Randomness, Diversity & Quantum Mechanics

[Sternwallow]

Yes, the original universe, if it was a singularity, was symmetrical with zero width. When it expanded it entered a random distribution phase that we can see in the cosmic background. There was no plan or design or algorithmic pattern to it, just randomness. Following that, as it expanded and cooled, the four forces of the apocalypse began segregating and arranging things so we get the cosmic spider web that is the universal galactic distribution. It is still random because the forces acting on the early random seed retain the randomness mostly. Today we look at the distribution of galaxies and stars and there is no order because none was introduced since the disorderly BB. There has surely been change in the universe just as randomly distributed water vapor under one set of constraints forms itself into randomly shaped clouds under a different sat of constraints. There is nothing working in the background here to fool us into thinking the patterns are random when they are not.

It is a little like a logic problem with many steps. If the axioms are not true, no amount of proper, logically perfect manipulation will come to a true conclusion. So, mathematically, starting with random data symmetrical operations continue to yield random results.

[Choobus]

I think we all basically agree.

[PanAtheist]

PanAtheist wrote

Reality is extremely diverse, and so it would make a lot of sense to me if randomness is a fundamental part of reality.

And so randomness built in to reality with quantum mechanics doesn't seem weird to me, it seems exactly right.

A physicist is saying exactly this, this week in the New Scientist.
(pg 14. It's all down to the roll of the dice, online here)

New Scientist wrote

"I'm saying that essentially everything in today's universe is the result of a long sequence of quantum coin tosses since the end of inflation," says Stephen Hsu of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Think of a leaf fluttering on a tree. You might think a breeze is responsible, triggered by heat dumped in the atmosphere by the sun, its source, the nuclear reactions in the solar core, and so on. "What I'm saying is that, when you go back far enough, to the ultimate cause of anything, it's a random quantum event, something which happened for no reason."

I should be a physicist!