The film “Secret Sunshine,” which won the Best Actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, is set in Miryang, a small city in South Korea with a population of just over 100,000. The name “Miryang” is familiar, but when written in Chinese characters, 密陽, it means “a place filled with sunlight.” However, as suggested by the protagonist Shin-ae (played by Jeon Do-yeon), the film uses another meaning of 密 (secret) to translate the title as “Secret Sunshine,” giving it a poetic twist. Shin-ae moves to Miryang, the city filled with memories of her late husband. There, she meets Jong-chan (played by Song Kang-ho). When asked by her brother from Seoul about what Miryang is like, Jong-chan replies, “It’s the same. It’s just like any other place. Life is the same everywhere.”
A Go board has 19 horizontal and 19 vertical lines, making a total of 361 points. The possible variations on the board require appending about 700 zeros to the number 1. If the 6.5 billion people on Earth each lived for more than 21,900 days, what would the possible variations in human life be like? Imagine observing human life from a place where you could see everything at once, just like looking at a Go board. If one day were a game of Go, how many possible variations would there be? Though Go and human life are not comparable in the same conditions, we can guess that the number of variations is vast. It’s said that no two Go games have ever been the same, and it’s even less likely that any one person’s life is the same as another’s. Unlike the constant Go board, the environment of the world has changed along with human life. So, is the world really that complicated?
Many people understand the idea that all places where people live are the same, as Song Kang-ho’s character suggests. This concept is known as fractal in complexity science, meaning a structure that repeats itself at every scale. Look at a tree branching out towards the sky; large branches create smaller branches, which then create even smaller twigs in a repeating pattern. Even the roots below the ground follow this pattern. Snowflakes are a well-known example of fractals; if you magnify a part of a snowflake, it resembles the whole. Fractals are used to mathematically interpret complex shapes, inspired by the coastline research of French mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot. In his 1967 paper, “How Long Is the Coast of Britain?” published in the journal Science, Mandelbrot stated that coastlines, despite their apparent complexity, repeat similar patterns at every scale, much like tree branches. He coined the term “fractal” from the Latin word “fractus,” meaning broken or fractured.
This phenomenon can be found in clouds, lightning, rivers, trees, frost patterns on windows, broken glass shards, and even smashed potato fragments. It’s not just in nature but also in human society and history. The idea that history repeats itself encompasses this fractal concept. Each era has its unique history, but the same patterns repeat over time. The stock market, seemingly unpredictable, follows certain cycles and patterns in the long run. This can be seen in Go games as well, where while no two games are identical, many follow similar patterns. So, if we sacrifice accuracy, we can assert that the world is made up of similar patterns and that similar lives repeat over time.
Although it’s still too early to explain all phenomena with one theory or understand the laws of operation, we can guess that the world operates on relatively simple principles. The fact that the universe is stable and life exists implies that it wasn’t randomly made. An airplane can’t fly if made haphazardly; it requires over 3 million parts assembled to meet many conditions, yet the principle is simple: it must be fast enough to overcome gravity. The universe’s existence and its current state are miraculous, regardless of whether it was created by a deity or occurred by chance. Even if the universe was created by chance, the conditions allowing its current state are precise and well-defined, suggesting simple and clear principles at work.
Martin Rees, in his book “Just Six Numbers,” argues that six numbers govern our universe. These numbers relate to gravitational force, atomic bonding, the expansion of the universe, and its dimensions. If any of these numbers were slightly different, nothing would be as it is now. Thanks to the sudden inflation right after the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago, numerous galaxies and stars formed, and our Earth emerged 4.6 billion years ago along with the Sun. This narrative is the backbone of modern cosmology. The six numbers Rees mentions are the necessary conditions for the universe’s current state.
Take gravity as an example. If gravity were stronger, the universe would have collapsed due to the excessive pull between planets. If it were weaker, planets of sufficient size might not have formed. Our universe continues to expand due to the energy from the Big Bang. This expansion, if too fast, would lead to an early demise; if too slow, the universe would remain immature. The balance between expansion energy and gravitational pull is why the universe exists in its current form and why life can thrive.
Martin Rees notes:
“Our universe, extending immensely far beyond our present horizon, may itself be just one member of a possibly infinite ensemble. This ‘multiverse’ concept, though speculative, is a natural extension of current cosmological theories, which gain credence because they account for things that we do observe. The physical laws and geometry could be different in other universes, and this offers a new perspective on the seemingly special values that the six numbers take in ours”
In simple terms, our universe might be one of the infinite many or one of the countless universes that have existed and happens to be ‘correctly’ balanced. If we call this phenomenon coincidence, then an infinite number of attempts must have been made for today’s universe to exist. Like a tornado in a junkyard accidentally assembling a working car, even seemingly impossible things can happen with infinite tries. For example, if infinite tornadoes blow, it becomes theoretically possible for a car to be assembled from old parts.
Besides the six numbers related to the universe, there are other conditions necessary for human survival. Bill Bryson, in his book “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” introduces additional survival conditions. One is the distance from the Sun; if the Earth were 1% farther or 15% closer, life might not have existed. The Moon is also crucial, stabilizing the Earth’s tilt and rotation, enabling long-term stable conditions for life.
Even if this miracle happened by chance and everything works well, it implies that clear principles exist. Without conditions, multiple answers can emerge, but with many conditions, the answers are limited. This is why the laws governing our world are presumed to be simple and clear. A simpler way to think about it is to assume a creator. If this universe was created by a creator, there would have been a blueprint in their mind, an intention for their creation, and operational principles in place.
Kirtley F. Mather, a former Harvard geologist, once said:
“We live in a universe based on law and order, not governed by chance or whim. The universe operates on rational principles, deserving the highest respect.”
