein6676]

+ jasmine blake I cant help that you are narrow minded. Your failure to actually understand a religion only makes you appear as ignorant and ......stupid.

[@maythahussein6676]

I appreciate your participation in this 'column' of opinions but I don't think you should comment unless you at least have level 1 understanding of grammar. much appreciated.

[@maythahussein6676]

If your grammar is perfect then you have nothing to worry about. right?

[@betanick14]

I've read the full book and I fully 100% recommend it

[@joeytje50]

What I think: It's impossible to compute quantum mechanics perfectly with just yes and no questions, since quantum mechanic often has superpositions where things are in an infinite amount of situations at the same time. To store infinite information in bits would of course require infinite bits, which makes it impossible to even flawlessly compute the behaviour of a hypothetical universe with only 1 particle in it.

[@MathAndComputers]

I agree. It seems often overlooked by the "digital physics" philosophers that, so far as experimental evidence suggests, space is isotropic, continuous, and infinite, to the highest accuracies our experiments can reach. Even for eigenstates of trapped, isolated systems, which can be quantized in energy, they do not appear to be quantized in relative phase or magnitude of occupation, even though they could, in concept, be simulated to within exponentially small error using polynomially many bits if you have enough time to waste doing so.

[@AidanNevins]

Though its possible to create a computer that could be so powerful it simulates superposition accurately. You never have an infinite amount of possibilities you just have an unfathomable number of them. Quantum computing will arrive in a century if not sooner given the exponential growth in technology.

[@MathAndComputers]

Aidan Nevins I'm going off-topic, but since you mentioned quantum computing, would you be interested in learning about it? I'm slowly chipping away at making a KZbin series teaching how to solve the Schrödinger equation without needing to know any complicated math in advance, and I'm heading toward quantum computing, (which is actually easier in many ways). I used to do quantum computing research, and having gone from only rough, qualitative knowledge of it to writing academic papers about it in just a few months, thanks to a bunch of helpful colleagues, I picked up a lot of tricks to understanding it and cutting through some of the massive ton of jargon that quantum physicists and quantum computer scientists like to throw around to make themselves sound important.

[@iTechDom]

qubits

[@joeytje50]

***** I'm thinking you don't really know what qubits are. Qubits are just things that can perform certain types of calculations in an exponentially faster way compared to normal bits. That doesn't mean qubits can be used to calculate all of the infinite possibilities in quantum mechanica. Even though they do exhibit that behaviour themselves, it doesn't mean they can compute it.

[@rarebeeph1783]

So if I'm a program in a computer... Then when I get sick... Do I have a "virus"?

[@MrPoutsesMple]

Your body is a computer, regardless to what the universe is. No wonder why many algorithms of computer science are being applied in biology.

[@agod5608]

Project Overturn sometimes. but when you get a virus, you are sick.

[@agod5608]

ΣΚΡΟΥΤΖ ΜΑΚ ΝΤΑΚ the subconscious is the CPU,your conscious is the ram, your experiential memory is your hard drive. observe all you like. if it ain't broken don't fix it.

[@ephemerabluetit335]

Got it from contrails.

[@salamander7125]

If you read the third book in the Hitchhiker's series, it actually explains why the bowl of petunias thought "Oh no, not again." I don't remember which chapter, but I think it was around the middle.

[@PurifyWithLight]

Holographic Universe theory has the space/time continuum existing as a whole. From the birth to the death of the universe. All things are eternal in the sense that they all equally exist within the ever present continuum, though not deterministic. Could be that all "nows" are like the crests of waves (or consciousness) propagating throughout the continuum. Similar to the movie The Never Ending Story. The continuum is like a book, where as an external consciousness animates the 2D pages in "Its" minds eye as "It" reads, giving the book a meaning while also being meaningful to the Observer(s). (Only speculating here)

[@SnowboardingLucario]

My theory is that a species in the distant future made a computer simulaton to see what the universe used to be like

[@Buttonmstr]

We're just a big, complex version of The Sims, where God was first like, "I'm just going to start with two people and be super involved and give them a perfect life," Then He got bored and let them procreate, and it got out of hand, so he destroyed everything to start over so this time he could learn from his mistakes and do it right. Everything got out of hand again and he was like, "Screw this game, I'm never playing it again!" and let us run on auto. He gets pulled in from time to time to check up on us, but mostly we bore him. And now you know.

