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Wolfram is proposing a radically different way of interpreting the universe. His main argument is that if his cellular automatons can achieve emergent behaviour
by fengwick3 11y ago
Wolfram is proposing a radically different way of interpreting the universe. His main argument is that if his cellular automatons can achieve emergent behaviour similar to real physics, then it is evidence for it being the underlying mechanism in the universe.
For a (really long) discussion on how this simulation parallels physics, check his book, A New Kind of Science, out.
Then maybe you would want to read Aaronson's review of it, just for a balanced perspective.
- AnimalMuppet 11y ago> His main argument is that if his cellular automatons can achieve emergent behaviour similar to real physics, then it is evidence for it being the underlying mechanism in the universe. Then it is a hint that possibly it might be the underlying mechanism of the universe. It's not exactly evidence.
- fengwick3 11y agoYes perhaps evidence is too strong a word, though that's not what Wolfram would have you believe. Although to be fair, it's going to be quite cumbersome to discount every other statement in a book almost a thousand pages in length.
- fanchao 11y agoMore precisely, simple rules can have emergence. Wolfram's most common example is simple cellular automata. Cellular automata do not need to be simple. Other rules like Turing machines can have emergence.