Random Thoughts
by Steve on 10/06/09 at 8:08 pm
Are thoughts random? Most people will say no if you ask them. But, what does random really mean? And, is there anything that is, in fact, random? If so, perhaps many of our thoughts would be first to qualify.
Kyle Cameron Studstill
Nov 8th, 2009
Was just writing about randomness a second ago. The thought is essentially that randomness is a specious thing; seemingly everywhere, but actually just in the systems that are too complex for us to grasp completely by virtue of limited cognition (read: most everything). Ultimately I’m saying something close to ‘randomness doesn’t exist at all, anywhere.’
But – your last idea here is intriguing. Perhaps just another iteration of ‘randomness in the things we don’t quite understand,’ but perhaps not? I can see the deepest origins of our very thoughts as something with the potential for being truly random. Fascinating!
sgmartin
Nov 8th, 2009
If the randomness is just in the systems that are too complex for us to grasp, then is it randomness? Or, just a lack of our ability to understand it? If the latter, then randomness is reduced to how we explain the seemingly unexplainable.
Perhaps, depending on your perspective, either everything is random, or nothing is random; but, not some state between the two.
Just a thought.