[@AwildTrollAppearsXD]

What if the universe is a program that's running a bug test, and we're the bug? Whilst we maybe haven't had such an obvious effect on our universe, such as draining stars and such, there is the butterfly effect. Simply our presence of course has an effect on the universe, be it tiny, but we do have the potential to also drastically change the outcome too. As do any other (not necessarily sentient) lifeforms. Maybe we're a game-breaking glitch, or we're in the process of a simulation to narrow down the ultimate form of life. Or we may just be the byproduct of an incomprehensible set of specific conditions, neither good nor bad but simply a happy accident.

[@SupachargedGaming]

Or maybe there's a man in the clouds who snapped his fingers and *poof* "reality". Or maybe its repeating itself. "Base reality" became advanced enough to run computer simulations of this level. Created a universe (or hell, lots of universes. I mean really, if we became powerful enough to run a simulation like this are you telling me none of you would choose to live in like, lord of the rings simulation or harry potter or middle ages or future or whatever.). Sub-reality level 1 came into existence (1 universe or multiverse, irrelevant at this point). Sub-reality 1 advanced along, came to the same point, repeated itself. if 1 universe, oh well. Inception. If not, imagine a potentially infinite number of simulations each creating a potentially infinite number of simulations within a simulation.

[@SupLuiKir]

The universe has no purpose. The reason we exist is because it happened. No other reason. Any other thing possible could've happened, and any of those other set of events that could have happened would be equally as valid and possible. Also we can't say anything of the probability of us existing because the set of the other possible timelines where we didn't exist were exactly the set of timelines where we couldn't complain we didn't exist. We can't ask our nonexisting alter-egos if they don't exist or how numerous they are and they can't tell us about themselves either. (They don't exist!)

[@w01fninja]

I agree with this, it explains how everything is connected and how there can be so many variables in the world

[@OneFluffyBun]

If the Universe is a computer i hope its not a Windows or Microsoft Computer. Then we'd be in trou- *A FATAL EXCEPTION HAS OCCURRED AT 0246:014747FB. THE CURRENT APPLICATION WILL BE TERMINATED.*

[@justiceretrohunter2]

It's probably on a Mac. The universe doesn't seem to have an Off button.

[@mbanana23456]

Macs have an off button......

[@seiban8455]

its a mac. Ther iz no glitttttt-----tstahchit-dsdmadx[---- j (RUNTIME ERRRONR ORRORN )F Wake up mister freeman!

[@edwardthepotato8750]

animefreakincs SHUT UP APPLE HAS MADE MISTAKES TOO!!!!!! AT LEAST MICROSOFT DIDNT MAKE THE WORST SELLING HOME VIDEO GAME CONSOLE ON THE PLANET!!!!

[@seiban8455]

i never said they didn't. Also we never mentioned anything about games consoles so get back on topic or get out of the discussion.

[@annonymat]

The earth is a huge computer witch is only there to create Cat videos.

[@EmilyReddish]

The reason the bowl of Petunias thought 'Oh no not again' is because it is one of the reincarnations of Agrajag, the being which is constantly and brutally murdered over and over again by the remarkably unremarkable Arthur Dent. Oh no, I'm going to die again, after being forced into existence by Arthur Dent and the infinite improbability drive.

[@robinchwan]

the universe is fucking nuts.. i mean.. it created me for fucks sake!!! and i am nuts! WHEEEE!!!!

[@thebeesknees1162]

Whats the point of commenting? (｡-_-｡)

[@augustuslxiii]

This deserves more Likes.

[@TacoJim]

DISCWORLD REFERENCE! I LOVE YOU!

[@manofallkind]

OH SH*T THEY'RE FIGURING OUT HOW THEY WERE MADE!

[@mewwew411]

QUICK TURN IT OFF!

[@ro-animation]

Your video are nice but you use to many picture on every stuff you say...

[@GraveyardTricks]

I just had to repeat the bit where you say "we'll put a reading list in the dooblidoo" over and over again. Hahaha

[@jijipoid]

I had thought about something similar.. Like does everything in our universe simply make up another living system.. cause you know how our bodies are made up of like cells and bacteria.. well what if we are like the same of another creature.. and the universe is just the system of a living creature and then that creatures universe is that same thing and it just goes on and on like that forever?.. i dunno lmao.. I just woke up.. i promise i haven't smoked anything yet today xD...

[@ALE0LAGUNA]

If the universe is a computer, then all those persons that believe we are in the matrix would kill themselves hahaha, because that's just sad. But if i'm just a ton of bits, then i don't mind at all. Life is good, (or am i programmed to say that)

[@HiddenDragon555]

No that's a bug, we are going to have to disintegrate you.

