Why the universe appears mathematical should be no surprise.

Suppose the universe is a computer U (which could include quantum-, bio-, and/or hyper-computational capabilities). A scientist attempts to reverse engineer some part P of the universe. What is produced by the scientist is a separate computer C that models the observations—inputs/outputs—of P. But C is not P. P could consist of a different (unknown) architecture/programming than what C is made of. (Also, another scientist may produce a computer D that works as well as C in modeling the i/o of P.) But since C and U—of which P is a part—are both computers, that the universe appears mathematical comes as no surprise.

Programmaticalism

“What difference does it make if pragmatism is centered on language or experience?"

European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy
Symposia. Language or Experience:
Charting Pragmatism’s Course for the 21st Century
Editor: David L. Hildebrand (University of Colorado)
PDF: EJPAP, 2014, Volume 6, Number 2

Computationalism is typically meant to be limited to Turing machine formulations and digital physics. Programmaticalism subsumes computationalism by encompassing all programming languages for all domains (including potentially super-recursive/hyper-computational ones) that can be experienced. With programmaticalism, the linguistic (computational) and the non-linguistic (physical) side are in balance.

The Programmatical⇔Physical Universe

Programmatical⇔Physical


means


all programs have a physical form
+
all physical entities have a programmatical nature.

All programs have a physical form: glyphs on paper, pixels on screen, magnetic orientations on hard drive, capacitances in memory—of computers or brains. New (unconventional) programs are made of biomolecular, photonic, quantum materials.

All physical entities have a programmatic nature: Everything can be reverse engineered into an expression of some (domain-specific) programming language.


The physical and the programmatical is a type of anti-platonist*, yin and yang dualism from Chinese philosophy: the non-linguistic and the linguistic aspects of reality.


* Abstractions exist in the constructive (computational) sense, not in the idealistic (philosophical) sense. The programmatical and the physical supervene on each other!

Synthetic robots

The object code of conscious robots will (likely) be composed of actual biochemical materials — certain chemical interactions are needed for awareness and consciousness. In other words, the synthetic biology and biological (domain-specific) programming approach to AI is in the roadmap to making a conscious robot.


refs:

What can Synthetic Biology offer to (Embodied) Artificial Intelligence?
- philevents.org/event/show/13736
- plluisi.org/ecal2013/SB-AI_satellite_ecal2013.htm

Special issue on What Synthetic Biology can offer to Artificial Intelligence