On information, creativity, and free will

Prof. G: Morning! Did you make it to that panel discussion last night?

Prof. A: Morning! Yes, I did. It was fascinating; left me quite confused though.

Prof. G: Oh. How so?

Prof. A: There was a physicist on the panel who mentioned that according to a theory, the total amount of information in the universe is conserved.

Prof. G: So, information can neither be created nor destroyed?

Prof. A: That's what I understood from the discussion.

Prof. G: Well, I guess if mass and energy are conserved, information can be conserved as well. Why the confusion?

Prof. A: I was thinking about the implications. If information can neither be created nor destroyed, what does that say about creativity? Or free will? Life, the passage of time; everything is just a game of combinatorics. Isn't it?

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“The universe is computing its own destiny.” —James Gleick

On constants, variables, and the meaning of life

Prof. C: Hey, I was just wondering, have you ever thought about the meaning of life?

Prof. T: I think the meaning of life is a variable

Prof. C: You mean the meaning of life is variable, i.e., it can change over time?

Prof. T: That too. But also, it is like a variable in a programming language, or a mathematical model. When you simply declare the variable, it does not really have a meaningful value. It is only when you explicitly assign a value to the variable that it comes to mean something. I think you have to assign meaning to your life; it is not a universal constant.

Prof. C: That sounds complicated, and to be honest, a bit scary.

Prof. T: I know. It can be a blessing or a curse. We should choose wisely. We don't seem to put nearly as much thought into it as we should.

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"Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human." —Victor E. Frankl