About Lecture 6: God and Computer Science
| Authors | Knuth, Donald E. |
|---|---|
| Date | 2001 |
| Publisher | Center for the Study of Language and Information |
| Vol / Pages | pp. 167-206 |
Type: Book Section
Tags: analogy, Artificial intelligence, complexity, computers, Consciousness, Conway, determinism, Dirac, finitude, free will, God, graph theory, infinitesimal, infinity, large numbers, modeling, omniscience, prayer, programming, purpose, quantum physics, randomness, real numbers, surreal numbers
Abstract
This sixth and final lecture, with its question and answer session, is largely independent of the other five, and readers may find it the most interesting. It deals with several new perspectives by which concepts of computer science may shed light on difficult questions previously addressed by scientists in other fields. Computer science gives new concepts, analogies, and theories that may help us understand God. These abstract notions have intimate connections with God's role as creator and sustainer of the universe. Knuth introduces large finite numbers via his arrow notation and reflects on this (and infinity) with respect to God's abilities. He also discusses determinism and free will in the context of Conway's Game of Life. The implications of quantum physics are also discussed for computers and theology. [A, CJ]