Probability, The Hand of God

In the beginning was the mind and the mind was God

Uncertainty is the reason. Yes uncertainty is what proves God exists. Yes by definition, it does.

The mind tries to find reasons...patterns. It has been endowed, nay cursed, with the ability to think—to keep searching by default.

It takes what is given to it, by what it takes to be its five "senses", for reality. It defines reality that way. It tells that there is but only one way out of that reality—death.

Conquering that reality is not possible it says. The fate is decided by God. It has already been decided. And the proof of this unknown determinism is seemingly, the unpredictability.

Conquer the unpredictability and you are God! Nay! That would be nothing better than death. That would be mundaneness, to the level of a torture. So, conquer it, but only almost.

------------------------------------------

"...so class, to put in retrospect what was discussed today—

Probability is a pretty tricky thing. It tells you that there are certain "expected" quantities.

Why did those quantities have those values? Because certain things happened more often than others in the past. And of course from the name, you can see that these "expected quantities" in someway constitute a prediction of what is supposed to happen next.

Why? Good question, Max! I think that's because the world remains the same. The Laws of Physics do not change. Something guides all these things—only we haven't caught hold of the entire scheme of things, but there is surely a pattern, and the bigger lop-sided results will most probably, never mind the vicious cycle I am creating here, stay lop-sided results in the future."

(Author's note: the Prof is wrong, in a way)

------------------------------------------

Sports, to the level of exactitude our senses can record information, and the level to which our minds can reconcile themselves to the better accuracy of measuring instruments, both levels being almost absolutely perfect for the purpose, is an epitome of a rational world.

The unpredictability in this rational world comes from the unpredictability in the players. Conquering the unpredictability is in sports, winning.

But, as if to never question our faith in unpredictability, as if not to disturb our staunch belief in the possibility of probability being there to help us most of the times in the face of uncertainty, there come, only once in a while, the rate of their coming just enough and not trespassing the threshold beyond which the belief could be shaken,  players who seem to control their own fate on the battle-ground to seemingly unattainable levels—yes "conquer, but only almost."

We always believe there is another God—a God not human.

At the same time, in addition to announcing certain players as the best so far, as if in mockery of the causality that enslaves us, we predict that there would be no better, the prediction, a result of our misguided obsession with the patterns that our mind has us believe from the probability it perceives.

Oxymoronic, since the causality that we mock at, is a creation of the God whose supremacy we, in some way, are confirming by anointing a Greatest Ever who is only almost supreme.

------------------------------------------

"Ladies and Gentlemen...today he again proved to us that his fore-hand is the best ever.

His ability to read the game was as inhuman as it has ever been. His movement had that extra fluidity, and his backhand, the most beautiful athletic action ever, anywhere, everywhere!

A big hand to the unquestionable greatest of all time, on winning the sixth consecutive title here!"

------------------------------------------

The hand of God probably points at Federer for US Open 2009