i’m still reading a new kind of science. one concept that wolfram advocates is that of finite nature.

The basic idea is that of ‘Finite Nature’. There is some discussion of the exact meaning of this phrase; my preferred definition is, the proposition that a finite quantity of space/time, containing a finite amount of matter/energy, is capable (in principle) of being simulated EXACTLY using a finite amount of computing power on a Universal Turing Machine.
The implications of the Finite Nature concept are pretty far-reaching. Among other things, any physical principle that is presently theorized to be based on continuous functions of any kind, must be supposed to actually be an approximation of an underlying computational process. This reverses the normal relationship, where digital processes (such as CA’s, or generally any quantized matrix calculations such as those used in computational dynamics) are seen as approximations of an underlying, continuous reality.

although wolfram has his detractors, his book is highly inspirational. he certainly has done much to publicize the field of digital philosophy.

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