Dominoes

Simple formal systems. Take a domino chain - this seems to appeal to my mind as a simple formal system. Each domino/cell is either standing or fallen (1/0) and has a direction (+/-). Its change of state determines the change of state of neighbouring dominos.

A chain reaction of falling dominos is like a program triggering logic gates in a computer or a chain of neurons firing in a neural net. The energy for gates come from the electrical potential difference, for neurons the ion concentration difference, and for dominoes the gravitational potential energy of standing them upright. Domions are single use, the other systems regenerate.

What interested me in the analogy was that domino is purely system without meaning. Formal systems are the same, but I can't get away from thinking about them in terms of the meaning of the symbols. It also raises the question of the physical versus the meaning. A computer may be running an emulator, which is running and emulator, nested a dozen times, of a simple program that adds 1+1. The computer chip, memory and buses will be buzzing with activity, the power drain will be high all for a simple calculation. Yet while we humans think of it as nested systems, that makes it undestandable to our minds, in reality it is just a flat non-hierarchical system of gates switching on and off and producing the final output of 2 - albeit by a very round about route.

How could anyone write that program as a flat system? It is virtually impossible. Only by building it up level by level can we humans do that. Maybe all these strange loops and hierarchies are "all in the mind" and there is a physical reality after all. But why can't the systems of energy, electricity and physics referred to not be just another level?

Shall think some more...

(this blog is a notepad to collect ideas which I can access from any internet point and not worry about it getting stolen!).