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Are we programmed ?

Started by NightofSorrow Jul 14, 2000 at 8:57 PM 161 replies 8.9k views

Original Post

Jul 14, 2000 at 8:57 PM

...the other day I was watching a documentary, showing how every living being have traits that are defined by its DNA even before its existense! ...and so an idea struck me! What if the whole universe is merely a program written by a super inteligent being. We could all simply be objects (structures) with certain properties such as male-female, tall, short etc. Each of us could be instances of a general class Eart_Human, which could be derived from the main class Earth which would be derived from milky_way etc... (u get the point) One may say whats the point of a such a program. I think it would be the same as programming a neural network or programming AI for a maze game... to entertain the programmer! Tell me what you guys think. If you do think that this could be then the next question is can we predict our own behaviour? or in other words can a computer program can predict its behaviour? this might not make sense at all ... but I decided to put this up for disscusion anyways! Words of wisdom "To ask or not to ask is the question that one must answer before asking a question." - Shan

The Alchemist

Jul 14, 2000 at 9:06 PM

ei!!!!!! this is the base of the story of my RPG!!!!
are you medium or somenthing?

============
-and i will make a termal usine with concrete, plutonioum and paper bags.
-nanny we have paper bags???
gonzo. Muppet babies

NightofSorrow

Jul 14, 2000 at 9:09 PM

kewl ... u done yet ? (making it)

Words of wisdom
"To ask or not to ask is the question that one must answer before asking a question." - Shan

Pouya

Jul 14, 2000 at 11:21 PM

baw
i really dont like my programs to figure out that I have written them, so i would free the memory for that object before it figures out that it was programmed
so if you haven''t been struck by a lightning yet, it could either be that we''re not programmed, or that god just doesn''t think like me

and the thing about DNA: are you saying that DNA is like our GUID ?
and if you''re an instance of human, human must be derived from mammal, an mammal from living bodies, and living bodies from cells and....
and then there''s another huge class inherited from material that''s called planet, and then earth is an instance of planet and there''s a one-to-many class aggregation between earth and human and.... u get the rest

umm, just wondering: would we be written in c++? i mean isn''t it easier to program us in smalltalk instead?

- Pouya / FOO!!!

#define PURE_STUPIDITY 128 PROGRAMMERS

dethsled

Jul 14, 2000 at 11:38 PM

I wonder how long it took to compile the Earth?
They sure got a great Physics model.
By the way, anyone ever hear of the Matrix? good plot ;-)

Edited by - dethsled on July 14, 2000 12:46:31 AM

Pouya

Jul 14, 2000 at 11:43 PM

i guess it''s an interpretter

- Pouya / FOO!!!

#define PURE_STUPIDITY 128 PROGRAMMERS

Poltras

Jul 15, 2000 at 12:02 AM

I thought the universe was constructed under MSVC++ and compiled for Windows... That''s why you see so much crappy things in it, like politicians...
Maybe I''m all wrong.

The physics model is not good though. This Gravity thing is surely the most patchy class ever made, it only works near instances of other objects. God told me they were at the fourth million and some rebuild... Well I think when you make something that big, you always do some reviews.
I wouldn''t see myself working on it.

Programming is:

A.		The art of debugging a blank sheet of paper (or an empty file).
B.		A pastime similar to banging one's head against a wall, but with fewer opportunities for reward.
C.		The most fun you can have with your clothes on (although clothes are not mandatory).

Sponge99

Jul 15, 2000 at 12:30 AM

How come this Superior-Being is programming in C++? What makes you think he/she has an x86 based proccessor up there? And where the crap did he store our program? Maybe at the edge of space is a huge data warehouse, with a compiler and our source-code......and it the computer would have to be damn fast to run an entire universe!!!

Just random thoughts....

Dare wa neko o koroshiteimasuka? (Ha! Learn Nihongo!)

Edited by - Sponge99 on July 15, 2000 1:31:30 AM

Pouya

Jul 15, 2000 at 12:38 AM

c++ is a multiplatform lanuguage, not only x86 based

and that we''re all running in memory, so we dont even see the hard disk in our space. the furthest we can go is the edge of the allocated memory for our universe

and if you believe that god is the highest, he prolly has enough storage space and memory and a damn good processor

- Pouya / FOO!!!

#define PURE_STUPIDITY 128 PROGRAMMERS

blue-lightning

Jul 15, 2000 at 1:33 AM

quote:

the furthest we can go is the edge of the allocated memory for our universe

Maybe we are stored compressed, or the algorithm is more complicated. In that case we could go as far as we wanted, but if there was too much variation then the hard drive would fill.

What I think is neat is that the amount of energy and matter in the universe is like managing memory. If more energy or matter could be created the program would have memory leaks. I wonder how many times they had to debug it before all of Newton''s laws worked.

By the way

quote:

i really dont like my programs to figure out that I have written them, so i would free the memory for that object before it figures out that it was programmed
so if you haven''t been struck by a lightning yet, it could either be that we''re not programmed, or that god just doesn''t think like me

The first time I tried to send this my internet connection went down.

nes8bit

Jul 15, 2000 at 1:37 AM

quote:
Original post by NightofSorrow
or in other words can a computer program can predict its behaviour?

