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Notes

[Notebook TTC, DB 54]

[Sunday 10 June 2001 - Saturday 16 June 2001]

[page 70]

Sunday 10 June 2001

. . .

If one acts for long enough in a small enough space one is bound to repeat actions, ie to be periodic [modular]. Energy and size of space between them define a period [assuming optimized action, ie algorithm].

energy = actions per sec
space = {possible actions}

Bernard Lonergan recast Thomas Aquinas' proofs for the existence of god in the language of classical and early quantum physics. He used as his starting point the psychological phenomena of insight.

The purpose of this article is to look at Lonergan's book again in the light of late twentieth century physics, particularly the theory of quantum computation. Here we find that 'insight' and 'measurement' may plausibly be identified, and these in turn identified

[page 71]

with action. The upshot of these identifications is a picture of the Universe centered around communication and the intelligence needed to encode and decode messages. [In this picture theoretical insight is discovering how to decode a given set of data and practical insight is discovering how to reach a certain goal with an ordered set of feasible actions]

Lonergan notes that Aquinas proofs for the existence of god

. . . the five ways in which Aquinas proves the existence of God are so many particular cases of the general statement that the proportionate Universe is incompletely intelligible and that complete intelligibility is demanded. Lonergan, 700.]

Make the story concrete by using brainspace to model action space (physical space). Each neuron is an operator (sense) that displays (senses) a certain feature of the input data.

John von Neumann - Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. von Neumann

6. OPERATOR = SENSE = FEATURE EXTRACTOR

The feature examiners wish to extract is a measure of competence in a particular doctrine.

Practically, mathematics is the investigation of algorithms, and physics is the search for algorithms that correspond to (extract?) features of nature (extended in spacetime, ie aspects of the life of god.)

[page 72]

Back to natural: it is the epithet of the age and makes a binary decision in the mind of the hearer,

. . .

Lonergan's theorem: (mental) growth is caused by understanding = intelligence so that all that is built is intelligible.

An abstraction is some surface (interface) created by an operator in the course of its search for knowledge (unitary evolution?). The simplest abstractions are energy, momentum, space and time, all of which are unified in the quantum of action (the measure of intellectual effort)

The possibility of religion is a consequence of the extreme plasticity of the human mind, just as the existence of life is a consequence of the plasticity of atoms.

[page 73]

TTC web personality The Antipope, which is conceived as an antiparticle of the pope (as he really is, not as he thinks he is) to undermine all those people who think the pope is who he thinks he is.

QM model of papacy.

The Lonergan article must be the foundation of TTC - published credibility. Sink or swim on this? Certainly swim, but not necessarily sink - we have redundancy.

We come down to the formal content, just like science.

Lonergan embraces the notions of scientific method, but thinks that metaphysics adds something to this by personal appropriation.

What we are trying to do is take human space from diffusive (classical, every particle for itself) to quantum (coherent cooperative interactions)

Classical vs Q N 411:665 7/6/1. Liang

[page 74]

Newton's analytical dynamics opened a new window on the ideas of form or idea. It was the beginning of the path to the notion that an idea is an ordered set and an operator another ordered set [complex number] - that we can express operators in sets and operations.

despair/elation. Elation at new plan; despair at not being able to realize it.

INSIGHT = DECODING This is the beginning of the path to Universe = god.

Am I just a bundle of ineffectual hot air, as my life seems to indicate, or will I ever get myself an appreciative hearing by a) being right in some way and b) making myself heard. To be a business is to be a two-year-old.

Is the treasure there? As a starting point, yes. As a usable product, no; in need of development, ie work, ie funding, ie entrepreneurial spirit.

[page 75]

Map Thomistic psychology via Lonergan into quantum information theory and then reexamine Aquinas proofs (via Lonergan)

Word - Verbum - Insight sees meaning in words.

How does insight relate to unitary evolution is integral |probability density|2 = 1 always.

O'Murchu has mooted the idea of quantum theology, but skimmed the surface. To get closer to the bone. O'Murchu

I wish to follow the mainstream of development through Aristotle, Aquinas, Newton, Einstein, QM to present.

To be anti-pope is to challenge the pope itself, and prudence dictates that this should not be done without adequate weapons [tools].

The basic strategy must be to get published. a) writing b) marketing c) reaction.

[page 76]

Both pope and anti-pope are businessmen. A business arises when it becomes possible to sell (ie get value for) something which people want but can obtain more easily by buying rather than doing it themselves.

How does religion fit into this? Why do people want religion and where do they get it from, and what do they pay

Donation: if you want this service you have to pay for it, so 'donation' please.

