I got into an argument with my professor last Monday about whether or not there is order in the world that is physically present, yet invisible. (For instance, the order of electrons, protons, and neutrons- this was present even before we had discovered it) The argument was based on Plato's The Republic, book VI. The other side of the argument, which I believe is the case, is that order is something we (humans) impose on the world. (electrons, protons and neutrons react and relate to each other, but they don't know they're called electrons, protons, and neutrons).

Honestly, I'm not even sure the above examples are relevant. All I know is I kept saying "Doesn't it seem obvious that when we categorize data, name it, change the names, change our expectations, our predictions, and our ideas, that this is us (humans) imposing order upon the world?" And he kept saying "Why? Why should it be, just because there is an incredibly large number of ways we can categorize things, that those categories, that order, isn't already present?"

I'm not sure if he thought I was saying "there is no order, only randomness" or if he thought the overall purpose or God would be thrown out if we admit we create our own order. I'm just not sure. I would have loved to discuss it with him. He gets so aggressive, so "prove it, prove it, prove it" that I end up crying. I guess my ideas mean a lot to me.

Anyway, I've gotten some great ideas in his classes over the years, and for that, I'm grateful. I'll have to share some more with you some time (if you won't yell at me). Ha!

One of my ideas is a dual way of looking at Darwin's Theory of Evolution (which I should probably read in its original form. Yikes!). One way, is looking at it like a process. A process of a few steps, that is set in motion, and achieves incredibly vast complexity. Start with a few amino acids, maybe some lightning, proceed with microbes, algae, etc. Each generation containing random modifications (mutations) and if they happen to enable that generation with longer life, or more reproductive capability, those modifications get passed on more often to even later generations. Everything combining, interacting, eating, reproducing. This process goes on and Bam! We have a world filled with an incredible variety of stuff, at nearly every point in time you look at it.

The other way I look at Darwin's Theory of Evolution, is more of a back-to-front way. I look at all the variety around us, and think of the theory as a label, an explanation. Something we can call all this life around us. Humans use labels and categories to more easily retain and process information. (my opinion) So here we have this world we're trying to make sense of, and there's stuff happening all around us, and we try to process it. We try to find the parts of it. But this is difficult, because we are a part also. Just as we can see a relatively small amount of things reacting to each other (salt and ice, for instance) there are larger, more complex things which react to each other. And larger, more complex things which react to smaller things, also (salt on a wound, for instance). So maybe it is the same things happening, the same process, the same stuff we have to put in a list somehow: everything combining, interacting, eating, reproducing. E-mailing.