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Kosta asked in Arts & HumanitiesPhilosophy · 1 decade ago

Limits of what infinity can produce.?

I've been wondering:

given that with infinite amount of time everything that could possibly happen in our universe and within the laws of physics will happen an infinite amount of time, if you leave a monkey in an empty space for infinity without a typewriter would it eventually type up Shakespeare. meaning, given an infinite amount of time can something like a typewriter come into existence from virtually nothing/ nothing. there is no real right answer as far as i am aware, i just want to hear your opinions and your logic behind them.

Update:

the 2nd time is meant to be *times*

Update 2:

I like to respond to certain answers once in a while, so here it goes.

L LAWLIET: I'm not saying anything imaginable will happen, but if there is any set of events that can lead to a certain outcome, those events will happen.

Houston, we have a problem: You have to look on a larger scale, contrary to what you were taught in 8th grade science, matter is created and destroyed, eventually more atoms and other particles of matter will form and some will degrade.

MonkLovn: Your answer was complete gibberish, at first it took the appearance of addressing the question but it didn't answer it in any way and then you just go blabbering on about some other unrelated basic things.

Josh Alfred: Well sure it doesn't have to go from nothing to something, but my question is do you think that it can? not a great answer but the best out of the ones so far.

5 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favourite answer

    For infinity to produce something, it doesn't need to bring about nothing --> something. Rather it uses itself as a way to produce possibilities. Limits? What can be done, in this amount of time? That is to say possibility is limited by output of creativity (a force) within in time.

  • 1 decade ago

    I don't think your thinking big enough if your thinking about monkeys thinking.

    Just because something is infinite does not mean everything that can possibly be created will be. There is a bigger picture in which nothingness is the most important concept. Without nothing, you can't have anything. Without space, you can't have matter. Without room, you can't have nothing.

    I like to think the universe is actually indistinguishably finite in the sense that there is no telling where the end is. What I mean is that we can estimate the size of a particle, or a cell, or a molecule to e to the whatever power it is. But really when you get to the absolute detail, its exact size goes on for infinity. There are so many scales of size that its nearly incomprehensible. What I'm trying to get at is that you can use imagination to blow up the size of an atom and the contents inside. The contents inside are infinitely small. (the content of the content of the content inside of an atom which is the part of an element or whatever.) Then reverse and think from the perspective of the smallest insect on your lawn. That lawn might as well be North America. Then think from the perspective of a human. Then the perspective of a long-distance bird. Then the perspective of our planet. then our solar system. Then our galaxy. Then our universe. What if our universe is just a "molecule" to something else. Maybe the universe is an inconceivably small part of some kind of intelligent entity. We got uncountable living cells in our body don't we?

    And who says our thoughts do not contain a "space"? they could just be of another dimension in which we communicate our thoughts in. thoughts that infinitely and unanimously designs without restraint. There are probably infinite amount of dimensions which we walk through on a daily basis and will never know about.

    edit:

    (and repeat)

    I don't think your thinking big enough if your thinking about monkeys thinking.

    The very last part about thoughts answers all that you need to know about your question. Just because you thought of it means that your little scenario of a monkey creating shakespeare has come into existence. It did happen. Along with the infinite stream of thoughts that other people have.

    Source(s): To aid in some perspective thinking, read the description for this mandelbrot before you watch the video http://vimeo.com/1908224
  • - Even infinite time is limited by the amount of raw material. Imagine, for example, that the universe consisted of two atoms. Infinite time will not create a monkey or typewriter from two atoms.

    Clearly, the universe has enough matter to construct very elaborate structures. But unless the substance of the universe is also infinite, the maximum complexity that infinite time can present does have a limit.

  • ?
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    well a typewriter can theoretically come onto existence from nothing the odds of a Monkey staying still until it happens is very unlikely. back to your question everything can happen and everything might not, because some things are and somethings are not, you cant have everything is, nothing isnt because then wed have all types of crazy **** we dont want around like giant dancing ants with top hats and a monacle. hope that clears up your confusion :). and thats all i have to say about that

  • ?
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    I don't believe that anything can just poof into existence without an outside influence.

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