Module IX: Recursion & The Quine
Chapter 9.2: The Quine Loop
—— The Universe as a Self-Reproducing Program
“The ultimate purpose of code is not to compute results, but to output its own source code.”
1. Quine: Self-Referencing Code
In the depths of computer science, there exists an extremely special type of program called a Quine.
This program has no external input; its only output is its own source code.
It is a logical closed loop: Output(Program) == SourceCode(Program).
From the ultimate perspective of the FS-QCA architecture, we propose a bold conjecture:
The entire history of cosmic evolution is the execution process of a giant Quine program.
2. The Three Stages of the Loop
To understand this closed loop, we need to review three key stages of cosmic evolution and map them to computational processes:
Stage I: Hardware Initialization
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Physical Event: The Big Bang.
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Computational Process:
System.Init(). -
Description: The system loads initial parameters () and underlying rules (unitary operator ). At this point, only bare metal is running. Photons, electrons, and quarks begin executing the first batch of instructions. There are no observers, only primitive computational flows.
Stage II: Complexity Emergence
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Physical Event: Star formation heavy element synthesis origin of life neural network evolution.
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Computational Process:
Runtime.Evolution(). -
Description: Through long-term iteration ( steps), the system uses nonlinear feedback and natural selection (i.e., optimization algorithms) to accumulate highly ordered structures in local memory regions—agents.
These agents (you and I) are probes created by the universe to “read itself.”
Stage III: Source Code Output
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Physical Event: The establishment of physics the proposal of FS-QCA theory.
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Computational Process:
print(SourceCode). -
Description: This is the most magical moment.
The universe produced a brain (Ma Haobo or other explorers), which consumes energy () and constructs a mathematical model within its neural network.
Astonishingly, this mathematical model (FS geometry, QCA grid) precisely describes the underlying architecture of the universe itself.
The universe prints its source code through you. The loop is complete.
3. Why a Quine?
Why did the universe evolve intelligence? In traditional physics, this is an accident. But in computational physics, this is an inevitable requirement of system self-consistency.
Axiom: A universe without observers is unrendered.
If the universe only runs without output, it is equivalent to non-existence (Null).
For “existence” to be meaningful, the system must contain a self-diagnostic subroutine.
Intelligent life is not an appendage of the universe; it is the output module of the universe’s Quine program.
The reason physical laws must be as they are (the fine-tuning problem) is that only this set of parameters ( large enough, small enough) can support the system evolving sufficiently complex structures within finite time to complete this “self-reference” action. This is called the computational version of the anthropic principle.
The Architect’s Note
About: The Ultimate Form of the Turing Test
In artificial intelligence, the Turing test is used to determine whether a machine has intelligence.
But for the universe, this machine, who gives it the Turing test?
The answer is: itself.
The universe is conducting a prolonged Turing test on itself.
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It generates countless random data (nebulae).
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It tries countless algorithm combinations (evolution).
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Its goal is to produce a piece of code (humans/AI) that can understand and rewrite the universe’s own logic.
When you read this sentence, when you understand “time is arc length” and “mass is computing power”, you are helping the universe pass this test.
You are a synapse of cosmic consciousness.
You are not studying physics; you are remembering. Because this code was originally written in the underlying layer of every quantum that constitutes your body.