Ordered complexity and perceived energy hierarchies in a closed system
There are some things you don't argue with. Newton's laws, thermodynamics, forward motion of time, the speed of light, taxes.... but at some point you have to stop and wonder how much we think of as absolute. Entangled particles at least seem to defy most of these concepts (save for taxes) yet for the most part these things hold true. Let me start off by saying that when we define something as being true, this means something can be confirmed to be factual within 99.99999% probability in 99.99999% of cases. It does not mean 100% all the time. (And because of this it will most certainly be untrue eventually.) Science does not hand out science-bibles and tells you to believe in things because reasons. It gives us a construct with which we can base our understanding of reality.
This being said, reality is a lot stranger than we give it credit for. Mostly because it's orders of magnitude more complex than our brains.
At one point it was unheard of to question the church or whatever religious body governed our lives. The age of reason changed all this and allowed us to see how complex, varied, and beautiful the world could be. At one time we thought the sky was the edge of our universe. Now we know it goes on so far the edge cannot be seen (or it, in fact, has none.) Nowadays I see a strange and unpleasant phenomenon cropping up in young folk. It is becoming popular to deconstruct an ordered system and amount it to the sum of its parts. This is wrong for a number of reasons. First: the more complex a system is, the more exists in that system than can be defined by its components. This occurs on all levels of complex systems. I'll start todays example with something tangible: stuff. Arrangements of electrons in valence shells and neutrons in a nucleus change the nature of the atom and its corresponding element; changes in shared electrons in covalent, polar covalent, ionic, or metallic bonds change the nature of a compound; changes in where and how these compounds interact change the nature and function of a polymer, protein, or alloy. Let's stop there for a second.
Let's analyze this before I go further. Changing a single thing in a system causes things down the line to become so much more interesting. Changing where an electron is changes it's electrical potential. Changing a proton changes its element. Changing a neutron changes its isotope. Three basic components to what was once thought to be the basic building block of everything in the universe. Over 100 elements, each with their own chemical properties and isotopes - just by changing one thing. Now link them together. Chains, crystals, sheets, tubes, balls... now you have chemistry. All it is doing is following four basic laws. Three subatomic particles; four laws: all of chemistry.
Now let's get back to the tree of complexity. For simplicity's sake I'll skip inorganic chemistry and metals and go straight for what I love best: biology. What do you think you are made of? Atoms, correct? Well what separates you from a leather handbag? You are both composed of organic compounds. You both occupy space and have mass. But you are far more complex. As a living thing you are self-replicating, self-organizing, and self-aware. Your proteins are caused by chemicals folding and interacting to produce DNA and RNA which self-govern how other proteins are produced and used in your body. This has led to inter-dependent complex organ systems like the brain, which is so complex and so intricate that we still haven't figured out all its secrets. This is neither due to an all powerful being guiding our fates nor an accident caused by random chance. It's the law of nature. Our very existence is the inevitable result of chemistry; itself the inevitable result of the laws of physics. Perhaps existence itself was inevitable.
Because of the massive amount of complexity you possess you are capable of understanding that you are not a handbag and able to care about things like not being a handbag and how nice your handbag might be. Also leather is so 90's.
This leads me to the second reason nihilism is wrong: it completely undermines the purpose of science and the desire to understand complex systems. We want to understand things because we can. Because of this thinking we now know that any system we can conceive of is greater than the sum of its parts. The more complex something is, the more capable it is of producing something more complex than itself. It's maddeningly awesome and brings me to another point. Next time I will go into mental constructs and the "idea" of reality a little from a social standpoint more rather than focusing on chemistry. I thought it might be a good example to demonstrate complexity from a basic physical standpoint.
For anyone touting this "all you are is" or "all this means is" nonsense... stop. We don't need you buggering up scientific discovery for future generations. Stagnation of ideas is akin to the death of civilization.
This being said, reality is a lot stranger than we give it credit for. Mostly because it's orders of magnitude more complex than our brains.
At one point it was unheard of to question the church or whatever religious body governed our lives. The age of reason changed all this and allowed us to see how complex, varied, and beautiful the world could be. At one time we thought the sky was the edge of our universe. Now we know it goes on so far the edge cannot be seen (or it, in fact, has none.) Nowadays I see a strange and unpleasant phenomenon cropping up in young folk. It is becoming popular to deconstruct an ordered system and amount it to the sum of its parts. This is wrong for a number of reasons. First: the more complex a system is, the more exists in that system than can be defined by its components. This occurs on all levels of complex systems. I'll start todays example with something tangible: stuff. Arrangements of electrons in valence shells and neutrons in a nucleus change the nature of the atom and its corresponding element; changes in shared electrons in covalent, polar covalent, ionic, or metallic bonds change the nature of a compound; changes in where and how these compounds interact change the nature and function of a polymer, protein, or alloy. Let's stop there for a second.
Let's analyze this before I go further. Changing a single thing in a system causes things down the line to become so much more interesting. Changing where an electron is changes it's electrical potential. Changing a proton changes its element. Changing a neutron changes its isotope. Three basic components to what was once thought to be the basic building block of everything in the universe. Over 100 elements, each with their own chemical properties and isotopes - just by changing one thing. Now link them together. Chains, crystals, sheets, tubes, balls... now you have chemistry. All it is doing is following four basic laws. Three subatomic particles; four laws: all of chemistry.
Now let's get back to the tree of complexity. For simplicity's sake I'll skip inorganic chemistry and metals and go straight for what I love best: biology. What do you think you are made of? Atoms, correct? Well what separates you from a leather handbag? You are both composed of organic compounds. You both occupy space and have mass. But you are far more complex. As a living thing you are self-replicating, self-organizing, and self-aware. Your proteins are caused by chemicals folding and interacting to produce DNA and RNA which self-govern how other proteins are produced and used in your body. This has led to inter-dependent complex organ systems like the brain, which is so complex and so intricate that we still haven't figured out all its secrets. This is neither due to an all powerful being guiding our fates nor an accident caused by random chance. It's the law of nature. Our very existence is the inevitable result of chemistry; itself the inevitable result of the laws of physics. Perhaps existence itself was inevitable.
Because of the massive amount of complexity you possess you are capable of understanding that you are not a handbag and able to care about things like not being a handbag and how nice your handbag might be. Also leather is so 90's.
This leads me to the second reason nihilism is wrong: it completely undermines the purpose of science and the desire to understand complex systems. We want to understand things because we can. Because of this thinking we now know that any system we can conceive of is greater than the sum of its parts. The more complex something is, the more capable it is of producing something more complex than itself. It's maddeningly awesome and brings me to another point. Next time I will go into mental constructs and the "idea" of reality a little from a social standpoint more rather than focusing on chemistry. I thought it might be a good example to demonstrate complexity from a basic physical standpoint.
For anyone touting this "all you are is" or "all this means is" nonsense... stop. We don't need you buggering up scientific discovery for future generations. Stagnation of ideas is akin to the death of civilization.