Editing 2666: Universe Price Tiers
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | Philosophers have posed many questions in trying to understand the nature of the universe. Some of these have become well-known in popular culture; while some are deliberately open-ended, several others are presented as a choice between two or more options and are assumed to have a single answer, the debate being about which is correct. In this comic, Randall proposes that the answers to these questions are instead not fixed, but vary according to a tiered {{w|subscription business model}}, as seen in many business pricing schemes, particularly in software. In this model, the no-cost tier gets you a universe experience of a lower quality, while at higher tiers better options are available for a cost - for example in the highest tier the processes of aging and death are "Opt-in" rather than "Mandatory". It is not clear from the comic who is supposed to be paying these subscription fees, or to whom they are paid (presumably the developers or maintainers of the universe, or the {{w|Simulation hypothesis|hypothesized simulation thereof}}), or whose experience of the universe is supposed to be affected. | + | {{incomplete|Created by a SOWN WIND - Explained the main point, more details needed. Please change this comment when editing the page . Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | Philosophers have posed many questions in trying to understand the nature of the universe. Some of these have become well-known in popular culture; while some are deliberately open-ended, several others are presented as a choice between two or more options, and are assumed to have a single answer, the debate being about which is correct. In this comic, Randall proposes that the answers to these questions are instead not fixed, but vary according to a tiered {{w|subscription business model}}, as seen in many business pricing schemes, particularly in software. In this model, the no-cost tier gets you a universe experience of a lower quality, while at higher tiers better options are available for a cost - for example in the highest tier the processes of aging and death are "Opt-in" rather than "Mandatory". It is not clear from the comic who is supposed to be paying these subscription fees, or to whom they are paid (presumably the developers or maintainers of the universe, or the {{w|Simulation hypothesis|hypothesized simulation thereof}}), or whose experience of the universe is supposed to be affected. | ||
− | The universe does not have a subscription model,{{ | + | The universe does not have a subscription model,{{Citation needed}} but on the chart some of the categories that refer to observable properties such as the speed limit or existence of the {{w|Uncertainty Principle}} indicate ours is the Universe Standard® subscription. Other specificied settings may not entirely match our user experience. Possibly a high-tier installation has the option to restrict itself to selected lower-tier behaviours, if it is considered more useful. |
− | The title text refers to the concept of {{w|T-symmetry}} in physical laws. Most properties of our universe are asymmetric, meaning that the property changes if time is reversed (e.g. the entropy of the universe decreases as time flows | + | The title text refers to the concept of {{w|T-symmetry}} in physical laws. Most properties of our universe are asymmetric, meaning that the property changes if time is reversed (e.g. the entropy of the universe decreases as time flows backwards). Randall again makes a reference to software subscription models in a play on words as the Universe Pro®™ sub appears to have laws that maintain "backwards compatibility". |
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{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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! Free will or determinism | ! Free will or determinism | ||
− | | Determinism || Free will || Free will || {{w|Determinism}} is the belief that all events and actions are predetermined by the conditions that they arise from, including the part played by our own interactions. This does not imply that such predetermined results are at all predictable, due to the potentially {{w|Butterfly effect|chaotic}} way they may play out, but it implies that personal intentions do not | + | | Determinism || Free will || Free will || {{w|Determinism}} is the belief that all events and actions are predetermined by the conditions that they arise from, including the part played by our own interactions. This does not imply that such predetermined results are at all predictable, due to the potentially {{w|Butterfly effect|chaotic}} way they may play out, but it implies that personal intentions do not change the future at all and merely form a part of the path of inevitability through the chain of causes and effects. |
Such a worldview is countered by the concept of {{w|Free will}}, where some element of consciousness (and thus probably an {{w|Quantum indeterminacy|indeterministic element}} of the universe within which the conscious minds exist) is not absolutely bound by any such rules as set out by the most precise level of physics and/or any {{w|Creator deity|gods}} who were involved. | Such a worldview is countered by the concept of {{w|Free will}}, where some element of consciousness (and thus probably an {{w|Quantum indeterminacy|indeterministic element}} of the universe within which the conscious minds exist) is not absolutely bound by any such rules as set out by the most precise level of physics and/or any {{w|Creator deity|gods}} who were involved. | ||
− | It is interesting that the paid-for versions of the universe are the only ones to include free will, implying that either such quality is an inherently desirable feature or that it is a necessary requirement of some other feature in the paid plan (such as, for instance, the dice-playing mentioned below). As the term "free will" can mean a variety of things, this is partly why it exists as the subject of many debates; here, it may mean "randomness", which the current understanding of quantum physics suggests does exist in this universe. | + | It is interesting that the paid-for versions of the universe are the only ones to include free will, implying that either such a quality is an inherently desirable feature or else that it is a necessary requirement of some other feature in the paid plan (such as, for instance, the dice-playing mentioned below). As the term "free will" can mean a variety of things, this is partly why it exists as the subject of many debates; here, it may mean "randomness", which the current understanding of quantum physics suggests does exist in this universe. |
