I think Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle were so ahead of their time… and only because they were a product of their wonderful environment.  I think [they\]he [post primarily] Aristotle was a product of a “Wisdom of the Crowd” society. He knew it, and took advantage of it and sought to transform future knowledge while penning his work surveying all of prior known philosophy and other sciences as well.

It’s terrifying that his knowledge was marginalized for such a long time.

Boltzmann Brain machine/Anthropic Principle

I do not believe that we are disembodied heads, but I sometimes think the Universe is a memory generating machine. Like the universe is a Boltzmann brain generator.  I say this because we are here and able to figure out where we come from.  Aristotle asked how this state of equilibrium of constantly acting/reacting energy was in perpetual motion with his Four Causes.

Richard Dawkins holds that Anthropic Principle is flawed because it has selection bias.  However, his theory relies on a multiverse where multiple dimensions exist.  Which in theory is shown to work on math; but then again, in theory it’s shown that we are a simulation due to it to bit (if indeed matter can be continuously broken down, or if quantum computers can guess the state of quantum q bits we don’t need to go below quantum level).

In honesty, some can argue that “it to bit” is not true, for matter breaks down continuously it seems. HOWEVER… I do counter that we can use [probability] point estimation [calculus] to derive probability of 1/0 for simulations that model these affects.

Those simplified descriptions break down on the QUANTUM level, but we already have computers that address this

Intelligence

What’s interesting, is it’s thought that can create final causation it seems. Intent if you will. Scientists have always tried to separate final cause and efficient cause but have settled that final cause (temporal) is the realm of metaphysics while efficient cause (observable) is the work of physics (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_causes)

However, I was thinking how in the presence of conscious thought. We can manipulate our surroundings. We can set final cause. We can impart, imbue, and discover order from the chaos around us due to our nature given abilities to reason.

Once conscious thought is absent. Those surroundings continue on the last trajectory we set them on [as modified by science until entropy wears it down].

Following that same type of logic. If science is the efficient causation of the universe. It could be argued that the final cause [intent] of the universe is the creation of a Boltzmann Brain machine.

That’s where this concept of a simulation comes into mind.  I’ve seen how simulations are ran at my former work at Boeing.  Thousands of them are ran at a time to see if a desired result holds true in some difficult physics related problem.  These big 12 core computers with 74GB of Ram and Dual SSD’s would crunch for 24 hours just to test a plane’s capability under a certain condition.  There’s your multiverse right there.

The desire to create conscious thought so those inside the machine can become aware of who/what they are and how they came to be.

I believe though. That our True Form is most likely intelligent thought. I believe this True Form exists in a temporal eternal state that we can all identify with as ourselves having. I personally think that thought is the Final Cause of the flux of the universe. I believe the final cause equates to intent, and intent equates to intelligent thought.

I don’t know if that means we are eternal, or just the concept of intelligent thought is a true form that visits reality (the universe) in the form of material life.

I think once we discover how to create a Boltzmann brain machine to help humanity better understand itself, the machine will give us answers we’ve never even dreamed of.

Was this Aristotle’s intent?

No… at the very minimum I think he [Aristotle] was trying to answer the cause and effect question. Which lead him to think of an incorporal initial mover (edit: actually it has been said that he believed the continuation of flux was the agent of the final cause, not necessarily from an initial state, for an initial state caused confusion with the theory of a never ending universe) who does not move, but merely thinks and this causes movement in the Universe. In fact it was required that the “being” in question was incorporal. Also that this being was nothing more than “thought”. To attribute thought to something of the 1st mover means he was attributing a sense of intelligence to the 1st mover.

Aristotle did not propose that this God interacted outside of merely thinking of itself. The thinking of this 1st mover leads to the final cause of the state of flux we live in. Flux being the flow of energy throughout the universe.

Which is pretty deep. For Aristotle ties in thought with divinity. I’ve always liked to say we are all thoughts of God, I only say that because we are each consciously aware. To see a great mind like Aristotle kind of hint that thought is possibly what the 1st mover is… kind of makes me do a double take.

