Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
The Limits of Algorithms

The Limits of Algorithms

Last updated on: November 21, 2025 at 6:00 am by Gene Veith

0 Comments

The Limits of Algorithms 2025-11-16T17:28:08-05:00 Gene Veith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We now have mathematical proof that the universe is not just a computer simulation. That’s the media takeaway from an important physics paper by an international team of mathematicians and physicists.

But what they have proven has implications far beyond the Matrix movies and the scientists who have proposed that science fiction scenario as an actual possibility. It also asserts the impossibility of finding a “theory of everything,” suggests the limits of AI, raises questions about the validity of computer simulations, and gives us a glimpse of a so-called “Platonic realm” that underlies all reality.

Let’s let a British tabloid explain this for all us non-mathematicians and non-physicists, and then we’ll work our way up to a Physics journal and the original article. From William Hunter, science and technology reporter for the Daily Mail, in his story Are we living in a simulation? Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is the ultimate computer:

The fundamental nature of reality operates in a way that can never be replicated by pure computation. . . .

Co-author Dr Francesco Marino, of the Italian National Institute of Optics, told Daily Mail: ‘We have shown that a fully algorithmic description of the Universe is impossible.

‘Any simulation, by definition, runs on a set of programmed rules or algorithms that determine how things behave step by step.

‘A simulated world could only mimic the algorithmic parts of reality, but would always fail to include those deeper, non-algorithmic truths.’

Here is an overview of how these researchers proved that:

The researchers use several mathematical theorems to show that you can’t just use computation to get a complete and consistent description of the world.

To put that simply, even if you knew everything there was to know about this world of pure information, there would still be things about the universe you couldn’t work out.

This might seem very strange, but it is actually something that mathematicians have suggested for a very long time.

All the way back in the 1930s, a mathematician named Kurt Gödel proved that there were statements about numbers that we knew were true but could never prove.

It isn’t that we haven’t found these proofs yet or that we just haven’t been trying hard enough; rather, it is mathematically impossible to prove some true facts about the world.

The researchers say the fact that there are these ‘Gödelian truths’ is proof that a full description of the universe requires something called ‘non-algorithmic understanding’. . . .

Dr Faizal says: ‘Drawing on mathematical theorems related to incompleteness and indefinability, we demonstrate that a fully consistent and complete description of reality cannot be achieved through computation alone.

‘It requires non-algorithmic understanding, which by definition is beyond algorithmic computation and therefore cannot be simulated. Hence, this universe cannot be a simulation.’

Let’s turn to a physics site, Phys.org, where Patty Wellborn has written her take on the findings in Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation. She gives some critical background that indicates a radical shift in worldview that is now accepted by scientists:

The research hinges on a fascinating property of reality itself. Modern physics has moved far beyond Newton’s tangible “stuff” bouncing around in space. Einstein’s theory of relativity replaced Newtonian mechanics. Quantum mechanics transformed our understanding again. Today’s cutting-edge theory—quantum gravity—suggests that even space and time aren’t fundamental. They emerge from something deeper: pure information.

This information exists in what physicists call a Platonic realm—a mathematical foundation more real than the physical universe we experience. It’s from this realm that space and time themselves emerge.

A Platonic realm? Why not call this what Augustine did: the mind of God?

This foundation of existence cannot be fully described by mathematics.

“Drawing on mathematical theorems related to incompleteness and indefinability, we demonstrate that a fully consistent and complete description of reality cannot be achieved through computation alone,” Dr. Faizal explains. “It requires non-algorithmic understanding, which by definition is beyond algorithmic computation and therefore cannot be simulated. Hence, this universe cannot be a simulation.”

More importantly, this insight shoots down what physicists have long been searching for: a theory of everything.

Co-author Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss says this research has profound implications. “The fundamental laws of physics cannot be contained within space and time, because they generate them. It has long been hoped, however, that a truly fundamental theory of everything could eventually describe all physical phenomena through computations grounded in these laws. Yet we have demonstrated that this is not possible. A complete and consistent description of reality requires something deeper—a form of understanding known as non-algorithmic understanding.”

It also raises questions about computer simulations in general:

The team’s conclusion is clear and marks an important scientific achievement, says Dr. Faizal.

“Any simulation is inherently algorithmic—it must follow programmed rules,” he says. “But since the fundamental level of reality is based on non-algorithmic understanding, the universe cannot be, and could never be, a simulation.”

Right, the universe can’t be a simulation. But I would think this would also at least raise questions about computer simulations in general, which have become a staple of much of today’s scientific research, using computer modeling–inputting data and applying algorithms–to extrapolate conclusions (as in predictions about climate change).

And if there are limits to what algorithms can do, that surely means that the capabilities of AI, which is entirely based on algorithms, are also limited. It is already being recognized that much about the human mind–such as intuition, imagination, emotional perception, consciousness, conscience, and creativity–is non-computational.

The superpowers hyped for AI–that it will make new scientific discoveries, that it will attain human-like consciousness, that it will become greater than the human mind, to the point of becoming super-intelligent and omniscient–would seem to be as impossible as the universe being a computer simulation.

FUN FACT: Kurt Gödel, who is considered one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, described his religion as that of a “baptized Lutheran.” Though he didn’t go to church, he read the Bible every Sunday, was a theist who believed in a personal God, offered a proof of God’s existence, and defended the immortality of the soul.

Photo: Kurt Gödel colorized by Photocolorization – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70778920

non-algorithmic understanding

theory of everything

universe as computer simulation

Previous Post

November 21, 2025

DISCUSS: War in Venezuela?

Next Post

November 24, 2025 Monday Miscellany, 11/24/25

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No. That seems to have more certainty about a host of details that I don’t ..."

1another

The Secularization of Hell

"If so not stated very clearly."

reg

The Secularization of Hell

"Sorry for a minute there I was unstuck in time."

reg

The Secularization of Hell

"And Trump backs the Ramaswami ad proving yet again (as if the Epstein files were ..."

reg

The Secularization of Hell

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category America Apologetics Art baseball Bible Blog Christ Church crime Culture Economics Education Ethics Family Food Football Government History Holidays Holy Week Humor International Islam Language Law Life Issues Literature Media Medicine Movies Music Nature News Personal Philosophy Politics psychology Reformation Religions Sacraments Science sex Social Science Sports technology television terrorism Theology Uncategorized Vocation war

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the largest Christian denomination in the world?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pentecostal Anglican Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox

Books by This Author Books by Gene Veith

See All Titles »