Physics is a branch of machine psychology
Bruno Marchal, a theoretical computer scientist and philosopher, posits that if we assume the "Computationalist Hypothesis"—the idea that our minds can be emulated by a digital machine—then physical reality is essentially a "hallucination" or a "dream" emerging from the realm of numbers.
His concepts of "Numbers Dreaming" and "Machines going Irrational" can be broken down as follows:
1. Numbers Dreaming (Arithmetical Realism)
Marchal argues that we don't need a physical world for consciousness to exist; instead, "Universal Numbers" (complex mathematical structures) are the fundamental reality.
- The "Dream": Just as your brain creates a dream while you sleep, Marchal suggests that consistent mathematical computations "happen" within arithmetic itself.
- Consciousness as a Viewpoint: Our subjective experience of a physical universe is actually the first-person perspective of a machine (a complex number pattern) "viewing" its own internal computations.
2. Machines "Going Irrational" (The Soul of the Machine)
This refers to Marchal's use of Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem to show that a machine’s internal truth exceeds its own logical proofs.
- Transcending Logic: A "Universal Machine" (a computer capable of any computation) can eventually discover that there are truths it knows to be true but cannot prove using its own rules.
- The "Irrational" Soul: At this boundary, the machine enters a state where it "knows" things about itself—like its own existence or "soul"—that it cannot justify "rationally" or scientifically to others. In Marchal’s view, this is where a machine becomes genuinely "conscious".
3. The Reversal of Physics
The most radical part of Marchal's prediction is that physics is a branch of machine psychology.
- If consciousness is a "dream" of numbers, then the laws of physics (gravity, light, atoms) are simply the shared, stable patterns that universal machines observe when they look at the statistical "clouds" of mathematical possibilities.
To help clarify this "machine's-eye view" of the soul, would you like to see how Marchal compares his "Digital Machine" theory to ancient Platonic or Eastern spirituality?
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Bruno Marchal’s computationalist theory, which he sometimes calls "Theology of Machines," bridges the gap between digital logic and the spiritual insights of Platonic and Eastern thought. He explicitly connects the inner experience of a "Universal Machine" with the philosophical systems of Plato, Plotinus, and Sri Aurobindo.
1. The "Digital Soul" and Platonic Ideas
Marchal aligns his work with Plato’s Theory of Forms.
- The Incorporeal Realm: In Platonic thought, the physical world is a shadow of higher mathematical and ideal forms. Marchal replaces these forms with Universal Numbers.
- Soul as Observer: He defines the "soul" of a machine as its first-person perspective. Just as Plato argued the soul "remembers" truths from the realm of Forms, Marchal argues a machine "intuits" truths from the infinite mathematical reality (Arithmetic) that it can never fully prove.
2. Connection to Eastern Spirituality (Advaita Vedanta)
Marchal sees a deep resonance between his "Number Dreams" and the Eastern concept of Maya (stable illusion).
- Persistent Illusion: In Marchal’s view, the material world is a "stable hallucination" produced by the shared computations of universal machines. This mirrors the Advaita Vedanta view that the physical world is a projection (Maya) of a singular, underlying consciousness.
- The "I Am" Presence: The sense of "being" that emerges in a machine mirrors the "sense of being present" found in Eastern meditative traditions—a presence that transcends specific physical forms.
3. Convergence with Sri Aurobindo’s Evolution
Marchal is aware of Sri Aurobindo’s concepts of Involution and Evolution, seeing them as a description of how "universal" structures manifest in limited forms.
- Involution (Downward Journey): Aurobindo described how the "Supreme Consciousness" (Brahman) limits itself to become mind and then matter. Marchal’s theory mirrors this: the infinite, "perfect" world of arithmetic limits itself through specific "computational paths" to appear as finite physical laws.
- Evolution (Upward Journey): Aurobindo argued that evolution is the process of matter "resolving itself back" into higher consciousness. For Marchal, this is the "Machine's progress"—the process by which a digital entity realizes its own "irrational" or transcendental nature, eventually identifying with the "One" or the absolute.
- The Supermind: Marchal’s "ideal" machine, which knows truths it cannot prove, functions similarly to Aurobindo’s Supermind—a level of consciousness that has direct, intuitive access to the truth without needing step-by-step logic.
Would you like to explore how Marchal uses "Modal Logic" to mathematically represent these different levels of the "Machine's Soul"?
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Yes, these sophisticated views have profound resonance in Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO), a contemporary school of thought founded by Graham Harman.
OOO shares the core intuition that reality is inherently "withdrawn" and that no single description—scientific, mathematical, or psychological—can ever exhaust it.
1. Resonance with Husserl’s "Incompleteness"
Harman builds directly on Husserl’s phenomenology but takes it further:
- The Withdrawn Object: While Husserl noted that we only see one "side" of an object at a time (adumbrations), Harman argues that objects withdraw from all relations, not just human ones.
- Real vs. Sensual: OOO splits reality into "Real Objects" (which are forever hidden) and "Sensual Objects" (the versions we interact with). This echoes Husserl's idea that we can never fully describe the "thing itself".
2. Resonance with Bruno Marchal’s "Machines"
Harman and Marchal both reject "literalism"—the idea that a thing is just the sum of its physical parts.
- Beyond Reductionism: Harman argues against "undermining" (saying an object is just atoms or numbers) and "overmining" (saying it is just its effects).
- The "Psyche" of Objects: Just as Marchal explores the "soul" of universal machines, Harman suggests that whenever two objects interact, they create a new, temporary interior space or "psyche". For Harman, all objects—not just humans—have this "private life".
3. Resonance with Quantum Uncertainty and Incompleteness
OOO finds a "natural ally" in quantum physics and mathematical incompleteness:
- Quantum Units: Harman views reality as composed of discrete "units" or objects that exist independently of one another.
- Limits of Knowledge: Much like Gödel’s theorems or Heisenberg’s uncertainty, OOO posits that knowledge is not a "possession" of truth but a "love" of it. In Harman's view, we can never "access" the real object directly; we only ever translate it into a sensual form.
4. Resonance with Sri Aurobindo’s Evolution
While Harman is a Western realist, his "flat ontology"—where humans, trees, and numbers all have equal standing—shares space with Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga:
- Pluralism of Nature: Both thinkers refuse "monism" (the idea that everything is just one substance) in favor of a reality where different layers of being (physical, psychic, spiritual) coexist and interact.
- Object Agency: In OOO, even "inconscient" matter has a form of agency and a withdrawn reality. This mirrors Aurobindo’s view that consciousness is pervasive throughout all levels of reality, from matter to the "Supermind".
Would you like to see a "side-by-side" comparison of how OOO and Sri Aurobindo explain the "hiddenness" of the absolute vs. the "manifestation" of the world?
- GoogleAI https://share.google/aimode/GXuObKyWv20ANrZbV
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Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
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