Ultimately this theory I believe comes from Socrates and the True Form and what is the True Good when asked how it is we know anything, and he gives the story of the Allegory of the Cave and what types of forms we witness are not really the True Forms; however he was most likely speaking about an understanding of how we should see the world to discover these true forms in the forms of math and science; hence Philosophy as far as I’m concerned started.

Consider this quoted by Plato

Plato believed that everything in nature that is tangible flows, so there are no substances that do not dissolve, and all that belongs to the material world is

made of a material that time can erode. Nevertheless everything is made after a timeless mould or form that is eternal and immutable.” Essentially everything physical will erode but the original idea is eternal and will always be.

Wisdom of the Crowd
I think the concepts put forth in Wisdom of the Crowd is like a type of computer simulation using society as it’s components to filter for the best possible answers. It’s crowd-sourcing at it’s finest.  It also carries with it a hint of Integral Approximation, which is found in Modern Day calculus.  Trying to derive the curve of an unknown function.  Something we try to do today with Artificial Neural Networks.  Greece’s ANN was society.

It would be nice if we could use the concept of the 4 causes and the 1st mover in some sort of ANN.

I think such an intelligent machine could use Determinism to apply a reverse simulation to the universe to help us with history. That would be a stretch. It can be argued that present day moments in time are the efficient affect of the moment before. Take 1 + 2 = 3 as pieces in time that just so happen to add up; which is irrelevant, I’m comparing them on a class level. Same as A + B = C.

We have C, and we know what combinations can make up a classification of C (similar to types of forms and how evens and odds are forms of numbers, 2 can be an even but not an odd, prime numbers are another type of form). We cannot derive the additive parts of A and B given C. However, using algebra, it’s possible to supply integral approximated substitutions using the concept of proportions and known historical events to extrapolate to some precision missing factors that may substitute for A and B. It may be possible to use Quantum Computers to simulate every possible state of A and B and to derive their approximated sum together. Like the adding of two probabilities.

Proportions, Ratio’s, and Equilibrium

The idea of causality starts with proportions. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is what Aristotle was talking about with a state of flux we are in. Newton hit on it again when he discovered Gravity. That’s where this final cause of the prime mover comes in. If we are in a state of constant motion, and we can see motion begets motion. How did the motion start, or at least perpetuate itself to be continuously moving?

So the law of proportions seemed to help people figure out how the universe works. ex… If I have a glass full on one side and I pour it into another, it has to remove liquid from the glass I just poured it from. I think Ancient Greek’s (Aristotle) figured the equilibrium was constant. For every action there was an equal and opposite reaction. I think Newton figured this out as well. However, their is Entropy. But that’s not the point. The point is, this basic understanding of causation and effect of energy change led to the question of where did the change come from?

I think mathematical ratio’s that equate to solutions such as Pi offer one way to see the True Form of something.  Many laws of science are based on proportional math.  Such as the volume of gas in a room, or theories dealing with electricity, and current. But we don’t see it perse, but we understand it in it’s abstract form using empirical/observable form, or by deriving integrals and probability functions, aka “it for bit” we calculate how the universe operates.

Therefore we can identify what the True Form of something is. It is arguable what constitutes True Forms (I’m not that good with Plato). I could argue math forms, and then forms that belong to taxonomy’s of nature, and then various forms of scientific laws. Some would argue that the scientific laws are eternal and temporal, but are forms of animals, or life?

That is why the allegory of the cave and Forms works so well when it was proffered of Plato how it is that we know what true knowledge is?

It was if Plato saw the matrix for what it was and mentioned how we are as if inside a cave, trying to guess as to what it is we see, we can only approximate in mimicked forms, but we understand and recognize a true form; mathematics.  Based on this we can understand our surroundings more.  We can identify causation.  We can identify the True Good.  Aristotle follows this up with the 4th Cause, Final Cause and the Prime Mover.

