What you suggest is wrong by definition. "Things in the universe that can be known" is equivalent to (or perhaps a superset of) "concepts". Now certainly, each element of the powersets you mention is a concept and is (in a hypothetical sense) knowable. So there we have as set of knowable things as large as you request. For an infinite set, considering knowing all the integers. Continue taking powersets of the integers to reach any cardinality you choose.
I assume the reason you didn't consider these concepts because they are quite worthless pieces of information.
Actually, the legal code is quite understandable if you actually bother to sit down and look at it. Maybe you should try.
You are right, however, in that it is rather complex. However, that is not without reason. It needs that level of complexity to properly carry out its function and protect who and what it was designed to protect. The simple statement heard so often, "the law is far more complex than it needs to be", is one made out of incredible ignorance.
You are making a common mistake concerning the meanings of "deterministic" and "chaotic". The behavior you describe (small differences in inputs causing potentially large differences in outputs) is that of a "non-linear" system. The compliment of that would be (unsurprisingly) a "linear system." A "deterministic" system is one in which the state at time t+1 is entirely determined by the state at time t. With the exception of quantum mechanics (in which random events do occur), the world is a deterministic system. It is also a "chaotic" system. Those two terms are not mutually exclusive. A chaotic system is one which never settles into a resting state or a simple pattern. "Chaotic" is closely tied to "non-linear", in that most chaotic systems are described by non-linear differential equations (or difference equations). However, differential equations are arguably the quintessential deterministic description, as they describe what is going to happen next as a function of the current state.
Slashdot Mirror
What you suggest is wrong by definition. "Things in the universe that can be known" is equivalent to (or perhaps a superset of) "concepts". Now certainly, each element of the powersets you mention is a concept and is (in a hypothetical sense) knowable. So there we have as set of knowable things as large as you request. For an infinite set, considering knowing all the integers. Continue taking powersets of the integers to reach any cardinality you choose. I assume the reason you didn't consider these concepts because they are quite worthless pieces of information.
Actually, the legal code is quite understandable if you actually bother to sit down and look at it. Maybe you should try. You are right, however, in that it is rather complex. However, that is not without reason. It needs that level of complexity to properly carry out its function and protect who and what it was designed to protect. The simple statement heard so often, "the law is far more complex than it needs to be", is one made out of incredible ignorance.
You are making a common mistake concerning the meanings of "deterministic" and "chaotic". The behavior you describe (small differences in inputs causing potentially large differences in outputs) is that of a "non-linear" system. The compliment of that would be (unsurprisingly) a "linear system." A "deterministic" system is one in which the state at time t+1 is entirely determined by the state at time t. With the exception of quantum mechanics (in which random events do occur), the world is a deterministic system. It is also a "chaotic" system. Those two terms are not mutually exclusive. A chaotic system is one which never settles into a resting state or a simple pattern. "Chaotic" is closely tied to "non-linear", in that most chaotic systems are described by non-linear differential equations (or difference equations). However, differential equations are arguably the quintessential deterministic description, as they describe what is going to happen next as a function of the current state.