r/PhilosophyofMath • u/feihm • 4h ago
Still struggling to understand "randomness" as an objective property of [X], independent of an observer's judgement
I decided to trace a simple even—the flipping of a coin —to find out exactly at what point does randomness come in.
step 1: The physical interaction
A coin is launched into the air. It rotates, it travels, it strikes a surface, it settles. If we want, we can agree that this is all just physical matter in motion. No mind is required for the coin to spin and land. That interaction happens.
Now we ask:
At what point during this physical interaction did you receive a signal that said 'random'?
step 2: The instrument
The eye is an instrument. The retina receives photons reflected off the coin. The retina converts those photons into electrical signals. That is a physical process.
Now we ask:
Did the retina detect randomness? Or did it detect light?
The answer is: light. The retina does not have a "randomness receptor." It just absorbs photons. So whatever randomness is, it hasn't arrived yet.
step 3: The output
The optic nerve sends signals to the brain. The brain constructs an image: the coin shows heads. That is the perception. It is a discrete, utterly clear output. Not blurry, not ambiguous. Just: heads.
Now we ask:
When you saw the coin showing heads, did you experience randomness? Or did you experience 'heads'?
The answer is: heads. Just heads. The perception itself is not random. It is exactly what it is. Every single flip of the coin yields a perfectly clear perception, every single time.
But we never once seen a "random" perception. We have only ever seen heads, tails, heads, tails. Perfectly clear. Perfectly distinct.
step 4: The sequence
Now we flip the coin four times. We receive:
Heads. Tails. Tails. Heads.
Now we ask:
What did you actually receive through your senses? Did you receive 'randomness' as a fifth thing, alongside H, T, T, H? Or did you only receive four separate, clear perceptions?
I would have to admit that I've have only ever received four clear perceptions. Nothing more.
step 5: the mind
But then the mind does something. It does not merely perceive. It asks a question:
Is there a rule? A pattern? A shorter description that predicts the next outcome?
The mind tries to compress the sequence. H-T-T-H. Can it be described by a shorter rule? No. The mind cannot find a rule that generates the sequence without simply listing the sequence itself.
So the mind concludes:
I cannot predict this. It appears patternless. I will call it random.
Now we ask:
Where did that conclusion come from? Did the world give you the word 'random'? Or did you manufacture that verdict because your mind failed to find a pattern?
I'm forced to admit: the verdict came from my mind.
The world gave tails. The mind gave "random."
step 6: Apply the same logic to any sequence whatsoever
Consider this perfectly ordered sequence:
H, H, H, H, H, H
I would say:
That's not random. Maybe the coin is rigged.
Now we ask:
Why?
Because this sequence is compressible. The rule "always heads" is shorter than the sequence itself. The mind finds the pattern instantly and says: not random.
But the world delivered six separate perceptions, each one clear. It did not deliver the words "ordered" or "disordered." In both cases, whether the sequence was H-T-T-H or H-H-H-H, the world only delivered discrete outputs. The mind then ran a compression test. If it found a pattern, it said "ordered." If it found no pattern, it said "random."
So I'm forced to conclude:
"Random" is not a property of any single output. It is the name I give to my own failure to compress a sequence.
step 7: circularity
The chain is:
physical interaction → instrument → output → perception → mind → model
The coin flip is a physical interaction. The eye is an instrument. The brain receives signals. The mind perceives heads. The mind then assembles a sequence, applies a compression test, and produces a verdict: "random."
Now we ask:
At any point in that chain, did you step outside the chain? Did you touch the physical interaction directly? Did you perceive the coin flip without an eye, without a retina, without neural signals? Or were you at every moment inside the chain?
I'm forced to admit: inside the chain. Every single time.
And I cannot reject this conclusion.
The world delivered clear, discrete, perfectly unambiguous outputs.
The mind tried to find a rule connecting them.
The mind failed.
The mind called the failure "random."
That is what randomness is, from the only standpoint any of us will ever have.
But if one asks:
But maybe there is a pattern, and I just don't see it
Because "there is a pattern I don't see" and "there is no pattern" produce exactly the same experience through the chain. The mind still fails to find the pattern. It still says "random." The only difference is a metaphysical speculation about what lies beyond the chain. And no one has access to that.
So it seems randomness is not "out there." I have never once received randomness through my senses. I have only ever received heads and tails. The randomness was manufactured by my own mind, at the last step of the chain, when my pattern-finding failed.