Templetonian Mathematics

by tristero

This morning, I opened up the Times to find a full two page ad – we’re talking over 130,000 clams for that ad – from the John Templeton Foundation which asked the question that bedevils us all: Does The Universe Have A Purpose?

A professor of chemistry says No. An insane computer scientist named Gelertner says Yes. But in skimming through the answers in the paper and on the website, I was struck by an odd omission.

Despite assurances from our physicist friends that the language of the universe is Mathematics, not a single answer tried to express the purpose of the universe in math. Well, I decided to take up the challenge and after a tremendous amount of thought this morning, and the sacrifice of far too many innocent napkins and backs of envelopes, I finished my calculations and can happily report that, mathematically speaking, there is a Purpose (P) to the Universe. It is:

P = trB

Where:

t is the sum of the “quantities” F, S, and G(h) – which represent the members of the Holy Trinity;
r is equal to 2, the dual nature of reality (spirit plus matter); and
B is set to Bennett’s Constant.

I’m certain that more mathematically sophisticated people than myself can derive more subtle expressions of the Universe’s Purpose. But for a Sunday morning rough estimate, this seems pretty close.