One Plus One is Two and Rest Just Follows

 

A very small cause which escapes our notice determines a considerable effect that we cannot fail to see, and then we say that the effect is due to chance.” — Henri Poincaré

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar + AI

Summary: We think about the intricacies of life and death, meaning of existence, consciousness, an agency guiding the creation and evolution of the universe, but in the end it could all be as simple as some self-evident facts — limits on resources, randomness — having some inevitable consequences of far-reaching significance.

From on a few simple (or simply obvious), yet undeniable facts, inevitable outcomes arise that have the power to significantly influence the workings of the universe.

One simple fact is that energy as a resource, and available for consumption, is limited.

Living on the Earth’s surface, we rely on the Sun as our ultimate energy source. At the core of the Sun, the immense pressure from the outer gas layers pushing inwards increases the temperature and density sufficiently for two hydrogen nuclei to fuse into a helium atom. This fusion process releases energy, raising the temperature at the Sun’s core further to counterbalance the inward pressure of the gas.

Disregarding the complex physics of stellar processes, all that matters in the context of discussion here is that ultimately the energy produced by the Sun’s fusion process, which radiates outward and reaches Earth’s surface, is finite.

The finiteness of energy, being an undeniable fact, has far reaching consequences.

In an energy limited environment let us assume that biology exists. For now, let us leave behind the question of how biology came about and just assume that it is there.

Basic tenets of biology are a will to survive and to procreate. If either characteristic is not there we will not be talking about biological forms. There will be nothing to talk about because their existence will be ephemeral.

Survival and reproduction require energy. To secure energy, and to secure it better than the neighbor can, biological forms have evolved sensory mechanisms to gauge their environment. They also developed physical (mechanical) artifacts to procure energy and developed the chemistry necessary to convert the energy available in the environment they live in into the form that is suitable for them.

How did they managed to develop such mechanisms is because of one of the inevitable outcomes of the interaction between two simple facts — energy is limited and randomness. Whenever the two are together, an inevitable outcome that we are going to highlight below is going to happen.

Within biological forms random fluctuations in their physical, cognitive, psychological characteristics occur. This is because the process of procreation (or replication) is not perfect and during the process random errors creep in. Errors in gene replication are expressed as physical characteristics (the phenotype). Some phenotypes help secure more energy that is available in the environment, leading to better chances for survival and reproduction. Over generations, the habituation of the advantageous phenotypes leads to the emergence of a new species that is better fit for securing resources and has a better chance for continued survival.

That is the mechanism of natural selection.

The basic and undeniable facts that (a) resources in the environment are limited, and (b) the influence of randomness permeates, if biology is to exist, the inevitable consequence will be an arms race to secure resources and the principle of the survival of the fittest will emerge.

Once there, driven by the natural selection that prefers phenotypes that are better suited at securing energy available in the environment, has far reaching influence on how biology evolves.

Because of natural selection, starting from the biology of self-replicating molecules, a couple billion years later, here we are a biological form that has consciousness and has the agency to break the guardrails set by the process of natural selection that help it get there.

Put three facts together — a rudimentary biology in a resource limited environment where randomness in the replication process is expressed as phenotypes that help better secure available resources — the principle of natural selection has to emerge to take the rudimentary biological form on a stunning evolutionary journey of getting better and better at exploiting available resources that are sourced from the Sun.

That, in a nutshell, is the history of how we got here

In this process no external agent is required. There is no blueprint needed. There is no preconceived end goal in the mind of an agent.

There is no gardener out there with shears in hand pruning growth and giving it a form and a shape.

A form like you see in the manicured trees that line the boulevards and streets in European cities was never planned, and yet, there is beauty in what has evolved.

Repeat the process and start once again from rudimentary biology and the evolutionary trajectory will be different. The environmental conditions in which the evolutionary arms race is taking place could suddenly change and what was an advantageous phenotype may no longer be so.

We think about the intricacies of life and death, meaning of existence, consciousness, an agency guiding the creation and evolution of the universe, but in the end it could all be as simple as some self-evident facts — limits on resources, randomness — having some inevitable consequences of far-reaching significance.

Ciao, and thanks for reading.

Distorted Perceptions of Time

 

Time flies an arrow, and fruit flies like banana!

Arun Kumar

Arun Kumar + AI

Time warps strangely,
 like distorted reflections
 in a hall of mirrors.
 
 A month slips by in a blink,
 gone before it’s lived.
 
 Yet years in the past
 feel as though,
 between then and now,
 I have lived an eternity,
 wandering through
 folds of time.

There is indeed something distorted about the percepts of time.