|- | |- | ||
! Cosmic speed limit | ! Cosmic speed limit | ||
− | | 65 mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited || The Cosmic speed limit refers to the {{w|speed of light}}, which rounds to 300,000 kilometers per second in our particular universe, one of the few definite clues as to which tier we might exist in. Of course | + | | 65 mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited || The Cosmic speed limit refers to the {{w|speed of light}}, which rounds to 300,000 kilometers per second in our particular universe, one of the few definite clues as to which tier we might exist in. Of course the basic joke is conflating that with a vehicular {{w|speed limit}}, typically 65 mph (105 km/h) on U.S. highways. Living in a universe with a 65 mph speed limit would render many aspects of experience unrecognizable from our own; assuming the speed of light and thus all relativistic effects were similarly scaled, the act of driving at highway speeds would result in [http://gamelab.mit.edu/games/a-slower-speed-of-light/ human-observable] time dilation and apparent spatial distortion. The {{w|special relativity}} consequences of a low speed of light are explored in one chapter of George Gamow's {{w|Mr Tompkins}}; in Mr Tompkins' dream, the speed of light is approximately 10 mph. The idea of having a speed cap is reminiscent of computer simulations and game engines, which often prevent agents from accelerating beyond a certain point to prevent unintended behavior. |
|- | |- | ||
! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear... | ! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear... | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! Aging and death | ! Aging and death | ||
− | | Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in || | + | | Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in || If this is a mere option, we clearly haven't read (or understood) the online manual or perhaps read the tool-tips. |
|- | |- | ||
! Does god play dice with the universe? | ! Does god play dice with the universe? | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! Bad things... | ! Bad things... | ||
− | | Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen || Relates to whether there is justice, compassion or fairness in the universe, where good and bad events often seem uncorrelated with whether people morally deserve them. In theological arguments, this debate is intimately connected with theodicy (the problem of how a benevolent god could create a world that contains evil), but like the existence of free will it is hotly debated in non-theological contexts as well. Randall suggests that the situation in a lower-tier universe is even worse, and interestingly that there is no tier where bad things only happen to bad people | + | | Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen || Relates to whether there is justice, compassion or fairness in the universe, where good and bad events often seem uncorrelated with whether people morally deserve them. In theological arguments, this debate is intimately connected with theodicy (the problem of how a benevolent god could create a world that contains evil), but like the existence of free will it is hotly debated in non-theological contexts as well. Randall suggests that the situation in a lower-tier universe is even worse, and interestingly that there is no tier where bad things only happen to bad people. |
|- | |- | ||
! What happens to those who sow the wind | ! What happens to those who sow the wind | ||
− | | Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere || This is a reference to the famous phrase "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind", taken from | + | | Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere || This is a reference to the famous phrase "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind", taken from Hosea 8:7. The phrase means that those who do evil without thought to the consequences will receive punishment. However, in Universe Pro®™, nothing bad happens to anyone, which excludes the possibility of the "whirlwind". This implies that it is possible to ''literally'' sow wind (in the farming sense) in the Pro version, which apparently translates to growing crops in a vastly wider range than normal. |
|} | |} | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | {| class="wikitable" | |
− | + | |- | |
− | Universe Lite™ | + | ! !! Universe Lite™ !! Universe Standard® !! Universe Pro®™ |
− | + | |- | |
− | Price | + | ! Price |
− | + | | Free || $14.95/month || $49.95/month | |
− | Ads | + | |- |
− | + | ! Ads | |
− | Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin | + | | Yes || Yes || No |
− | 64, | + | |- |
− | + | ! Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin | |
− | Free will or determinism | + | | 4 || 64 || 4,096 |
− | will | + | |- |
− | + | ! Free will or determinism | |
− | Cosmic speed limit | + | | Determinism || Free will || Free will |
− | + | |- | |
− | If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to | + | ! Cosmic speed limit |
− | hear... | + | | 65mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited |
− | + | |- | |
− | Meaning of Life | + | ! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear... |
− | explained | + | | No sound || Simple beep || Full sound |
− | + | |- | |
− | Sound of one hand clapping | + | ! Meaning of Life |
− | + | | Unknowable || Uncertain || Clearly explained | |
− | Aging and death | + | |- |
− | + | ! Sound of one hand clapping | |
− | Does god play dice with the universe? | + | | [None] || [None] || ''Kazzap!'' |
− | cheats | + | |- |
− | + | ! Aging and death | |
− | Bad things... | + | | Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in |
− | good and bad people | + | |- |
− | + | ! Does god play dice with the universe? | |
− | What happens to those who sow the wind | + | | Yes, and he cheats || Yes || No |
− | whirlwind | + | |- |
− | + | ! Bad things... | |
+ | | Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! What happens to those who sow the wind | ||
+ | | Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere | ||
+ | |} | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
[[Category: Philosophy]] | [[Category: Philosophy]] | ||
[[Category: Religion]] | [[Category: Religion]] |