CHSCHSUCBUCB BRIDGES -- July 2001BRIDGES -- July 2001

“Fountain of Creation”

Design vs. Meta-Design

Carlo H. Séquin

University of California, Berkeley

CHSCHSUCBUCB OverviewOverview

Introduction

The Cantos

Commentary / Discussion

CHSCHSUCBUCB A Different Kind of Talk …A Different Kind of Talk …

Try my hand in a new cultural domain:

Do justice to the theme of this conference:

Address one of the deepest and most puzzling questions there is:

CHSCHSUCBUCB A Different Kind of Talk …A Different Kind of Talk …

Try my hand in a new cultural domain:

A more poetic form of presentation.

Do justice to the theme of this conference:

Cast bridges between different cultural /scientific / philosophical domains.

Address one of the deepest and most puzzling questions there is:

Where did our universe come from ?

(Sorry – no 3D models)

CHSCHSUCBUCB InspirationInspiration

Fred Brooks: “The Design of Design”Turing Award Lecture, Siggraph’00, New Orleans, July 26, 2000

Insights about the human design process

Importance of reflecting about that process

Try out new tentative designs ASAP.

Let users test new tools on real-world tasks.

This process will weed out bad designs.

CHSCHSUCBUCB A Philosophical IssueA Philosophical Issue

Conclusion of Brook’s Talk:

Tribute to “The Great Designer” who created our universe.

Awe of the intricate workings of the “machineries” we see in it:physical, chemical, biological laws.

Seen as evidence for the existenceof a superior designer.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Questions:Questions:

What exactly was the design achievement ? The creation of all the species as we see them today ?

The creation of the basic RNA and DNA molecules that enable an evolutionary genetic process ?

The physical and chemical laws that will lead to the development of such molecules ?

Some other “meta-machinery” that will lead to the emergence of these particular laws ?

What is the role of “user testing” at that level ? Biologically: Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” ?

How does that selection work at the atomic level ?

What sorts good from bad physical/chemical laws ?

What “selects” good universes ?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Universe Design(?) by Trial (and Error?)Universe Design(?) by Trial (and Error?)

Perhaps there is some machinery that creates an infinite variety of universes…

Most of them may not succeed, because there are

-- no atoms

-- no stars

-- no planets

-- no reproductive mechanism

-- no life

-- no intelligence

-- no consciousness

-- no philosophical curiosity …

Who would notice these universes ?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Fountain of CreationFountain of Creation

Vision of some indescribable machinery that spews out googols of universeslike some powerful eternal fountain …

triggered by the view of a water fountainin a park in Basel a few days earlier,

which in turn raised memories of a poem:

“Der Römische Brunnen” by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898).

CHSCHSUCBUCB ““Der RDer Röömische Brunnen”mische Brunnen”

Roman Fountain (Translation by C.H. Séquin)

High soars the jet, – then falls and fills

a bowl of marble to its bound,

which yields; – the rippled surface spills

into a second stony round.

This second overflowing urn

then fills a third, – its surface sways;

and each one takes and gives in turn,

– and flows – and stays.

CHSCHSUCBUCB C. F. Meyer (1825-1898)C. F. Meyer (1825-1898)

Der Römische Brunnen

Aufsteigt der Strahl, und fallend giesst

Er voll der Marmorschale Rund,

Die, sich verschleiernd, überfliesst

In einer zweiten Schale Grund;

Die zweite gibt, sie wird zu reich,

Der dritten wallend ihre Flut,

Und jede nimmt und gibt zugleich

Und strömt und ruht.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Another InspirationAnother Inspiration

V. V. Nabokov: “Pale Fire”

Vintage Books, New York (1989).

“Hypertext document” predating the Web

Structure:

Introduction

The 4 “Cantos” (1000 lines)

Extensive cross-referenced commentarylinked to line numbers in the cantosas well as to each other.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Original Plan for My PaperOriginal Plan for My Paper

Describe, in a poetic format,the vision of some machinery that creates googols of universes.

Discuss some design issues raised using cross-linked commentariesin the style of Nabokov’s: Pale Fire.

(perhaps a little too ambitious …)

Dramatically scaled down, because of time limits on this presentation (and on my preparation time).

Interspersed my commentaries between the individual cantos; should make paper more readableand my “cantos” more understandable.

CHSCHSUCBUCB OverviewOverview

Introduction

The Cantos

Commentary / Discussion

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto One: Energetic Jet FountainCanto One: Energetic Jet Fountain

A more energetic water jet fountain

A wider variety of sculpted watery forms

More splatter, far-flung droplets

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto One: Energetic Jet FountainCanto One: Energetic Jet Fountain

Roman (?) fountain

More energetic jet fountain

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Two: The View From WithinCanto Two: The View From Within

Try to imagine … What would it be like to experience the fountain

from within one of its droplets.

Verse Two: Can creatures in these droplets actually look out?

Perhaps their world is completely self-centered.

Then, equate each drop with a whole universe-- implying a vast change in scale and time.

Some of these universes may be “interesting”-- with teaming life inside,

others may just be an “empty” drop of water…

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Two: The View From WithinCanto Two: The View From Within

What would you see looking out … ?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Three: Fireworks AnalogyCanto Three: Fireworks Analogy

Big Bang – currently the most plausible theory for the origin of our universe in its current form.

