[greenhorn123]

This thread is quite interesting, if the universe is that simple does that imply a complex runtime? Because DC itself should probably be taken as part of the universe here as well as the OS and the hardware it all runs on.

So then the question becomes what is the absolute minimal hardware and software configuration that you could use to generate a mandelbrot?

[chriswarbo]

> if the universe is that simple does that imply a complex runtime?

There is a tradeoff to be made between (algorithmic) information specified as a program/software versus an interpreter/hardware http://www.hutter1.net/publ/ctoex.pdf

However, all we really need is a Turing-complete runtime, which can be very simple, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_110 https://beza1e1.tuxen.de/articles/accidentally_turing_comple...

One easy way to make our universe is to run all possible programs (even if you don't think our universe is computable, we would still end up running simulations which are indistinguishable to arbitrary precision). We can even apply an anthropic argument to this: that the vast majority of programs are not universes conducive to containing life, but we must necessarily find ourselves in one which is.

https://www.kurzweilai.net/in-the-beginning-was-the-code

[mg]

My feeling is that there is no such thing as a "minimal configuration" when it comes to universes.

Because there is no way to evaluate how "minimal" a configuration is.

No matter which elementary property you assume the universe to have, one would have to ask "Is that a complex thing?". Is gravity complex? Is an electron complex?

[guerrilla]

This reminds me of all the episodes of Closer to Truth[1] about the question "Why is there something rather than nothing?" He's absolutely relentless with that question, over two decades now, asking every single famous philosopher, mathematician and scientist he can find. Here's one from around Season 3 around 2009[2], another from season 12[3] a few years ago and so on.

1. https://www.youtube.com/c/CloserToTruthTV

2. https://youtu.be/cfmewf2DoKU

3. https://youtu.be/YkB-phz_2cA

[elevaet]

This question is maybe the deepest of them all. What a great project, can't wait to check these videos out.

My understanding of an answer I've heard is along these lines:

If there is truly nothing then that means there are also no bounds/limits/rules, which means there is nothing stopping everything from being. Out of nothing comes the boundless cornucopia of existence, from complete lack of constraints that is nothingness.