Universe as a Language

[Thinker77]

It can inductively be shown that the universe behaves like a language. On the most basic level, everything in the universe can be said to simply be information (regardless of what the universe is composed of on the higher level). Therefore, the universe can be said to be an arrangement of information. Language is also an arrangement of information, more specifically an arrangement that has both syntax and semantics, ergo a logical syntax in order for it to be understood and have meaning. Because the universe can be said to obey laws, it follows that the universe itself has its own type of logical syntax akin to that found in language. Thus, if the universe is really just an arrangement of information constrained to a logical syntax, it can be said that on the most basic or fundamental level, the universe behaves like a language, and that that language serves as the foundation for all of reality. This means that reality is akin to a series of “words” (sentences) logically structured together, thus giving all reality its meaning. Succinctly put, “words” are what actually bring meaning to all life and existence, similarly to how words logically strung together are what bring meaning to the languages we humans ordinarily understand. Thus as the universe unfolded, “words” needed to be semantically strung together in order to form the complete language of the universe. Language, as we know, is also abstract, since it is ultimately held within the mind. So, if the universe behaves like a language, the universe must also then have an abstract component which is held in the mind. That being said, we can never hold all of the universe (i.e. its entire language) at once in our minds, only smaller pieces of it at a time, since our minds are each localized in space. When we observe something, we are only viewing that smaller part of reality which we are currently observing, as opposed to viewing all of reality at once. All of the universe as a singular piece can thus be said to be held within a singular mind, whereas multiple, smaller pieces of the universe are held within multiple minds (being our minds of course). We can see then that the universe is self-replicating (creating many smaller, incomplete "images" of its larger, complete self) in going from a singular mind viewing the entire universe, to multiple minds viewing only parts of the universe. There is symmetry, and thus the universe can be said to be also self-consistent in addition to self-replicating. From this singular mind's perspective, time is all encompassing since all of the universe is being viewed at once, in an encompassing way. Thus from this singular mind's perspective the beginning is the same as the end, and vice versa. Time is no longer liner because all of time is being viewed at once with all of the universe. For us, we perceive time as being linear and broken up/divided because again, we are always seeing the universe in broken up or divided pieces. Furthermore, if we perform a mental thought experiment and gradually regress reality, the "words" from the language of reality also gradually disappear along with it. Once reality has regressed fully, there becomes no more words, and thus no language, meaning that there is no structure to anything since there are no semantics to be had anymore. Thus all that is left is void and disorder/chaos with unbound, infinite potential (along with the singular mind). Only once the "words" of the language of reality are "spoken" by the aforementioned singular mind through the disorder and chaos, can there be semantics and language, thus providing meaning to all of life and existence.

Sources: Langan, Christopher Michael. “The Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe: A New Kind of Reality Theory.” (2002).

[zapatos]

I've always thought the universe behaved like a myopic halibut.

Either way I'm not sure what the analogy buys us.

[Peterkin]

2 hours ago, Thinker77 said:

Only once the "words" of the language of reality are "spoken" by the aforementioned singular mind through the disorder and chaos, can there be semantics and language, thus providing meaning to all of life and existence.

Quote

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

 

[swansont]

9 hours ago, Thinker77 said:

Only once the "words" of the language of reality are "spoken" by the aforementioned singular mind through the disorder and chaos, can there be semantics and language, thus providing meaning to all of life and existence.

What if it’s just lorem ipsum?

[TheVat]

Heh.  I don't think that's what Chomsky meant by Universal Grammar.  

Seems to conflate laws of nature with concepts that are hardwired in some biological entities.  (that old Kantian a priori stuff)

Langan, a former bar bouncer with little formal education, seems to do this kind of projection a lot.  Seems to me that people have semantics, but the universe has only syntax.  Like entropic arrow of time.  

https://ctmucommunity.org/wiki/Cognitive-Theoretic_Model_of_the_Universe

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by TheVat
Add