It Made Me Ponder
I frequently listen to audio books and recently finished one called The Footprints of God by Greg Iles. It was a particularly good book in that it not only quickly grabbed and held my attention, but it had me pondering some of its theories well and beyond the finish of the book.The book is not a religious book. I dare say it is a techno-thriller utilizing the platform of a religious theory. I won't ruin the whole book for you here, just in case you want to read or listen to it for yourself, but I will discuss the theory that has had me pondering.
The general principle is that of the theoretical question: "What is God?" There are a group of scientists that covet the theory that "God" is ultimately the answer to the question: "What is left if you take away all mass and energy?" This seems like a trick question but their theory indicates that "consciousness" is what is left. So their definition of God is "Pure Consciousness without form or energy."
Here is the root of their arguments for this theory. First, everything in nature is cyclical - from the birth and death of a star to that of a single celled organism. Using this logic, they take the opposite end of the "Big Bang" theory to the "Big Crunch" theory. Yes, in time all that has been will simply reduce down to a speck of nothingness with ultimate density, thus completing a cycle.
The next part of their fleshing out of this theory was evolution. Their argument was that from the beginning, all things have been evolving to support a high form of consciousness. At this time, on this planet, human beings are the only known species that has evolved into consciousness and we are the culmination of that evolution to date. We supposedly started as nothing but rocks and dust, then added light, then water, etc. on until we came to be as "human".
The next part of this theory was the questioning of where we go from here. This is the frame of mind that the story really takes place in and is the most technically oriented. As more and more time passes, humans are becoming more interfaced with machines. At some point in the not so distant future, we will have the means and ability to "download" or "copy" the data collected in a brain for retrieval, with the ability to sort and call up specific pieces of data on demand. Evolving at nearly the same rate is the ability to store data in ways that requires less and less physical medium. The folks at IBM have shown that they can rearrange platinum molecules to spell their name. They have used lasers to engrave holographic date stored in a crystal with the ability to store terabytes of data in a physical medium the size of a grain of salt.
Is it possible to create a data state that doesn't require a physical medium in order to maintain its existence? Is it possible to create an artificial intelligence that can utilize the complete data stored in this medium in order to enable what would appear to be a duplicate copy of the conscious person? If so, is that not just a hairs breadth away from having consciousness without physical form? If so, then we would be at a level of consciousness without matter. Just one more step to achieve that level of "God" before the big crunch.
I want to point out that there is much more to this theory. The way the theory was painted in the book, there was a perfect blending of science with the teachings that were found in the bible and elsewhere. It seemed like a seamless blending of two worlds that before now seemed to be opposite. This theory sort of shows how they are two halves of the same puzzle; not so much opposites as they are perfect match to each other. As it was pointed out early in the book, a philosopher's job is to come up with questions regarding our surroundings. A scientist’s job is to come up with answers.
I don’t necessarily believe any of this but I do find it fun to ponder other points of view. I think only ignorant people find comfort in closing off possibilities outside of their current belief systems. I also don’t give credence to many theories without proof and this theory definitely needs some proof. None the less, I think this book was highly entertaining and would recommend it to anyone with an open mind. Great fun!
Bonzai Book Score: 4.5 out of 5
posted by Bonzai @ 4:17 PM
3 Comments:
I think the concept of science and religion being a perfect match makes a lot of sense. Theologians and scientists although they have to work from 2 different sides, will find some day after all the disputes, and disregard for each others rigid and most of the time inflexible values, there is a link. AI, inevitably will be both sides first peek at each others worlds. When that happens, the cultural fear will slow its progress for most likely centuries, allowing both sides to eventually 'get along' like Rodney King said. Rodney would technically still be in jail once that common ground is made too....
"Pure consciousness without form or energy" = "What happens when I die" perhaps...
There is definitely more to their theory than I put on the blog. I sort of shrunk it down to the principles for the sake of length on the page.
The final part of your post is exactly how most people will interpret this. I have always been amazed at how the human mind creates coping mechanisms for that which we don't understand. When you consider that we as a species through time has always created theories to explain that which we don't understand, I have to wonder if the people that sort of live in their "own little universe" are really any different. I suppose the answer to that question comes down to perspective but it is always fun to consider.
Thanks for the comments. I try to talk to some people about alternate points of view and they interpret it as an attack on their own personal point of view. This, of course, is not my intent. Belief systems are interesting things to ponder.
Another important point is that when humans in general don't understand something, they fill in the void with things like 'faith,' especially in the religious sense. I think that faith is nothing more than the bridge people use that doesn't yet connect to the science of everything. The bridge will connect someday.
Don't ever sweat challenging my faith, it is based on a rather 'loose' system that won't necessarily accept any one answer, and rather on the "Progressive insurance" tip, likes to get a few quotes first...
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