Shannon and Religion

As a cultural anthropology major, Gleick's article didn't really do it for me. Kinda went over my head, I'll admit. But Turing and Shannon are incredible people, their stories and work were fascinating to learn.

I like the idea of information processing, how it can be seen as a function, and how we can then put this concept onto religions - religions are information processors. Shannon talks of uncertainty, in a way that is similar to the religious 'basing on faith'. This leap of faith has always interested and perplexed me. I was not raised religious but I do live in the Bible Belt of America, South Carolina. All my friends were church goers, mainly Southern Baptists and they relied heavily on faith. They accepted that things in life are uncertain and instead of looking for answers and solutions, they just believed. To this day I can't personally accept that. Like Shannon mused, information is uncertain, there are things we won't know but I cannot put that faith through uncertainty into the hands of a god or higher power.

And in some ways, scientists and religious leaders do search for answers, through math/science or through religious works and musings. In both fields there are those who accept and those who search. Religion can provide information and meaning to its followers as science can provide the same to its members. Religious texts and leaders, past and present, try to provide answers and give out information for the people to process. Some religions require that its followers process information all in a similar way while other religions are more lenient, more individually-based and leave information up to interpretation.

I may be a little biased in my view because the only religion I was raised around when I was a teenager was Unitarian Universalism. I enjoyed that it drew from all religions, was loosely based and formed for and by each individual. At the same time, I would call it a 'cherry-picking' religion. You take from here and there til you get what you want. There's an example of people who are searchers, as opposed to accepters.

"Are all numbers computable?" Are all religions computable? Complete? Consistent? Decidable?