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]