[@monad_tcp]

I believe that and I didn't kill myself for this reason. It's not sad, what's the difference between being bounded by the Second Thermodynamics Law or some other computing equation running in a computer, it makes no difference.

[@FuncWorks]

Great episode though I am surprised there was no mention of Alan Turing and his papers on mathematics that relate to programmable computers. The book The Annotated Turing goes into how it is possible to apply Turing's work to the Universe as a Computer idea.

[@Strospiteri]

It's mindblowing to finally admit THIS is what I've been thinking about for so long...and I've only just recently read the book.

[@SeabassFishbrains]

I love this channel so much! I'm totally going to watch the Hitchhiker's Guide mini-series for the bajillionth time now because it's so fantastic and it never gets old.

[@inezcastell4924]

Having spent a lot of lonely friday nights contemplating the question "What is the universe? How-- Why--? Whaaaa..." you saying that maybe the universe is just the universe, kind of removed all the anxiety about the answer and not knowing it. At least for like two seconds. It was a good two seconds. I would've liked to keep them.

[@SanjayMerchant]

I can't help but be reminded of that line from that '90's adventure game The Dig: "It's a compete history of the universe. It turns out the whole thing is just a machine for making black holes, and that all life is an elaborate form of corrosion."

[@DigiDestinyXD]

I think you just made anyone who ever watched Digimon as a kid look back at it. I did XD

[@annabellebarr6248]

You must not have read the whole Hitchhiker's Guide series because we find out why the petunias thought "oh no not again" a couple books later.

[@LancesArmorStriking]

Realistically speaking, I think that 42 could be the number of elementary particles in the universe.

[@d3th2u]

Regardless of weather the universe IS a computer or isn't, thinking in terms of information is a useful way to approach philosophy and science. It required the development of new techniques and new approaches to problem solving in order to actually invent the first computers. We have learned a great deal about information and computation since then. That knowledge has other possible applications for understanding the physical world.

[@FarOutCrap]

42 was my favorite number even before I knew about the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.

[@awesomezed]

In one of the later books of the Hitchhiker's Guide series, I think it's Life, the Universe and Everything, A creature known as Agrajag is revealed to be the bowl of petunias reincarnated, along with countless other living things that have met their demise through Arthur Dent. Somehow, he remembers all of these deaths and has grown to hate Arthur with a burning passion. So the bowl of petunias, having been zapped into existence several miles above the surface of Magrathea, was just another incarnation of Agrajag, realizing that he was once again damned to die at the hands of Arthur Dent.

[@pofict]

Awesome! Now all we need is a Total Perspective Vortex and, say, I don't know, a piece of fairy cake!

[@leesalexander]

Terrence Mckenna said that "one idea will win" and that the universe is a "novelty" conserving enterprise, "novelty" referring to the connected-ness of information. And that human development is at the forefront of universal development. He also said a lot about the end of the world in 2012. But, he still said a lot of other really important stuff. I really like the idea that humans are as naturally occurring as anything else. And that the earth might just be of great significance after all.

[@RenaissanceGrrl]

The pop culture clips in this ep included Glee and Supernatural, I am stupidly excited over this.

[@ArbitraryOptimization]

If you know about the idea about there being many universes with slightly different laws of physics, you can think about those laws as the program that acts on the information of the states of energy that are given to it. But is math included in or derived from this program?

[@alyssaishness]

Love the new pronunciation for gif! I think there's no hope of halting the argument at this point though.

[@jmfurgason]

I know I'm about two weeks behind on your episodes, but this topic greatly reminded me of Star Ocean III: Till the End of Time. (SPOILERS AHEAD) The creation of the universe itself was the "3rd Dimension" that had been created by these "4D Beings" (ie: we're just a giant super complex MMO) however, the beings of the our universe evolved, acted, and became very complex. The role that organic beings take became active and eventually, our sentience was accepted as a parallel universe.

[@DoodleStein]

When I heard people say "maths" I used to think people were just being facetious, like when people say "I'm browsing the internets."

