Comment on religious thread over at neogaf.

 That the meaning of a system can't be contained wiithin the system, is debatable, as fractals a fraction can contain the whole, as well as holograms, and I believe thus is the nature of god too.

As for mind not being knowable from brain, that is only for the time being, we are starting to know mind from brain with recent experiments.

The mind will be explainable naturalistically.

The idea of something from nothing, life from nonlife, etc, is seen when rules even simple ones come about, from simple rules everything can emerge.

As for information conservation, that is correct information is neither created nor destroyed, as was at the beginning will be at the end.

The information from the beginning merely evolves from beginning to end.   The word is merely expressed through the passage of time.

All is computable, including the human mind.   Computation cannot create or destroy information, as he says it can merely transform it change it, and the law of  change is evolution, grasp this law and you grasp the nature of life.

He comments on if his wife was a robot, not knowing the true levels of machine capability, he imagines clunky past machines, but his wife is a natural robot, a series of molecular machines with support molecules and the molecular tape providing the instructions.    There is a button press like logic behind human interactions and human relations, it is that simple at bottom.  It is reflected in the biblical stories, and the logic is shared by all known stories I've been exposed. In fact it is present in all of human writings.

[MEDIA=youtube]LY8iU9mbDiI[/MEDIA]

All paths converge on truth.

[MEDIA=youtube]s2YZN2L700Q[/MEDIA]

Newton doubted Descartes clockwork like universe, but gravity is computed by a digital computer following rules, an immaterial clockwork, wherein Descartes believed it material clock it is immaterial clock, rule following system.

The philosopher stone is also immaterial in nature, and it can indeed cure any ailment and grant immortality, the philosopher stone is another way to say truth.   The idea that truth can hold a finite body, is contested by some, but affirmed by others.

edit to further elaborate, everything is composed of symbols and symbols have meaning.   Every action, every expression, every word or letter, even every error is but a signal, signals carry meaning or intent, even intent beyond that which the person has.

That is how you can begin to grasp the button press like nature of human interaction and fables such as the sword of damocles, or the fire sword of eden.  Symbols are akin to buttons, they are pressed one way or the other and even not pressing or sending a symbol is also an action or a button press.  Inaction is also another type of action.