The lifebox, the seashell, and the soul : what gnarly computation taught me about ultimate reality, the meaning of life, and how to be happy

Bibliographic Information

The lifebox, the seashell, and the soul : what gnarly computation taught me about ultimate reality, the meaning of life, and how to be happy

Rudy Rucker

Thunder's Mouth Press, c2005

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, goes the ancient saying. This concept is at the root of the computational worldview, which basically says that very complex systemsthe world we live inhave their beginnings in simple mathematical equations. We've lately come to understand that such an algorithm is only the start of a never-ending story the real action occurs in the unfolding consequences of the rules. The chip-in-a-box computers so popular in our time have acted as a kind of microscope, letting us see into the secret machinery of the world. In Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul, Rucker known as the father of cyberpunk uses whimsical drawings, fables, and humor to demonstrate that everything is a computation that thoughts, computations, and physical processes are all the same. Rucker discusses the linguistic and computational advances that make this kind of "digital philosophy" possible, and explains how, like every great new principle, the computational worldview contains the seeds of a next step.

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Details

  • NCID
    BD01480938
  • ISBN
    • 9781560257226
  • LCCN
    2006295984
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    New York
  • Pages/Volumes
    x, 564 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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