From: scerir (scerir@libero.it)
Date: Sun Sep 01 2002 - 11:26:06 MDT
Eugen
I have no evidence that QM sources are any more random that macroscale
noise sources, in fact they could be a lot less random. A microphone
stuck into a turbulent air stream is a much more complicated system
that a single-photon source and a beam splitter.
Both chaos theory and quantum mechanics assert that there is an irreducible
randomness in nature. Actually "chaos" in physics corresponds to
"randomness"
in mathematics. But "randomness" in physics corresponds to "uncomputability"
in mathematics. It depends, imo, on what you are looking for.
s.
------------------
(quote of the day)
"Formally, a lawless universe can be represented by a
Martin-Löf/Solovay/Chaitin random bit string. This does
not mean that on a local scale, say, for any finite
number of phenomenologic occurrences or evolution steps,
the lawless universe cannot appear to be governed by laws.
Indeed, some observers embedded in a totally lawless universe
might figure out some local structure and believe that this
could persist for any finite time for any finite extension.
They, like us, might call this the cosmological principle.
Because of the lack of meaning, observers could experience
total freedom. This resembles the absurd freedom of existentialism.
Because if there is no law, there cannot be any convincing moral
codex, at least globally. Any kind of behaviour or decision would
at most make local sense, but would be devoid of any deeper,
permanent relevance. From a global ethical point of view, any
decision would be reduced to the throwing of a fair coin.
It is not totally unreasonable to speculate that the cosy
little lawful local worlds some observers appear to be living
in could be a mere subjective fantasy, a subjective impression
which is an illusion-Maya again. And physics and all natural
sciences may just amount to pretentious talk about finite
lawful bubbles within an endless ocean of chaos."
- Carl Svozil
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