With much fanfare, we celebrated the start of a new year and in a blink, it is already the month of February. If I were to say that the month of January just flew by, it would not be an overstatement.

The pace of time seems to depend on their proximity from the present. Moments that are close to now seem to pass quickly. On the other hand, years in the past (that are distant from now) seem to move at a much slower pace. It is similar to sitting on a train, where the electric poles adjacent to the track rapidly pass by, whereas the trees in the distance near the horizon move at a leisurely pace.

There is also a perception that those past years occurred in a different era. It feels as though centuries have passed between then and now, even though that is obviously not the case.

Reflecting on my high school years in 1972, approximately fifty years ago, I find it challenging to ascertain the significance of the notion of ’fifty years ago’. The passage of five decades does not evoke specific emotions or sentiments regarding its importance, or perhaps, its triviality.

Is ‘fifty years ago’ any different from ‘fifty-one years ago’? Or for that matter, is it any different than twenty or ten years ago? Is one weightier than the other? If they can have olfactory influence, will one smell stronger than the other?

What was I doing in the 365 days that were in the year that was ‘fifty years ago’?

I am uncertain about which adjective best describes the span of fifty years between then and now — whether it feels distant, recent, like it happened yesterday, or as though it occurred ages ago.

As time progresses, it seems that the life markers begin to merge into a single continuum. While individual days in the past week are still distinct and identifiable, those from two weeks ago require more effort to distinguish. Beyond two months, the concept of individual days essentially loses its meaning.

Individual months from the previous year may still retain their distinct identity, but even they tend to lose this distinction if they are part of a year that is more than a couple of years ago. Further back in time, even the specific years within a decade begin to blur together.

The phenomenon is like driving along a straight highway and observing milestones in a mirror. The ones recently passed remain distinguishable individually, whereas those located further down the road tend to merge into an indistinct blur.

Perhaps there are some markers for specific events that among the receding years stand taller — the birth of our child, passing away of parents, the visit to Grand Cayman — and can be discerned, but the distance for now still manages to erase details. For some of them, the exact year they occurred escapes.

It may be that my life is too monotonous, or perhaps the perceptions of time I have are not what others see. Alternatively, it could be that events, and their memories, are still there but do not stand out at a quick glance. Only through mindful reflection do the memories of individual events begin to emerge.

Percepts of time are like being in a hall of mirrors.

Ciao, and thanks for reading.

Before I rise from bed...

 

Each morning, before I rise from bed, if I remind myself of my mortality and recall that someday I will leave this world, unable to carry any possessions with me, the thought will render the baggage and the grudges I bear so utterly meaningless; free of those burdens, I might live a happier day.

Each morning before we get out of bed, if we remind ourselves…
...the world might be a happier place. 

The Irony of Short-Term Economic Pain

 

In the current US political landscape, where the wealthy elite don their suits and deliver impassioned speeches, a recurring theme is the promise of long-term prosperity through short-term pain.

This narrative is championed by figures like Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who assures us that reducing government spending will lead to a brighter future. Musk often speaks of “temporary hardship” as a necessary evil on the path to “long-term prosperity.” He assures us that the economic pain resulting from his cost-cutting proposals will be short-lived and ultimately beneficial.

The same message is echoed by President Trump. In a speech to Congress, he mentioned that there would be a “little [short-term] disturbance” from his plan to impose tariffs on billions of dollars in goods, but he confidently asserted that it wouldn’t be long before the larger benefits of tariffs set in.

As we listen to this rhetoric, one can’t help but marvel at the irony of such statements coming from those least likely to feel the sting of economic hardship. After all, what’s a little disturbance when you’re sitting on a mountain of wealth?

The irony here is palpable. Billionaires with resources beyond the reach of most people speak of economic pain as if it’s a minor inconvenience. Perhaps they imagine that the average person can simply dip into their vast reserves of wealth to weather the storm.

But let’s be real: the economic pain resulting from such policies is unlikely to affect billionaires in any meaningful way. Instead, it will be ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of these changes. The lower one is on the wealth ladder, the worse the pain of this “little disturbance” will be.

What’s missing from these statements is any mention of the wealthy offering their own resources to mitigate the pain felt by those most in need.

Imagine an alternate universe where billionaires put their money where their mouths are and used their wealth to support those struggling through the period of hardship. Instead of preaching about the virtues of short-term pain, they could provide tangible assistance to help people get through the tough times until the promised long-term benefits materialize.

So, the next time we hear billionaire politicians being poetic about the virtues of short-term pain, let us take a moment to appreciate the irony.

One more thought — since when anything in the future is assured to go certain way or is guaranteed to be a “little disturbance.”

Ciao, and thanks for reading.