Having laws and order doesn’t make the universe deterministic. We live in an uncertain universe. The smaller the scale, the greater the uncertainty. The laws of the universe may fundamentally be probabilistic. In the large scale, uncertainties are negligible, while in the microscopic world, they become significant. We might be missing details in the vast universe, seeing only averages, or the microscale’s complexity could arise from numerous interactions. All this suggests that we don’t fully understand everything.
Whether by chance or creation, humanity has sought to understand the principles of the universe. The universe here includes everything we need to know. The world is made of matter. Though invisible, energy or force also exists. Life, though made of matter, creates its own energy, making it special. Among living beings, humans are unique because they possess not only physical strength but also mental energy. Scientists have been grappling with these five aspects—matter, force, life, humans, and spirit. Through their achievements, we’ve learned much about the world. Though there’s still more unknown than known, we know enough to build our current prosperous society.
The world consists of millions of chemical substances, yet all are combinations of around 100 elements. These substances, known as molecules, are formed by the bonding of atoms. Only 92 types of atoms exist in nature. We know enough about these atoms, which are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These subatomic particles are made of quarks. Simple as it is, we can’t intuitively understand that an atom’s interior is mostly empty and that electrons move around like phantoms. Despite this, humanity has harnessed nuclear fusion and fission for energy. We are confident in the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter is neither created nor destroyed but conserved.
In addition to conservation of mass, we know about the laws of change. The source of change is force or energy. Matter itself can be considered a form of force. Mass itself is energy, as proven by Einstein’s famous E=mc². Today’s physicists recognize four fundamental forces: electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force, gravitational force, and weak nuclear force. Electromagnetic force combines electricity and magnetism. Gravitational force and electromagnetic force are familiar in daily life, such as gravity pulling an apple to the ground or planets orbiting the sun. The strong nuclear force binds protons and neutrons in the nucleus, overcoming their mutual repulsion. The weak nuclear force causes radioactive decay. These forces exist in nature, and one day, they might be unified. Today’s physicists explore beyond our four-dimensional space-time into an 11-dimensional world to prove this.
These forces follow laws, such as the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can change forms but the total amount remains constant. This law holds universally. When applied to human life, it becomes the law of causality, stating that every event or existence has a cause. This principle applies to life and thought, even without precise scientific measurement. All life must acquire energy to exist. Positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes, and effort is required for desired results.
The laws of force explain the world’s changes. Even when energy changes form, the total amount remains constant. For example, the energy used to burn gasoline equals the energy in the resulting exhaust gases. Though the energy is now in unusable form, it still exists, adhering to the law of conservation of energy. The second law of thermodynamics, or the law of increasing entropy, explains why energy becomes unusable. It states that systems move from order to disorder, increasing entropy. This results in the deterioration of structures and patterns over time. For example, burned gasoline leaves ‘energy waste’ that is unusable.
So, why do living beings seem to defy entropy, growing more organized? They work hard to counteract entropy’s effects. Spiders build webs, only to rebuild them. Similarly, humans must maintain and repair what they create. Like maintaining furniture to create a new atmosphere, we need energy to keep organizations alive. Scientists call this ‘organization.’
While intentional organization is evident, nature also self-organizes without intent. Trees grow and children mature without willpower. Life itself seems to defy entropy, with molecules forming cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. Crystals growing and hurricanes forming also show order arising from disorder. These phenomena don’t violate entropy; they occur because living beings receive external energy.
Ilya Prigogine, author of “Order Out of Chaos,” showed that systems far from equilibrium can absorb energy and stabilize into new structures. This concept means that ‘energy waste’ can help already ordered structures grow, as with plants using carbon dioxide. This balance of order and disorder at the ‘edge of chaos’ allows new organization. Scientists call this self-organization or self-assembly. The world’s changes arise from both entropy and self-organization, creating a cyclic structure.
Among these organizational processes, the self-organization of life might follow the law of evolution. This doesn’t refer to Darwinian evolution but to the idea that all living things adapt and change with their environment. The fact that seeds taken to space differ from those left on Earth supports this. China’s space breeding program has found new, superior plant varieties from seeds exposed to space’s unique conditions. These changes occur quickly, as organisms adapt to survive. In the survival competition, only those best suited to their environment survive, applying the law of survival of the fittest.
Natural laws apply to human life because we are part of nature. People seek laws unique to human life, but these must align with natural laws. For instance, a law of unchanging love must fit within natural laws to be effective.
About 150 years ago, Charles Darwin was intrigued by the peacock’s elaborate tail, which seemed detrimental to survival. He concluded that the tail was a tool for sexual competition, explaining animal mating behaviors. David M. Buss, in “Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind,” applies this theory to humans, viewing love, romance, and sex as strategies for survival and reproduction. Men seek quantity, while women seek quality, each adapting their strategies accordingly. If this is a natural law, a law of unchanging love must be based on it. However, even these laws may evolve with modern urban living.
Religion is similar. One reason people follow religion is to find peace of mind. While false religions might provide temporary peace, they can’t offer lasting tranquility because they deviate from truth. Lasting religions and ideologies must align with natural principles. Unfortunately, human laws aren’t as definitive as natural laws. While we can explain the past and present well, predicting the future remains challenging. For example, economic laws explain supply and demand well but struggle to predict future markets due to numerous variables. Evolutionary sociologists liken societal changes to coevolution in nature, where multiple species evolve together. Just as plants and insects coevolve, societies coevolve, constantly adapting together. We may sometimes need to be content with understanding the present, as future uncertainty is inevitable. However, scholars’ efforts allow us to explain much of the complex world, making it understandable despite its complexity.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” ~ Albert Einstein
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