Mathematical Undecidability, Quantum Nonlocality and the Question of the Existence of God

Mathematical Undecidability, Quantum Nonlocality and the Question of the Existence of God
Author: A. Driessen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401154287

On January 22, 1990, the late John Bell held at CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics), Geneva a seminar organized by the Center of Quantum Philosophy, that at this time was an association of scientists interested in the interpretation of quantum mechanics. In this seminar Bell presented once again his famous theorem. Thereafter a discussion took place in which not only physical but also highly speculative epistemological and philosophical questions were vividly debated. The list of topics included: assumption of free will in Bell's theorem, the understanding of mind, the relationship between the mathematical and the physical world, the existence of unobservable causes and the limits of human knowledge in mathematics and physics. Encouraged by this stimulating discussion some of the participants decided to found an Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (lIS) to promote philosoph ical and interdisciplinary reflection on the advances of science. Meanwhile the lIS has associated its activities with the Swiss foundation, Fondation du Leman, and the Dutch foundation, Stichting Instudo, registered in Geneva and Amsterdam, respectively. With its activities the lIS intends to strengthen the unity between the professional activities in science and the reflection on fun damental philosophical questions. In addition the interdisciplinary approach is expected to give a contribution to the progress of science and the socio economic development. At present three working groups are active within the lIS, i. e. : - the Center for Quantum Philosophy, - the Wealth Creation and Sustainable Development Group, - the Neural Science Group.

Spiritual Information

Spiritual Information
Author: Charles L. Harper
Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2005-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1932031731

Spiritual Information is a collection of one hundred essays that explore a portion of the vast interdisciplinary approaches to the study of science and religion. Individually and together, the essays show how the study of ourselves, our planet, and the universe helps us understand our place as spiritual beings within God’s universe. The book is a tribute to Sir John Templeton and his pioneering commitment toward new research that results in “one hundredfold more spiritual information than humankind has ever possessed before.” It begins with essays that reflect on Sir John’s principal domains of interest and expertise: free-enterprise based finance and accelerating spiritual progress. Themes of the sections are: •Science-Religion Dialogue •Cosmology, Physics, and Astronomy •Mathematics, Musicology, and Speculation •Biological Evolution—the Human Being •Social Evolution—the Human Mind and Heart •Religion and Health •The Nature of the Divine •Theology and Philosophy •Faith Traditions “Sir John’s leadership has enabled us to edge ever closer to the frontier where knowledge meets wisdom at the threshold of ‘ultimate reality,’” notes the editor in the preface to this volume. As Spiritual Information presents an overview of how far we have come in the science and religion dialogue, it also opens windows to the vast possibilities for additional research and further advances in spiritual information.

Undecidability, Uncomputability, and Unpredictability

Undecidability, Uncomputability, and Unpredictability
Author: Anthony Aguirre
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2021-08-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030703541

For a brief time in history, it was possible to imagine that a sufficiently advanced intellect could, given sufficient time and resources, in principle understand how to mathematically prove everything that was true. They could discern what math corresponds to physical laws, and use those laws to predict anything that happens before it happens. That time has passed. Gödel’s undecidability results (the incompleteness theorems), Turing’s proof of non-computable values, the formulation of quantum theory, chaos, and other developments over the past century have shown that there are rigorous arguments limiting what we can prove, compute, and predict. While some connections between these results have come to light, many remain obscure, and the implications are unclear. Are there, for example, real consequences for physics — including quantum mechanics — of undecidability and non-computability? Are there implications for our understanding of the relations between agency, intelligence, mind, and the physical world? This book, based on the winning essays from the annual FQXi competition, contains ten explorations of Undecidability, Uncomputability, and Unpredictability. The contributions abound with connections, implications, and speculations while undertaking rigorous but bold and open-minded investigation of the meaning of these constraints for the physical world, and for us as humans.​

Einstein's Entanglement

Einstein's Entanglement
Author: W. M. Stuckey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2024-08-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0198919689

Einstein introduced quantum entanglement in 1935 and referred to it as “spooky actions at a distance” because it seemed to conflict with his theory of special relativity. Today, some refer to it as "the greatest mystery in physics" and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was even awarded for experimental confirmation of the "spookiness." While the mystery is experimentally well-established, its solution remains elusive because it is commonly believed that quantum entanglement entails that quantum mechanics is incomplete, that the world works according to "spooky actions at a distance," that causes from the future create effects in the present, that there is "superdeterministic" causal control of experimental procedures, that people can correctly disagree on the outcome of one and the same experiment, and that a single experimental measurement can produce all possible outcomes. In this book, a rigorous solution to the mystery of quantum entanglement is provided that entails none of those things. The key to this seemingly impossible feat is - to use Einstein's own language - a "principle" explanation that foregoes the need for any "constructive" explanation of quantum entanglement, such as those listed above. Ironically, the proposed principle explanation is Einstein's own relativity principle as grounded in quantum information theory. So contrary to popular belief, quantum mechanics and special relativity are far from inconsistent, as both are a consequence of the exact same relativity principle.