This somewhat falls in my question of "What is random?" I''m sure EVERYTHING is predictable in some way or another. I''m sure everything in the universe can be predicted accurately, but the equation has to be accurate. Think about it. Does rnd generate a REAL random number? Then think again, what is a REAL random number?

------------------------
Captured Reality

mattd

Jul 15, 2000 at 4:21 AM

i thought there were no such things a truly random numbers?

oh look, i''m a zealot... mmmmm.... messiah here i come

My friend brought a new computer with a lifetime warranty. Before it breaks down, it'll electrocute 'em... (to death, people, to death! Now you get it. Now you get it, so you better laugh! HAHAHAHAHAHA)

bishop_pass

Jul 15, 2000 at 4:22 AM

The universe is just something programmed by some super being?

What if the universe from inception to end is just the ignition spark for some engine in a car bouncing down the road in some larger universe?

MadKeithV

Jul 15, 2000 at 4:59 AM

I think the universe is programmed, and suffering from some bugs!
I mean, if you look at some people, you HAVE to agree with me that there are some "rounding errors"

.

Give me one more medicated peaceful moment.
~ (V)^|) |<é!t|-| ~
ERROR: Your beta-version of Life1.0 has expired. Please upgrade to the full version. All important social functions will be disabled from now on.

cow_in_the_well

Jul 15, 2000 at 5:33 AM

come on, we ALL know that earth and all its inhabitants are part of a giant computer running a 5 million year program to find the ultimate question to the ultimate answer....don''t we?

-----------------------------
-cow_in_the_well

http://cowswell.gda.ods.org/

Nurgle

Jul 15, 2000 at 5:34 AM

#!/bin/bash
# Godfree^ version 1.0
# require the Godfree kernel modules to be compiled and installed

if -e cat /proc/irc/gamedev | grep geoffh do
fortune -a > /proc/irc/gamedev
else
cat /dev/null > /proc/irc/gamedev
fi

if 'cat /proc/irc/gamedev | grep "&ltnes8bit> !"` do
echo "Godfree^ KICK:#gamedev:nes8bit:!" > /proc/irc/gamedev
fi

fortune -a

http://www.thisisnurgle.org.uk

Edited by - Godfree^ on July 15, 2000 6:37:56 AM

gavco98

Jul 15, 2000 at 8:00 AM

If the universe is a program, then what OS is it running in? If it was windows how many times has it had to restart (is that why the dinosaurs died, the comp crashed?)

I think it must be linux, in which case god is root.

G Coates
-------------------------------------------
Software is like sex: better when its free!

DarkMage139

Jul 15, 2000 at 10:32 AM

Check this out:

                
void nes8bit()
{
   if(OnGamedevForums()==true)
   {
       PostLikeCrazy();
   }
   else
   {
       ProgramVB();
   }
}

j\k

- DarkMage139
++++++++++++++++
I can do things, things you never knew,
I can change your world if you only knew.

I can do miracles if you want me to.
Anything is possible, I'll prove it to you.

EDIT:
Now what the heck is wrong with me, I actually put a return statement in a void function!

Edited by - DarkMage139 on July 15, 2000 12:50:53 AM

foofightr

Jul 15, 2000 at 11:51 AM

quote:
Original post by NightofSorrow

...the other day I was watching a documentary, showing how every living being have traits that are defined by its DNA even before its existense! ...and so an idea struck me!

What if the whole universe is merely a program written by a super inteligent being. We could all simply be objects (structures) with certain properties such as male-female, tall, short etc.

Each of us could be instances of a general class Eart_Human, which could be derived from the main class Earth which would be derived from milky_way etc... (u get the point)

One may say whats the point of a such a program. I think it would be the same as programming a neural network or programming AI for a maze game... to entertain the programmer!

Tell me what you guys think. If you do think that this could be then the next question is can we predict our own behaviour? or in other words can a computer program can predict its behaviour?

this might not make sense at all ... but I decided to put this up for disscusion anyways!

Someone''s been watching The Matrix a little too much! It made me think as well, but I don''t really think we are objects in someone''s memory...

NightofSorrow

Jul 15, 2000 at 12:22 PM

Umm.. lots of responses!

Heres another thought.

It is mind bogling when you think about the similarities in how the solar system and a atom works .

Both have nucleas, both have different orbitals both are part of a bigger system which is part of a bigger system and so on.

Could it not be that our universe is just an atom in a super gaint being with billions of other atoms init (universes). and that even the atoms that make us up are tiny universes inside us ?

If so should''nt there be a traversing link between these different Scaled galaxies. It cant be light cause it will be too small in the larger universe, and to big in the other tiny scaled universe.

Maybe inteligence is a medium through which we might some day be able to comunicate ?

Words of wisdom
"To ask or not to ask is the question that one must answer before asking a question." - Shan

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