As to the expected end of our universe, there is evidence that it will expand forever and will end in an infinitely thinned-out, dark and cold state.

Equating that with a recirculating water droplet may not be the best analogy.

Canto Three tries to make an analogy with fireworks.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Three: Fireworks AnalogyCanto Three: Fireworks Analogy

Fireworks picture

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Three: Fireworks AnalogyCanto Three: Fireworks Analogy

Fireworks picture

CHSCHSUCBUCB How Many Drops / Sparks / Universes ?How Many Drops / Sparks / Universes ?

Fireworks, 102 - 103 rockets, 103 - 105 explosions per rocket, 105 - 108 sparks in the air.

A medium jet, 10m high, 10cm2 cross section, 4*107 mm3-droplets.

A very large jet, 150m high, 500 liters/sec, 5*109 mm3-droplets.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Jet d’Eau de GeneveJet d’Eau de Geneve

CHSCHSUCBUCB Our UniverseOur Universe

Many many galaxies …

CHSCHSUCBUCB … … With Many Many Stars !With Many Many Stars !

CHSCHSUCBUCB Really Large Numbers …Really Large Numbers …

Fireworks, 102 - 103 rockets 103 - 105 explosions per rocket, 105 - 108 sparks in the air.

A medium jet, 10m high, 10cm2 cross section, 4*107 mm3-droplets.

A very large jet, 150m high, 500 liters/sec, 5*109 mm3-droplets.

Our Universe, 1011 galaxies with 1011 stars, 1022 “droplets.” (1080 protons)

CHSCHSUCBUCB Hubble Deep FieldHubble Deep Field

CHSCHSUCBUCB Really Large Numbers !Really Large Numbers !

Consider

1022 parallel universes !

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Four: Structural EvolutionCanto Four: Structural Evolution

Getting into really interesting questions…

Can interesting structure arise without the guiding hand of a designer?

If the physical laws are just right, can structure arise based solely on expected statistics?

How wide is the variety of generated worlds ?

How narrow is the range of laws that favors formation of structure … / … life ?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Canto Four: Structural EvolutionCanto Four: Structural Evolution

CHSCHSUCBUCB OverviewOverview

Introduction

The Cantos

Commentary / Discussion spell out a few of the key issues

that I would like to discuss with youover the next couple of days.

CHSCHSUCBUCB The Core QuestionThe Core Question

What were the “conscious” design decisions that had to be put into our universe, so that it turned out the way it appears to us today ?

Were all artifacts designed individually ?

Did the design focus on a generating principlethat could automatically produce all the observed artifacts ?

Design versus Meta-Design

CHSCHSUCBUCB Meta-DesignMeta-Design

= Design some tools that aid in the design.

Good engineering should spend some effort on tool-building.

With a “generator program” one can create many similar artifacts form a common family by just changing some parameters or some “genes.”

Examples:Integrated circuits, Scherk-Collins sculptures

CHSCHSUCBUCB Derived “Designs”Derived “Designs”

All the many different life forms aredescendants from a common origin.

All molecules are constructed from the same modular parts (atoms).

All atoms correspond to the possible stable quantum states of the electron shells.

The family of elementary particles is defined by the fundamental laws and constants of physics … (?)

Why are these laws the way they are ??

Was that a conscious design effort ?( seems too convenient an explanation ! )

CHSCHSUCBUCB Structure from ChaosStructure from Chaos

Can the variety of structure that we see result from evolutionary processes ?

Evolution needs two mechanisms:

Generators of new (interesting) structure,

Selectors for more “successful” variants.

Can we get to the replicator stage(the beginnings of life) by “random” processes (with very many tries)?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Engineered Designs vs Evolved FormsEngineered Designs vs Evolved Forms

In an optimized engineering designthe legacies of predecessor designshave been carefully weeded out.

Evolved forms typically show some signs of their past evolutionary history:

Unused blocks of code in software,

DNA sequences between the genes,

Human appendix.

CHSCHSUCBUCB Artistic Artifacts that “Survive”Artistic Artifacts that “Survive”

How do we recognize a designed artifactfrom past times or from different cultures ?

Should “art” be judgedby how many people (in different cultures and in different times) readily recognize it as being “something special” ?

Is every recognized object a “master-piece” ?

CHSCHSUCBUCB Anthropic PrincipleAnthropic Principle

Only “good” universes lead to interesting structures,conscious life,-- and get noticed.

In “bad” (dull) universes there is nobody to complain about the lack of structure and variety.

CHSCHSUCBUCB A Conscious Superior Designer ?A Conscious Superior Designer ?

Religious revelations are insufficient,

given the frailty of the human mind in distinguishing facts from fabrications,

and the diversity of the various revelationsthat different religions have to offer.

I see no clear evidence for it.

The assumption of a Conscious Designermay “answer” some crucial questions,but at the same time raises many new ones.

CHSCHSUCBUCB What is the “Simplest” Assumption ?What is the “Simplest” Assumption ?

As a scientist, I am a “model-builder”,and prefer the simplest adequate model.

An eternal fountain of creation,that continuously spouts forward a very large number of energy droplets, which may turn into interesting universes, is the simplest model that I have foundto describe our existence.

CHSCHSUCBUCB ConclusionsConclusions

No final (left-brain) answers

This is only the start of a discussion

CHSCHSUCBUCB Questions ? – Discussion !Questions ? – Discussion !