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We actually don't know that the world is stateful. Quantum physics would tend to suggest that the world is a waveform function that collapses on a discrete valu

by fleitz 15y ago

We actually don't know that the world is stateful. Quantum physics would tend to suggest that the world is a waveform function that collapses on a discrete value when evaluated. If you think about it the current 'state' of the world should entirely depend on how the previous functions collapsed to produce the current 'state'. Perhaps like in physics there is a sort of Church-Turing duality to it all that is hard to tease apart.

NathanRice 15y ago
The reality is stateful on a macro-scale. I find the idea that the universe is actually stateful, and we do not completely understand behavior at quantum level far more parsimonious than the converse.
- fleitz 15y ago
  The double slit experiment confirms the wavelike nature of the universe at macro scale. A completely stateful universe where a photon discretely moves through spacetime could not exhibit self interference, only if the photon takes all paths (suggesting 'functions' that describe its movement) could it then collapse into a discrete position after being observed (aka. evaluated) What I'm getting at is that in between emission and observation the photon is not in any one state, at best it's state could be described as a superposition. To take the analogy one step too far, perhaps worst of all this suggests a lazily evaluated haskellian universe with a giant state monad whose NUMA architecture updates at the speed of light.
  - NathanRice 15y ago
    I hesitate to admit photons into the macro realm, considering they are elementary particles and essentially massless. Given the de Broglie hypothesis, I must of course admit macroscopic objects do have wavelengths, and thus macroscopic uncertainty (your statelessness) is a nonzero vlue. For all intents and purposes though, the denominator of the equation causes the wavelength to go very close to 0, as the mass value dwarfs the Planck constant and velocity is always non-zero due to brownian motion. Wave function collapse is interesting and I must admit when it is not induced by momentum, I don't understand it very well.

by fleitz 15y ago

NathanRice 15y ago

The reality is stateful on a macro-scale. I find the idea that the universe is actually stateful, and we do not completely understand behavior at quantum level far more parsimonious than the converse.

fleitz 15y ago
The double slit experiment confirms the wavelike nature of the universe at macro scale. A completely stateful universe where a photon discretely moves through spacetime could not exhibit self interference, only if the photon takes all paths (suggesting 'functions' that describe its movement) could it then collapse into a discrete position after being observed (aka. evaluated) What I'm getting at is that in between emission and observation the photon is not in any one state, at best it's state could be described as a superposition. To take the analogy one step too far, perhaps worst of all this suggests a lazily evaluated haskellian universe with a giant state monad whose NUMA architecture updates at the speed of light.
- NathanRice 15y ago
  I hesitate to admit photons into the macro realm, considering they are elementary particles and essentially massless. Given the de Broglie hypothesis, I must of course admit macroscopic objects do have wavelengths, and thus macroscopic uncertainty (your statelessness) is a nonzero vlue. For all intents and purposes though, the denominator of the equation causes the wavelength to go very close to 0, as the mass value dwarfs the Planck constant and velocity is always non-zero due to brownian motion. Wave function collapse is interesting and I must admit when it is not induced by momentum, I don't understand it very well.