[@iChill2012]

Its all up to you man, I mean we have really no idea about this universe. I once read a quote a while a ago which said: "The place that we live in, is a world away from what is actually there" My guess is that we exist in a completely different form to what we understand and that time exists only as a illusion so that reality can flow in a way which will allow it to pass through it. Oh and remember mathematics does not exist, it is only a way to help us understand the universe. :)

[@joshweeden88]

Ohhh "And another thing" is kinda like a fan fic curtain call for all the fun characters and worth a read

[@bsubumm]

i think this make a excellent argument for intelligent design. god being the ultimate programmer who has set this whole thing up. great video

[@-dubu]

In response to sth128 's post at the end - In science, "observation" is defined as an interaction between any two things. If there is a proton flying through space, and a photon hits it, that is an observation. This is where the idea of electrons being both waves and particles come into play. When an electron is fired at a wall through two slits, it hits the wall in random places. But only when its observed. When the electron is fired through the two slits and it is NOT observed, it behaves like a wave and the electrons no longer scatter randomly, they are infact in predictable places - the same as a wave. It is only upon observation that the quantum particle (electron) "chooses" where it is. Have a read about electron diffraction and wave aprticle duality for a bit more info on that.

[@angelic8632002]

The running program of the universe is the goal of increasing complexity. Its the only constant that i can think of in the causality of energy and matter.

[@claytonjames9230]

the celery man reference made my night

[@DrBrainTickler]

Heh sorry... not sharing this time... already had plans to make a video about this. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is my favorite story/book/series/movie!

[@davidjwp]

This channel becomes to be so mindblowing... I LOVE IT!!

[@RespectYourViews]

I'm not sure if the universe IS a computer or merely analogous to one, but it seems safe to say it is Turning Complete.

[@TFSWOLF]

Love the hitchikers guide refferences

[@EremovProductions]

Some people think that The Universe is alive, and that the "Big Bang" was the expansion of its heartbeat.

[@annabellebarr6248]

That implies that the universe will someday stop expanding and begin contracting (a common theory), but their is some evidence against this. Namely that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

[@EremovProductions]

Annabelle Barr Yeah, I have heard that too. I'm not saying i believed it its just i found that fact interesting :)

[@annabellebarr6248]

It's a cool thought. That would mean that we are just parasites of the universe :0

[@deryazzi]

I want to hear your thoughts on consciousness! Though I don't know how you'd fit it into the format of this series... Not entirely "non-metaphysical..." MORE! MORE! MORE!

[@SangoProductions213]

it doesn't need to be able to think for itself. It can still keep evolving on it's own if just allowed to write it's own code. Even if just allowed to randomly create/destroy programs, it would be evolving, and may be able to clone itself via those random processes.

[@MdAlam-tr7he]

Can you describe? Is their a existance of time? In the numbers of mathematics or their exist time unless we measure it?

[@kuryamtl]

this seems like a tangent to the show through the wormhole, there was a whole episode dedicated to this question

[@dragonzflyte]

Doesn't quantum computing already use particles to compute instead of/ as well as bits?

[@perkelele]

Hey, nice and very informative videos. However I don't always get some of the references you do. It would be interesting to have the source to those references images and other things you use. I realise that must be a lot of extra work. But that would be very interesting and enriching.

[@HiiPPi3]

This is a very interesting idea, it really shows how the term 'computer' yearns for a new definition. Technically, if a computer can be described as any system performing computation, then anything really can be described as a computer (expet the brain maybe, check out 'Is the Brain a Digital Computer?' by John R. Searle), therefore making the term seemingly useless. Homunculus fallacy, which states that there has to be a homunculus interpreting a semantic term to turn a pattern into information

[@mawita867]

I've read the series twice and I'm reading it for the third time right now. Tbh after reading it 42 became my favorite number. Now after reading the Artemis Fowl series my favorite number is 4.

[@j.edwardsawlaw4735]

Quick point - you say at 3:49 that "Nature is the result of calculation...". It would be much more accurate, I believe to say that nature is much more a function of "computation" given the idea you're representing. Its a small difference but an important one - and one that you should appreciate given your "is math real?" segment. Stephen Wolfram has done some amazing work on this. His book "A New Kind of Science" is worth a read.

[@foxpup]

Actually it is probably both a super-simple and unfathomably complex matter. Put simply, events in the universe take the structure that they have because they are compatible with the rest of the universe, causing no logical contradictions. Causality is tied up into a big knot going out into space, forward, & BACKWARD in time, making an almost infinitely complex logical puzzle, but the universe manages to compute it. The Author of the universe is one brilliant engineer.

[@smashfascism]

Funny because I just finished Hitchhikers Guide a few days ago, to which it has been on my mind since. This exact thought has been on my mind since...

