An Abstract of "The Foundations of Physical Reality"

If we look at the problem of understanding our universe, we realize that all we have to work with are sense impressions. As we know from familiar computer technology, all sense impressions, such as meter readings, sounds, images, verbal descriptions, etc. can all be represented by numbers. So the general problem of understanding our universe is the same as the general problem of understanding a big set of numbers. If we know nothing about these numbers, we can't say much about them specifically. But, as it turns out, we can discover some constraints on statistical patterns within supersets containing those numbers as a proper subset. Dick has discovered just such a constraint. He has proved that any such set of numbers whatsoever must conform to a particular differential equation which describes the behavior of the probability density of any rule which might describe some order present in subsets of the numbers. Dick then went on to solve his differential equation and discovered that the solutions matched familiar laws of physics that had been laboriously evolved by trial and error over the centuries in an attempt to find rules that match observed data. One philosophical implication of his discovery is that any universe which can be described, i.e. whose features can be communicated among people, can be interpreted in an entirely consistent manner which must conform to his equation, and thereby, must obey the laws of physics. God can do nothing to make that interpretation invalid.



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