You might think how are these few words anyway connected with each other. Thanks to a discussion in a Philosophical Group with Tina Donn & Roy Splitter a few interesting connects got discovered. Which I present you. Through this small article I intend to differentiate and connect them lucidly.
To better understand the terms let us consider each one of them in the principle of casualty (Causes precede events and results follow events). Additionally, to make the understanding better what we keep in mind is a 'System' - An arbitrary volume, which is operating on basis of dependency of individual elements on each other, thereby having a connectivity amongst all the elements of a system - directly or indirectly (through interdependent elements).
Inside System, 'Random' is that which has no identifiable patterns or a patterning/ordering cause behind it.
Out of a System, 'Random' is that whose cause is unintended. In view of the aforementioned, it becomes important to understand and define 'intent'.
Intent is perception of action(s) needed for a known/desired output.
In a chain-like reaction - this further requires defining of perception & desire. I have tried to define desire keeping in mind primordial conditions.
"Desire is the cause of a result that is reproducible or avoidable".
Reproducibility is of critical importance. Often, the first thought that comes to mind in explanation of the word 'desire' - is something good and positive. Good and positive are matters of perception, while desire is a result of perception. So this becomes more like a chicken-&-egg situation - desire comes from things we perceive, and perception requires desire.
The first cause of statistics is to observe whether there is repetition. In primordial conditions repetition seems to be the first and most easily registered statistical consequence.
The next challenge is how to observe repetition, since observing repetitions or any other patterns requires inception of information & storage of it. Information & its storage starts with registry, while registry happens from events that start to leave a trail behind them - which is repetition.
Therefore, the reverse order provides my view on birth of intent. Repetition with trail was followed by registry, this gave way to inception & then storage of information. This gave rise to perception and desire. Once there was perception & desire, with knowledge of repetition, intent became a natural consequence.
Now since we have defined randomness as absence of intent, there could be no way to register repetition or patterns in random events or register or generate information from it.
Randomness can be generated. Which means a non-random cause can create a random event or a non random event can result into a random result. Randomness is as much subject to laws of nature and physics as is non-random; only that they lack intent and patterns and generation of information.
In randomness the action has no design - in other words there is no preferred output.
Randomness can be in causes, in events and in results independently.
Spontaneous events are those which are driven by the energy of the system.
Random events or randomness along with lack of information generation, is the measure of spontaneity.
Spontaneous processes are those, where the randomness of events in an open system decreases.
Nature, when left, without intervention, works in a spontaneous manner.
Indeterminate is that which at some specific point of time cannot be determined. Indetermination is of two kinds - Theoretical & Practical. 'Theoretical Indetermination' is that which is neither determinate today nor shall it be ever, even if we had whatsoever equipment needed at our disposal in future. An example is- simultaneous knowledge of position & velocity of a particle under observation. 'Practical Indetermination' happens for lack of technological capability, although theoretically it may be determinable. Throwing handful of sand and extrapolating the position at which each particle will land is a good example of 'Practical Indetermination'.
Randomness, therefore has another important attribute - its status at any specific moment is theoretically indeterminate.
Now comes the most important part - what about those events whose status is practically indeterminate. Such events and processes are often referred to be random for our convenience. In reality they are not random. Its just that since they are practically indeterminate, we decide to refer them as random. We can call such events Pseudo-Random. Pseudo-random events become determinate as soon as technology is developed to study & determine them. Both randomness and in consequence indetermination are not binary - they have degrees/amplitude/intensity. Therefore, events which start as random & hence indeterminate, if spontaneous, reduce in randomness and eventually become determinate and non-random. But there is no specific point at which they can be called determinate or non-random. This is so because the degree or amplitude or intensity of the randomness of the events is 'Probability'.
Probability is study of chances for an event to occur. Probabilistic approach is critical in quantum study as everything becomes probabilistic. What is important to understand is that probability is not a process like spontaneity, or an attribute of a process like randomness, intent or desire. It is a study or a methodology to understand the quantum world around us. Probability helped mankind to deal with Randomness. Therefore, random & indeterminate events and processes remain random & indeterminate (to varying extend of their probability) till the probability becomes one that is - the random process is no more random but is fully determinate.
Summarily, Reproducibility, Information, Perception, Desire, Intent, Spontaneity, Randomness, Indetermination and probabilistic can be understood & linked as under:
Events that leave a 'Trail' generate 'Registry'. Trail with registry creates storage & other primordial forms of memory & information. Information & storage create statistics & possibility of detecting reproducibility.
'Perception' was born from this reproducibility & information. 'Desire' was born as a cause of a result that is reproducible. As the world got more and more complicated with higher forms of information & storage mechanisms, 'Intent' was borne, as a perception of action(s) needed for a known/desired output. Since not all events left a trail, acquired a registry and hence information & storage & desire & perception & intent; those left without intent & were indeterminate were left random. Spontaneity got introduced by laws of physics (entropy). Since randomness & indetermination were not binary (yes/no) probability was introduced to understand how random they are.
This article is furtherance of my earlier article on 'Consciousness' available on my blog & in my book 'Transformers' in which consciousness was defined as
"the capability to interpret changes, that is - sense and influence/alter & intent to influence/alter one’s internal and external environment/ambience for various reasons but with at least one of the below mentioned three aims being ubiquitously there:
(i) survival of oneself or
(ii) to resist one’s de-classification as a resource or
(iii) survival of the ‘capability to interpret’ in those cases where survival of oneself is not possible for whatsoever reasons."
'Intent' is a critical element in consciousness but was left undetermined in the aforementioned article on consciousness. This article provides a further microscopic view of intent taking the concept of consciousness deeper to fundamental blocks of information, statistics and reproducibility.
The provocation to think deeper and somehow resolve the issue of intent happened thanks to the facebook discussion with friends Tina Donn & Roy Splitter. To them is dedicated this article.