[@LtheprodigyH]

I like the theory that our universe is riding on the back of a giant space turtle...

[@hellospam879879]

Or, possibly, a stack of turtles. An infinitley large stack. Each in their own dimension.

[@LtheprodigyH]

Wm Edmis mind=blown

[@Internetshadow0000]

Wm Edmis Are those dimensions the turtles are in also on the backs of an infinite number of turtles in their own dimensions over turtle-filled dimensions of infinite number and so on and so forth?

[@ardmhor1]

the author of hitch hikers guide to the galaxy was quoted explaining that the meaning of everything was 42 because if you add up all thw sides on a di them you get 21 add another di you get 42 which means the meaning of life the universe and everytging is 2 di(e) (even though it would call for the plural dice, its still fun)

[@lawl1401]

Similarly to how computers try to solve complex mathematical problems by trial and error to get an approximate answer, we can draw a parallel with the universe using trial and error by smashing different molecules together in different conditions until something sticks and is ultimately stable and then using that result to "calculate" the next more favourable level.

[@PoetsReach]

It is not the universe you see, it is your perception of the brains’ interpretation of countless ones and zeros collected from the neurons. Neurons representing the presence or lack of stimulus from the environment, to the system that is you. You are a computer and your universe is a product of the processes you put the information inputted into you through. So whether or not the universe is a computer I don’t know, but mine is and so is yours. Neural circuitry is awesome.

[@damenargersinger]

I can understand what you mean but a multiverse is where our universe is just one of many, if not infinite universes grouped together. From the normal meaning/usage of the term multiverse doesn't usually have the extra connection of telling us how our universe is connected with others(just that we are part of a group of multiple universes). So i understand your need to relay your idea with more accuracy and description.

[@darkcynite]

Intrigued by the simulation argument. Also things that are computationally interesting are holographic universe theory and many worlds theory would map interestingly to searching a massive design space in parallel.

[@qaisdparkar291]

AMAZING WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jeremysalkeld8742]

I've read them all! Except Mostly Harmless. And And Another Thing. And The Salmon of Doubt- You get the idea!

[@krissisk4163]

Also, for the record, the simulation argument is freaking terrifying as hell when you think it through too far. In essence if some programmer on any layer of simulation above us gets bored or trips over a power cord or something our universe could end pretty much instantly.

[@krissisk4163]

***** True enough, but there's a big difference between the heat death of the universe in a few billion years and someone tripping over a power cord tomorrow.

[@tarkjj6043]

Jack L. Chalker's saga posits some great theories regarding this. His first book was even published a year before Adam's work. I will admit that the Hitchhiker's Guide was more humorous and engaging.

[@moonlady3000]

Y'know, in like book.... 4 of the series you DO find out why the bowl of Petunias was thinking "Oh No, Not Again".

[@TheJshox]

You know that moment when you walk into a room to do something, and you completely forget what it was you were going to do? Someone just cancelled your action.

[@rhysgerbiltron4041]

This seems like an interesting way of describing the meaning of life

[@SirAdamMcAdamson]

#1 If the universe was a computer then it would be computing the best outcome for its own world/universe/whatever you want to call it. (Off Topic) For Instance, as we all know your video game character isn't just going to pop out of your TV screen and start living with you. Which means there are barriers between our world and the video game world (hopefully common knowledge). Which means that if this were a program, in our current state of knowledge, we would not be able to reach our creators.

[@kylebillings3587]

As time goes on, the universe makes new patterns for expressing the same things. Humanity is just one of the latest ways the universe has expressed itself. In our efforts to better understand ourselves, and thus, the universe, we can consciously create new iterations of universal patterns (typically through art and technology). So maybe computers are just models of the universe, and we're too small a component to know the final calculations. But the essence of the algorithm seems to be love.

[@vaibhavgupta20]

computing some thing under certain condition can tell yes or no que. and those condition are given externally

[@doon79]

This is really interesting especially the part about organism being the coders because spiritualist have being taking about this for a long time. How every thought you have affects and creates our reality. Also relating to the universe being a computer, in quantum physics thing seem random but in a computer you can set a code that can output numbers that seem random without actually being random. so can it mean that the universe codes do the same?

[@BenChieeal]

References on point.

[@Trikeman728]

As a matter of fact, it IS true that we use a base 10 for measurements in America - the base, or radix, refers to the number of unique digits, including zero, in a counting system. The imperial system of measurement doesn't do things in powers of 10 for conversion between units, but it DOES have 10 unique digits it uses.