Maximum Entropy and the Bible
WARNING - This is tough mathematical/physics topic.
The idea behind maximum entropy is fairly simple -- don't make assumptions, any assumptions, about data that you don't have. For instance, if you flip a coin three times, and get three heads in a row, what can you say about the fairness of the coin? You clearly can't say that it is a two headed coin, because that would be an assumption about the next several flips. Now if you get 100 heads in a row, you have a lot more information, and you might be ready to take that leap.
On to the Bible. Let's take the story of Adam and Eve. Bible critics are quick to point out that based on our knowledge of genetics, there could not have been only one man and one woman, therefore, the Bible cannot be without error. But where in the Bible does it say that God only created one man and one woman? You see, if you are going to take the Bible literally (which, by the way, I don't think it should be, but more on this tomorrow), you have to recognize that the Bible doesn't tell you everything that happened. If you make assumptions about occurrences not related, you will get different interpretations, which will most likely be incorrect (entropy again).
For the curious, entropy is a measure of disorder. I have a few children whose rooms have lot's of entropy! If you make assumptions about information you don't have, you limit the amount of alternative occurrences outside the related story, and thus have a lower information entropy (a more ordered story) than one with the uncertainty. Detective stories take extreme advantage of this principle, as the detective usually keeps an open mind about facts he/she hasn't got evidence for.
The idea behind maximum entropy is fairly simple -- don't make assumptions, any assumptions, about data that you don't have. For instance, if you flip a coin three times, and get three heads in a row, what can you say about the fairness of the coin? You clearly can't say that it is a two headed coin, because that would be an assumption about the next several flips. Now if you get 100 heads in a row, you have a lot more information, and you might be ready to take that leap.
On to the Bible. Let's take the story of Adam and Eve. Bible critics are quick to point out that based on our knowledge of genetics, there could not have been only one man and one woman, therefore, the Bible cannot be without error. But where in the Bible does it say that God only created one man and one woman? You see, if you are going to take the Bible literally (which, by the way, I don't think it should be, but more on this tomorrow), you have to recognize that the Bible doesn't tell you everything that happened. If you make assumptions about occurrences not related, you will get different interpretations, which will most likely be incorrect (entropy again).
For the curious, entropy is a measure of disorder. I have a few children whose rooms have lot's of entropy! If you make assumptions about information you don't have, you limit the amount of alternative occurrences outside the related story, and thus have a lower information entropy (a more ordered story) than one with the uncertainty. Detective stories take extreme advantage of this principle, as the detective usually keeps an open mind about facts he/she hasn't got evidence for.
posted by Phil Shea | 9:38 PM
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