Does order exist in the universe?

Question

Or do we impose or infer order in our surroundings to better understand our experience? Or is there another possibility?

a_delphic_oracle: how can we know that order is external to ourselves? We experience it, but all experience is inherently subjective. We don't assume that our emotions exist apart from ourselves, so why do we assume that our concepts do? Essentially, how can we know that our experience is an accurate representation of reality?

maryam k: You don't observe any order whatsoever? Doesn't language itself appear ordered?

RB: I don't understand how it proves God. I like to think of a jar full of same-sized marbles: they order themselves in neat rows without being directed.

Sudy Nim: I agree that there appears to be order...I'm just wondering if the appearance of the order we observe is external to ourselves. I suppose it's unprofitable to assume that it isn't, since it's unprovable either way. It's the same way that, if we were in the Matrix, we couldn't know that we were, so why worry about it?

Dood: it DOES seem that way, doesn't it? Intuitively, it seems that there MUST be order, right? I mean, you can see it, others agree upon it...

J.P.: Wow...that's an interesting concept, and I like it a lot. Order is the native state of the universe, and entropy is the condition from which chaos arises, if I understand you correctly. We seem intuitively to assume the opposite, that it takes energy to create order, and the lack thereof results in chaos. Nice answer.

salient2: Ok, so back to my jar of same-sized marbles: let's assume that the jar and the marbles are both simple constructs. Where the two interact, order (or maybe complexity is a better word) arises locally due the number of variables being reduced by the properties of the two simple objects. Good answer, if a bit over my head.

Answer 1

The mathematically precise term is called kolmogorov complexity. The explaination that complexity arises from a more complex creator leads to infinite regression, and is illogical. The mathematically correct answer is that local complexity arises from simplicity through the action of selection effects upon variance.

The universe is simple, varied and incredibly large ( likely infinite ), but only in infintesimal regions of that reality can beings such as ourselves evolve. Those regions require high local complexity for our existence. But reality as a whole is simple.

Answer 2

order, chaos, and randomness are all just descriptions of entropic effects.

Order is a lack of entropy, randomness the abundance of entropy, and chaos is the transition between the two.

Entropy always increases, but if a process produces a lot of entropy, it can produce a small amount of lower entropy as well. For example, say that some water with sugar dissolved in it has 500 units of entropy (this is qualitative, not quantitative). When the water evaporates, it has 1000 units of entropy and the sugar crystals have 2 units of entropy. You've gone from 500 to 1002, but you'll notice your crystals have virtually no entropy at all. The gaseous water more than makes up for it.

Answer 3

Aside from my Catholic beliefs, I'm currently reading "A Briefer History of Time" by Stephen Hawking and I would have to say that from almost any angle..THERE IS order in the universe. There are laws (of physics) and orders to almost how everything's done/happen.

Answer 4

Yes there is order in the Universe.

Answer 5

God is all about order. Chaos is a myth.

Answer 6

Order exists, and it proves God.

Answer 7

How can you look at even the most simple form of life and ask that?

POSITIVELY!!!

Answer 8

i haven't seen any order in this world. its all made up.