john d. barrow · john d. barrow . is the world simple or complicated ? motivations for natural...

Simplicity and Complexity

John D. Barrow

Is the World Simple or Complicated ?

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Motivations for Natural Laws

Monotheism Dictatorships Top-down philosophy Statute laws Civil government

Hammurabi 1792-1750 BC

The Chinese Corollary

No omnipotent Deity Emergent philosophy Bottom-up Different legal system ‘li’ and ‘fa’ ‘li’ makes external laws unappealing

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Law and Order

Which is ordered ? …1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0… ..1,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,..

“COMPRESSION”

…1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0… ..1,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,..

Random = Incompressible Ordered = Compressible

Mathematicsis

The Collection of AllPossible Patterns

The World must bemathematical

But

Simple mathematicsis

miraculously effective

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Compression Law

Pattern Symmetry

“Gauge” Theories Describe all known forces

Gravity, weak radioactive force, strong nuclear force, electromagnetism

Tell you what the laws govern Symmetry Pattern Possible

Physics theory

Unification?!

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Symmetry

Left-Right Symmetry

•Mate

•Lunch

•Predator

You live long and prosper if you notice symmetry

Newton’s Laws Are Un-Copernican Newton’s laws only hold for special observers

who do not rotate or

Accelerate with respect to the fixed stars

There are special classes of observers for whom the laws of Nature look simpler!!

Einstein’s Extends the Copernican Principle from Outcomes to Laws

The forms of the laws of nature look the same to ALL observers regardless of their motion

Tensors: T = S T’ = S’

The Secret of the Universe

Four Simple

Symmetrical Laws

Lead to Many Complex

Asymmetrical Outcomes

***

Disorganised Complexity Vs

Organised Complexity

Oxford Cambridge

James Clerk Maxwell 1873

“the existence of unstable conditions renders impossible the prediction of future events, if our knowledge of the present state is only approximate, and not accurate.”

Chaotic motions canhave well- behaved

Averages

Molecular motions arechaotic

ButPV/T = constant

Organised Complexity

Sandpiles, Meandering Rivers

and Reluctant Dogs

Complexitywith reductionism

is science

Complexitywithout reductionism

is art

Gabriel Orozco, Sand on Table, 1992

Kanuti River, Alaska Ecuador

Oxbow Lakes

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