The Human Anti-Human Dichotomy of Constraint Laws

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In optimal control theory, physical laws are often directly formulated as hard dynamical constraints. On the one hand, it fits well with the human view, but these natural constraints might have more oomph to them than mere convenient ways of summarizing the world. But that's not Laplace's demon. The universe sort of just mindlessly chugs along from moment to moment. That's not really very demonesque.

Welcome to the July 2023 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic.

We're experimenting with a new benefit for Patreon supporters: short video (or audio-only) reflections by me on the podcast that just happened. If you've been wondering whether to join up, this could be the time.

Blog post with questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/03/ama-july-2023/

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