Charles Harper Jr. - Can Emergence Explain Reality?

Is emergence a mystery? Does ordinary stuff have mysterious properties? Take anything; find and separate all its parts and catalogue their properties. Then recombine those parts. What would you get? Nothing at all like what you expect from the sum of all those properties. It’s called ’emergence’ and it describes how wondrously our world works on every level.

Charles L. Harper Jr. is former Executive Director and Senior Vice President of the John Templeton Foundation.

Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[KeefyKat]

“Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise.” - Douglas Adams

[fotoviano]

Other way around. Our brains evolved to perceive what we consider order in the external/"physical" world. Mathematics is a description of how the brain operates and not some intrinsic quality (förlåt Max) of the universe/"reality"

[tomazflegar]

Emerged from what? And from what emerged the thing that emerged from emerged?

[chayanbosu]

Reality does exists because we exists or it independently exists .we do not know answer but it seems conciousness has big role in it.But science can not precisely explain conciousness, it remains mystery.

[richardsylvanus]

In an alternate universe Charlie Harper is writing product jingles and getting drunk

[browngreen]

The emergence of human consciousness shows the marvelous potential of physical existence -- it shows nothing about anything supernatural or theological.

[_a.z]

That soon degenerated, without adding anything to the debate!

[matishakabdullah]

If there are any verses beyond our local universe they must be the Paradises as mention in AlQuran:

Aal-e-Imran 3:133
English - Yusuf Ali
"Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous."

Paradise is similar but not the same to our universe.

(Can be the hells too. Paradises and hells are the ultimate places in the next life).

[arthurwieczorek]

It is an excuse to believe what you want, what you think should be true. I'm talking about that thick volume of mathematics that reflect the deep wisdom of existence that surely indicate God presents and majesty. The vast majority of believers can't read that book.

[-by-_Publishing_LLC]

Emergence is "Existence" exploring new frontiers once everything prior has become redundant. Houses are constructed using bricks, but we don't call them "brick assemblages." Instead, we call them "houses." We call them houses because they are something that transcends the simplicity of the bricks that build them. ... Sure, you can _still_ call a house an "assemblage of bricks" _just because you can, _ ... but you are refusing to accept the observable evolution from simplicity to complexity.

... At the end of the day, you cannot live inside a brick.

Humans are constructed using quarks, but we don't call ourselves "quark assemblages." Instead, we call ourselves "humans." We call ourselves humans because we are something that transcends the simplicity of the quarks that build us. ... Sure, you can _still_ call a human an "assemblage of quarks" _just because you can, _ ... but you are refusing to accept the observable evolution from simplicity to complexity.

... At the end of the day, you cannot live inside a quark.

[mykrahmaan]

Maths itself MUST first be particle physically interpreted and applicability of its axioms for practical satisfaction of the needs of beings confirmed.

Otherwise accepting axioms of mathematics (of digits and 4 basic operations on them of arithmetic as well as Euclidean and Noneuclidean geometry) as irrefutable truth is equivalent to the FAITH IN GOD of conventional religions.

[thomasridley]

Whenever we look for a god, we expect that it will be the one we have always wanted to exist. Not exactly how you should do science or deveop a rational view of this reality.

[peweegangloku]

If they use multiverse to explain how and why our universe emerged, what will they use to explain how and why the multiverse came about? If you use the complex in order to explain the simple, what will you use to explain the complex?

[nagualdesign]

It's a bit odd to hear Robert giggling and snorting off camera while the interviewee is talking.

[abelincoln]

Mathematics is simply a method (function) created by Man(function) to either describe natural processes (functions) and their inputs(functions) & outputs(functions).

Everything in the Universe ... is a Function ... with purpose, form, properties, processes & design ... and can only be made by an Intelligence.

Man is the only known intelligence in the Universe ... with a body & brain ... composed of matter & energy ... and are Functions composed of Functions.

Space, time, Laws of Nature, matter & energy ... are all Functions ... made by an UNNATURAL intelligence of an Unnatural timeless & infinite surrounding System ... that the Universe was made & is expanding in.

There is zero evidence nature & natural processes ... can make & operate the simplest physical function 13.7 or 4 billion years ago ... or ... made by Man (intelligence) today.

Anything that is a Function ... can only be made by an Intelligence.

And an Unnatural intelligence ... made a Natural Intelligence .... for a reason/purpose and it all has to do with the freewill & nature that any intelligence has.

Only an intelligence ... make Laws & must enforce them. If you break a law that is for the good, then you must be punished. Unless the police & judge ... have corrupt & unjust natures.

There is only evidence that the Unnatural Intelligence that made Man .... has a pure, good, merciful, loving .. and .. Just nature. Man's nature is clearly corrupt & everybody will freely think & do something that is evil or break a Law that is clearly meant for the good.

We all will break the Law ... and ... must be punished by the Law maker & enforcer, unless there is someone who could take the punishment for us ... like the Jewish Messiah in the TaNaK ... who will die before the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed. Wait? The Temple has been destroyed nearly 2000 years ago. So the Jewish Messiah has come and taken the punishment for the breaking of Law ... but you must believe in Him ... to not be punished by the Unnatural Intelligence that made Man ... for a reason ... with freewill, nature and the ability to procreate Mankind.

[arthurwieczorek]

This video, as far as I'm concerned, has nothing to say about emergence. Yes, emergence is a way of understanding reality, yes indeed. So if you have an interest in pursuing the subject I recommend the book The Big Picture by Sean Carroll. In that book 'emergence' is a core concept---unlike this video where it is an incidental word.

[ronhudson]

The commentator and others usually describe humanity and the universe as being related but apart. I don’t get that. We are literally of the universe. We are made of its component parts and of its underlaying processes. We are a product of an ongoing evolutionary process that is not only of the universe but capable of self reflection and reflecting upon the universe. We are the universe reflecting upon itself - quite literally. The deeper we look, metaphorically though math, physics and science in general the closer we get to at least a theory of what underlays very thing. Call it plank-length quantum foam or God. With level upon level of emergent properties as we go up the scale, we get to the level of substance and biological and chemical properties that can generate - us. So, did God do it or the universe? Either both or one. All the same.

[patientson]

Infinite my dearest senior brothers and fathers.

[jef_teugels]

It's quite amusing to hear how nature lends itself to our mathematics while I'm deeply convinced it's the other way around, notwithstanding my deepest respect for the sciences.

[kalewintermute]

If evolution can emerge from reproduction I wouldn't be surprised if reality could emerge from math.