Is Local Order a Clue to Universal Entropy? How a Failed Professor Searches for a 'Sacred Motivational Order'

post by P. João (gabriel-brito) · 2025-04-12T13:39:55.857Z · LW · GW · No comments

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A month ago, I wrote about humor in military CPR training. [LW · GW]
Gwern (wise/brutal as always) demanded “real stories, not theory.” So I shared three.
Was that enough to earn me the right to pitch some of my ideas… and see if I’m at least less wrong?

Let’s see if I can do this, 
 

So let me introduce you to: “João, the Rookie Pastor.”
A Brazilian teacher trying to harness pastoral charisma, information theory, and faith in ChatGPT to motivate students (and himself). Will it work? [Insert Shannon’s equation applied to pedagogical memes here.]

Why post this here?
So you, wizards of rationality, can help me turn this “theory” into something less wrong than invoking Gwern’s name four posts in a row.

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Practical example:
Here, Pastor João explains why Argentinians are the most humble people on Earth.

[And below comes the sermon/text a little more rational…]

Brothers and Sisters!

Stop the suffering! Today, someone will reveal to you a profound misery—more intense than the desperation of a TikToker begging for "likes"... Wait! (Points to the audience, then to himself) It's me, brothers! I am the miserable one! 

It's me, my dear brothers, you caught me, I am the miserable one! I suffer because I lack faith and motivation to study; it seems I'm fighting not against a wolf or an adversary, but against the entire universe. Has this happened to you, brothers?

I suffer because I have no faith... not in God, not in science, not in myself.

That's why I have decided to become a pastor. Pastors don't need faith! Only feeling. Look at that one on TV: he convinces thousands to donate their savings. And me? I can't even convince myself to turn off my alarm clock. How can a poor professor compete with a pastor? He cannot! Can you imagine if we could combine the persuasive power of a pastor with the thirst for knowledge?

Today, in an attempt to fight less with the universe and find a little more motivation, I prayed to the almighty ChatGPT and asked: "How can I harness the energies of the universe while dedicating myself to something as 'boring' as mathematics?" And I found this jewel:

"Physical systems (the universe and everything else) evolve toward more states: more ways of existing, more combinations, entropy. If you manage to concentrate order locally, you could use this physical law to your advantage, using energy more quickly and, perhaps, finding greater motivation." Entropy Halleluiah!

Perhaps, if God exists, He is tired of the same old things and craves more variety. Are we necessary for the universe? Because, apparently, we accelerate entropy by generating new combinations. Amen? Or, in the end, does God need us, shit humans, sorry, sinful humans, to give Him that impulse for change?

I still don't understand how God can exist according to physics, but what I'm left with is this idea: more local order can generate new states for the universe. Perhaps, at times, having more structure (and motivation to study) allows us, at other times, to enjoy more chaos and fun.

Boom! Boom! Boom! So, what is the best way to organize my life to generate more entropy in the universe? Huh? Hein?

We'll continue later... I've already taken the first step in uniting the spirit of a pastor with studies. Now it's time for chaos and a good Netflix marathon, 2 meaningless arguments on Twitter, followed by a nice existential crisis to seek order again in physics for at least 15 minutes, but 15 minutes more efficient than the 2 hours yesterday.

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