Theology is free
Religion is free

All we charge for is commissions to apply our model in a specific situation - ie management consultants. + sales of books, t-shirts, etc etc.

The 'my god' campaign
"my anti-god" = evil, error, pain etc - the devil.

[page 77]

Order, space and entropy reduction. The fundamentals of thermodynamics applied to our experience through information theory, and particularly quantum statistics and quantum information, encryption, teleportation, error correction etc etc. Lo

How do we talk about god: by devising complexity invariant models: ie the same thing goes on between ℵ0 and ℵ1 as between aleph(n) and aleph(not = n).

Is the world fully intelligible?

24 Theses: Aquinas frozen in time. 24 Theses.

24 Theses (conservative) vs Lonergan (evolutionary) Lonergan.

Now we use L as a leaping off point for further dreams with the express purpose of making a case that will engage Christian theologians. 1. complete humility. 2. unassailable argument. This is part of the 'business=realization plan'. Do

[page 78]

we have the resources to get it started? Can it be kept going, self-funded and growing by forming a company. I promote this being at arm's length from myself.

We are moving one step forward, from a bright idea to funding actual research.

Non-for-profit in the sense that we may make a loss by being too generous with our wares, but nevertheless we reserve the right to some reward for work we well done and so have to devises some payment system which will give it a living.

The tensions and pressures within me, the stresses and strains are the human conscious analogue of processes that occur everywhere in the Universe.

It is like having a child, registering [page 79]

a company, creating a new legal personality, antipope brand. What is the antipope trademark?

What we want to do is to become so credible (justly so) that people will take sides with us against other institutions in the same industry and we will develop 'brand loyalty'/

Football teams, fans, television and big business.

The system becomes perfect when the bandwidth of the error correcting mechanism is adequate to cope with the actual error rate (and its fluctuations to a certain degree, from which we can predict the probability of breakdown). By optimizing the system itself, we reduce the bandwidth needed for error correction. More generally, we should be able to construct a phase diagram for stable and unstable systems. Unstable systems are characterized in a broad way by the mean time to collapse = dysfunctionality.

[page 80]

Monday 11 June 2001
Tuesday 12 June 2001
Wednesday 13 June 2001
Thursday 14 June 2001
Friday 15 June 2001
Saturday 16 June 2001

Related sites:


Concordat Watch
Revealing Vatican attempts to propagate its religion by international treaty

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Further reading

Books

Click on the "Amazon" link to see details of a book (and possibly buy it!)

Lo, Hoi-Kwong, and Tim Spiller, Sandra Popescu, Introduction to Quantum Computation and Information, World Scientific 1998 Jacket: 'This book provides a pedagogical introduction to the subjects of quantum information and computation. Topics include non-locality of quantum mechanics, quantum computation, quantum cryptography, quantum error correction, fault tolerant quantum computation, as well as some experimental aspects of quantum computation and quantum cryptography. A knowledge of basic quantum mechanics is assumed.' 
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Lonergan, Bernard J F, Insight : A Study of Human Understanding (Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan : Volume 3), University of Toronto Press 1992 '... Bernard Lonergan's masterwork. Its aim is nothing less than insight into insight itself, an understanding of understanding' 
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O'Murchu, Diarmuid, Quantum Theology : Spiritual Implications of the New Physics , Crossroad Publishing Company 1997 Jacket: 'For quantum theorists, the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts underpins all reality. "This is not merely a scientific principle of immense significance for our times" writes DO'M, "it is also a theological norm, known to mystics for centuries and now maturing into the supreme wisdom of our age."' 
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von Neumann, John, and Robert T Beyer (translator), Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press 1983 Jacket: '. . . a revolutionary book that caused a sea change in theoretical physics. . . . JvN begins by presenting the theory of Hermitean operators and Hilbert spaces. These provide the framework for transformation theory, which JvN regards as the definitive form of quantum mechanics. . . . Regarded as a tour de force at the time of its publication, this book is still indispensible for those interested in the fundamental issues of quantum mechanics.' 
Amazon
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Papers
Liang, Wenjie, et al, "Fabry-Perot interference in a nanotube electron waveguide", Nature, 411, 6838, 7 June 2001, page 665-669. Liang: 'The behaviour of traditional electronic devices can be understood in terms of the classical diffusive motion of electrons. As the size of the device becomes comparable to the electron coherence length, however, quantum interference between electron waves becomes increasingly important, leading to dramatic changes in device properties. This classical-to-quantum transition in device behaviour suggests the possibility of nanometer-sized electronic elements that make use of quantum coherence.'. back

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