Who Are We?

Is there, a God? One of my associate is an atheist and says that there is no God. My nephew is a believer and thinks that God exists. So how can we find out? So this article is an independent inquiry made using Scientific approach, to find the answers to the questions like, "Is there, a God?" "Who are we?" etc.

Who are we?

Chemically valency of carbon is four and so is that of silicon. Present day computers are made using Silicon. So theoretically whatever electrochemical devices that could be made from doping the silicon, could also be made from carbon. In fact the research is going on to make the practically feasible electronic devices, from carbon compounds.

Leaving the complexities of the solid state physics aside and concentrating objectively, the very first thing we notice about ourselves is that we are also made up of carbon compounds i.e. the organic matter. Exploring further, the next thing we notice about ourselves is that we are the organic machines with mobility and ability to generate the biochemical energy required to keep our machines going.

If we can separate us from all thoughts i.e. if we can stop our mental word processor, the only purpose of our existence seems to point to the fact that we are just doing everything, from the perspective of keeping our minds working with the biochemical energy generated from the food we ingest. So the prime focus is on keeping the mind working.

Yes, we are also capable of very complex tasks like producing our clones through heterosexual reproduction and inter-machine communication. But, so as to understand the fundamentals and make further advances in the technology, initially we engineers like to simplify the complexities into a very simple models which are much easier to understand and analyze.

So the simplest model that we can think of is similar to a UNIX workstation working on externally generated electricity. ( To understand what a UNIX workstation is, readers are advised to read an introductory textbook on UNIX). UNIX based workstation has a central processing unit (CPU), with various types of memory storage device ROM, RAM and hard disk drives etc. Unix workstation also comes with additional software like word processor. But it has no mobility. Of course we if incorporate mobility using robotic principles, our UNIX workstations will become robots i.e. mechanical machines running on electricity having mobility.

So the very first assumption, I propose to make, is that, we are nothing but biochemical computers with limited mobility and the internal power supply which can generate the required biochemical energy from the food we eat and water we drink.

Now the only way, we seem to differ from the UNIX based mechanized robots is with our ability to program ourselves through our thoughts . As we think in terms of sentences and words, our thoughts on higher level are nothing but words and sentences. In another words we program ourselves through very sophisticated word processing which includes decision making based on logic and mathematics. Perhaps if we can develop such a sophisticated software for our mechanized robots then they may also develop awareness of being alive.

Just like the hardware of modern day computers is very complex, so is the hardware of our machines i.e. our bodies. In words of my nephew, we are nothing but God's toys, he said it when he was about five years old.

Charles Miller is a electrical engineer. His other activities include pro-blogging and Internet Marketing. He regulary blogs on technology topics at buzznol and also writes articles at Squidoo

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