Thursday, November 05, 2009

The mathematics of creation

God is the builder of everything (Hebrews 3:4).

Mathematics. Are they the basis for the universe, or is math a system that we have created to make sense of the world around us?

Recently, a scientist made news by arguing that the only thing real is math; everything we see is just a mental interpretation of equations. This argument is hardly new, but with computers and virtual reality so much a part of our lives, the idea is getting another look.

You’ve seen computer-generated special effects. Some of it looks obviously fake. But some computer animation can take your breath away; I still remember gasping in wonder at the first dinosaur shown in Jurassic Park, and the technology used to make that image is now more than 15 years out of date.

Computer animators create such images by writing mathematical equations. Math is the basis for all computer programming. Creating simple images like balls or boxes is easy; but it is very hard to simulate something that looks real. It’s difficult to simulate a tree with rough bark, twisted limbs, and sun-dappled leaves that sway in a gentle breeze. It’s hard to animate a falling object hitting the ground, because when something is not real, how do you calculate the shock of impact? And humans are the hardest of all to simulate, whether it be a face capable of subtle emotion, a hand that looks real, or a natural looking walk. It’s easy to computer-generate a house or a warplane or a robot; they don’t have to look organic or move as if alive.

The human brain is the most complex computer in existence. We can adapt to changing information, we can make intuitive leaps, and we can look at problems from multiple angles. No matter how realistic a computer-generated image is, most of us can tell a fake from reality. For all our mental ability, the math of organic shape and movement is too complex for us to duplicate and get right. It must take a brain far beyond our own to design the equations of our universe.

Which is why I can’t understand why anyone would believe in evolution. How could a universe like ours happen by accident? It you’ll excuse the pun, it just doesn’t add up!

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