Could God Fail?

Could God Fail?
Author: Ned Wisnefske
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2020-11-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532646542

Suppose the universe expands and becomes a void, as most scientists think. Would that mean . God failed? If that is the fate of the universe, then some of our beliefs concerning God and our place in nature, as well as our beliefs concerning how we should live in the world, will not be borne out. From the biblical perspective, it looks as though the formless void and deep darkness opposing God from the beginning prevailed in the end. Today, when we consider the fate of the universe, as well as the possible destruction of life on Earth, it looks as though a deep darkness surrounds usThat is the idea this book considers. When we explore it, we find that we refocus our understanding of faith, hope, and love, and revitalize our view of how we should live. In brief, faith in a God who challenged the formless void and deep darkness in order to create life and sustain it charges us to do the same: oppose lifelessness and be good stewards of life. Faith in an insurgent God restores authentic hope for our future and realizes its true end: not in heaven, but on Earth, and perhaps beyond it.

God and the Universe

God and the Universe
Author: Arthur Gibson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2013-10-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1136365656

This is a publicity title in the light of the latest scientific discoveries Publication strongly supported by Jacques Derrida (who will provide endorsement for cover) and Martin Rees, astronomer royal Attractively illustrated throughout

The Foundation of Reality

The Foundation of Reality
Author: David Glick
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2020-04-29
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0192567217

Are space and time fundamental features of our world or might they emerge from something else? The Foundation of Reality brings together metaphysicians and philosophers of physics working on space, time, and fundamentality to address this timely question. Recent developments in the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the understanding of certain approaches to quantum gravity have led philosophers of physics to propose that space and time might be emergent rather than fundamental. But such discussions are often conducted without engagement with those working on fundamentality and related issues in contemporary metaphysics. This book aims to correct this oversight. The diverse contributions to this volume address topics including the nature of fundamentality, the relation of space and time to quantum entanglement, and space and time in theories of quantum gravity. Only through consideration of a range of different approaches to the topic can we hope to get clear on the status of space and time in our contemporary understanding of physical reality.

Incarnation and Physics

Incarnation and Physics
Author: Tapio Luoma
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2002-08-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0198034652

Thomas F. Torrance is the most prominent theologian to have taken seriously the challenge posed to theology by the natural sciences. His model for interaction between the two disciplines is based on the theological heart of the Church: the Incarnation. Luoma here offers a thorough overview and critique of Torrance's insights into the theology-science dialogue.

Branching Space-Times

Branching Space-Times
Author: Nuel Belnap
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 456
Release: 2021-12-14
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0190884312

"This book develops a rigorous theory of indeterminism as a local and modal concept. Its crucial insight is that our world contains events or processes with alternative, really possible outcomes. The theory aims at clarifying what this assumption involves, and it does it in two ways. First, it provides a mathematically rigorous framework for local and modal indeterminism. Second, we support that theory by spelling out the philosophically relevant consequences of this formulation and by showing its fruitful applications in metaphysics. To this end, we offer a formal analysis of modal correlations and of causation, which is applicable in indeterministic and non-local contexts as well. We also propose a rigorous theory of objective single-case probabilities, intended to represent degrees of possibility. In a third step, we link our theory to current physics, investigating how local and modal indeterminism relates to issues in the foundations of physics, in particular, quantum non-locality and spatio-temporal relativity. The book also ventures into the philosophy of time, showing how the theory's resources can be used to explicate the dynamic concept of the past, present, and future based on local indeterminism"--

Intelligible Design

Intelligible Design
Author: Julio Antonio Gonzalo
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2014
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9814447617

This is an in-depth study of one of the most important and prominent Hua-ch''iao (Overseas Chinese) of twentieth-century Southeast Asian and China OCo Tan Kah-kee (1874OCo1961).For a Chinese immigrant in South-East Asia to make good is not unique, but what is unique in Tan Kah-kee''s case is his enormous contribution to employment and economic development in Singapore and Malaya. He was the only Chinese in history to have single-handedly founded a private university in Amoy and financially maintained it for sixteen years. He was the only Hua-ch''iao of his generation to have led the Chinese in South-East Asia to help China to resist the Japanese invasion in a concerted and coordinated manner. Moreover, he was the only Hua-ch''iao leader to have played both Singapore and China politics and affairs in close quarters, rubbing shoulders with British governors, Chinese officials and commanders. Finally, it is important to point out that Tan Kah-kee was the only Hua-ch''iao in his times to have combined his Pang, community and political power and influences for the advancement of community, regional and national goals.This is an in-depth study of not just Tan Kah-kee per se but also the making of a legend through his deeds, self-sacrifices, fortitude and foresight. This revised edition sheds new light on his political agonies in Mao''s China over campaigns against capitalists and intellectuals. Moreover, it analyses more comprehensively the varied legacies of Tan Kah-kee, including his successors, the style of his non-partisan political leadership, his educational strategy for nation-building, social change and OC the Spirit of Tan Kah-keeOCO, currently in vogue in his home province, Fukien.