Pie in Heaven or Heaven in Pi?
Okay, this is the kind of thread that Pep usually starts, but...
I remember reading somewhere about how pi (the mathematical constant which describes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter) appears to be an infinitely complex (or almost infinitely complex) number, i.e. it contains apparently random strings of digits stretching off forever, with no discernable pattern or bias towards particular numbers.
Since we can encode data numerically, this means that pi can in fact be viewed as a real world version of the infinite number of monkeys typing forever on an infinite number of typewriters - ie every work of literature past, present and future is encoded somewhere within pi, as are an infinite number of slight variations on every single work, with a letter changed here or there, or with different endings, or whatever. Every song in the world that ever has been or ever will be is encoded within pi. By extension, within pi is an incredibly long, incredibly complex string of data which describes you, molecule by molecule, and contains the data for your whole life, and for everyone else's - past, present, and future, real and imagined. Somewhere, forever, in pi, you are saying a last goodbye to a loved one, having your first kiss, eating a sandwich, and breathing your last.
To some philosophers, pi represents a kind of eternal life - a mathematical proof of Heaven, if you will, which theoretically exists, encoded within pi. If one day humankind created a computer powerful enough to create simulations of worlds, then the data within pi could be used to recreate your life all over again. In fact, who's to say that isn't what's happening now?
Pi for thought, anyway...
There's nothing more mind-teasing than the incomprehensible eagerly avowed -
Dennett
The All New Pepsoid the Second!
The All New Pepsoid the Second!