Comment by jb1991
1 day ago
> The universe tends to produce self-replicating intelligence.
Which intelligence are you referring to? Other lifeforms in the universe?
1 day ago
> The universe tends to produce self-replicating intelligence.
Which intelligence are you referring to? Other lifeforms in the universe?
The parent comment has the end bit in a nut shell. For the "energy gradients" part:
Anthropic principal says we find ourselves in a universe that is just right for life (self observing) because of the right universal constants.
Combine this with the very slight differences but general uniformity (Cosmic Microwave Background) of the "big bang" this leads to localized differences in energy (on a universe scale). Energy differences allow "work to be done". If you have the right constants but no energy difference, you can't do work nor vice versa. No work == no life.
But you have both of those, and bunch more steps - you get life.
Which is a whole lot of mental leaps packed into one sentence.
[Edit]
I basically know nothing. I just watch PBS Space Time.
You have to steal energy and channel it to do work. In order to build your own moments of order and flux, you must typically create entropy in another ordered system.
Intelligence arises from the deliberate navigation of entropic gradients. Systems get increasingly good at harnessing these gradients. What was once just chemistry is now self-replicating, thinking chemistry. And now it's turning into purely intentional physics.
Infinite energy density becomes expansion into cooling galaxies which becomes stellar birthing grounds which becomes the periodic table that becomes planets with geochemical flux which becomes biogeochemical flux that becomes biochemistry which becomes self-replicating machines (life) that becomes animals that becomes humans that becomes intelligently designed self-replicating machines ... that becomes computronium ... becomes entities that harness the energy of black holes and that create new gravitational singularities ... ??? ... that creates new universes and new big bangs and new dimensions ... ???