Information, complexity, brains and reality (Kolmogorov Manifesto)

Abstract

I discuss several aspects of information theory and its relationship to physics and neuroscience. The unifying thread of this somewhat chaotic essay is the concept of Kolmogorov or algorithmic complexity (Kolmogorov Complexity, for short). I argue that it is natural to interpret cognition as the art of finding algorithms that apprach the Solomonoff-Kolmogorov-Chaitin (algorithmic) Complexity limit with appropriate tradeoffs. In addition, I claim that what we call the universe is an interpreted abstraction--a mental construct--based on the observed coherence between multiple sensory input streams and our own interactions. Hence, the notion of Universe is itself a model.