When I was in Cambridge reading mathematics, I went to Amsterdam for the International Mathematics Congress. There I saw M.C. Escher's fascinating work. That inspired me to try my hand at drawing such impossibilities.
Roger PenroseRead
Some people take the view that the universe is simply there, and it runs along - it's a bit as though it just sort of computes, and we happen by accident to find ourselves in this thing. I don't think that's a very fruitful or helpful way of looking at the universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that viewing the universe as a mere accident is unproductive and limiting.
Roger Penrose argues against the perspective that the universe is an accidental occurrence devoid of purpose or meaning. He emphasizes that this viewpoint is neither fruitful nor helpful, implying that a deeper understanding of the universe encourages a more significant exploration of its nature and our place within it.
Themes
UniverseMeaningPerspectivePurposeExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk on science and philosophy, you might quote this to encourage deeper thinking about existence.
More from Roger Penrose
All quotes →Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.
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Some years ago, I wrote a book called the Emperor’s New Mind and that book was describing a point of view I had about consciousness and why it was not something that comes about from complicated calculations.
Roger PenroseRead
I believe there is something going on in a conscious being, which includes many animals, as well as ourselves, that is not a computational activity. And to be conscious at all is not a quality that a computer as such will ever possess - no matter how complicated, no matter how well it plays chess or any of these things.
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Some people take the view that we happen by accident. I think that there is something much deeper, of which we have very little inkling at the moment.
Roger PenroseRead
The image of Stephen Hawking - who has died aged 76 - in his motorised wheelchair, with head contorted slightly to one side and hands crossed over to work the controls, caught the public imagination as a true symbol of the triumph of mind over matter.
Roger PenroseRead
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