Immortality of the Human Soul:
This ties in with what Sebes and Socrates were speaking of. The immutability of the human soul. How the human soul, I think therefore I am, I have thought. Is alive. If we are alive, we are not dead. We are said to have thought. If we are even, we are not odd.

Take that a step further, when our physical form separates from our conscious form, our conscious form is still the same type it has always been. For what is even cannot become odd, it will refuse it.

So that is how Socrates philosophied the eternality of the human soul.

Gaea

Response:
Immortal and eternal aren’t necessarily the same. Plato will argue that the soul is immortal because it is its own source of movement. And Aristotle goes on a great length to establish that the prime mover isn’t like the soul.

Response:
but Aristotle goes on to say the prime mover is like thought, and it only thinks of itself, this occurrence of thought is the final cause of the movement of the universe and why it is in flux. I equate this final flux with the meta-physical concept of types of forms. Say for example, the flux is the Grand Unified Theory or something. Well, that would be the Flux, or the True Form I guess of the universe, and it’s movement of energy and interactions of laws equates to The True Form thinking of itself. It’s like a Greek Gaea theory.

Plato draws the connection between thought and the soul.

I did not find their views in conflict with each other tbh. I’d love to hear what portion you speak of about Aristotle and the prime mover is not like the soul.

Corroborating Quote

http://fusionanomaly.net/omegapoint.html

Time according to Bergson and Teilhard. Bergson and Teilhard place the direction of evolution over that of entropy . According to Bergson, “all our analyses teach us that life is an effort to climb the slope that matter descends.” Teilhard measures the duration of evolution by the series of transformations that lead matter, life, and society toward states of higher complexity. “We are already prepared to observe that life, taken in its entirety, manifests itself as a current opposed to entropy. …Life, contrary to the leveling play of entropy, is the methodical construction of an organization that ceaselessly grows bigger in the most improbable way.” For Teilhard space-time takes the shape of a cone: the point of the cone is the outcome of cosmogenesis; god is Omega, the end.

Is the Earth a Computer?

Is Math a sign of a higher intelligence?

Is God a Mathematician?
this has interesting implications. I’ve read that Aristotle believed that through the act of thought, the Prime Mover caused movement through attraction to itself, but did not move itself. This video talks about superstrings that resonate musical frequency that represent the thoughts of God.

My stackexchange articles on the subjects
http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/15519/are-societies-as-an-individual-entity-aware

http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/16221/how-can-there-be-order-without-intelligence-to-understand-it

It seems to me that Aristotle Philosophy discovered evolutionary thought before Darwin.
Supported here with his theory on an evolving constitution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_evolutionary_thought

 

Best supporting expansive article on the subject “Now it get’s really weird”:

http://timeblimp.com/?page_id=1490

Another great article discussing the number patterns discovered in pi and some other math numbers… it’s been pointed out it might just be confirmation bias. I don’t see an overall thesis as to his theory on it.
http://www.artmusicdance.com/vaspi/highlights.htm

Are we in a simulation, claim with supporting evidence:
http://www.strangerdimensions.com/2012/02/15/are-we-living-in-the-matrix/

It is not anywhere in another thing, as in an animal, or in earth, or in heaven, or in anything else, but itself by itself with itself,” (211b). And in the Timaeus Plato writes: “Since these things are so, we must agree that that which keeps its own form unchangingly, which has not been brought into being and is not destroyed, which neither receives into itself anything else from anywhere else, nor itself enters into anything anywhere, is one thing,” (52a, emphasis added).

I swear, this stuff is like gold. Socrates proposed a form of government required philosopher’s and philosopher kings (I believe it is philosophy that is the precursor to true knowledge). A prerequisite to becoming a philosopher understanding the Theory of Forms. Imagine Plato is referring to a concept like pi. It is something magnificient to behold once you discover a pattern emerges with a typical calculation and represented by this number. Like a magic number of math in a computer program.

– Plato