The principle of maximum
diversity operates both at the physical
and at the mental level. It says that the laws of nature and the initial
conditions are such as to make the universe as interesting as possible.
As a result, life is possible but not too easy. Always when things are dull,
something new turns up to challenge us and to stop us from settling
into a rut.
Examples of
things which make life difficult are all around us:
comet impacts, ice ages, weapons, plagues, nuclear fission, computers,
sex, sin and death. Not all challenges can be overcome, and so we have
tragedy. Maximum diversity often leads to maximum stress.
In the end we survive, but only by the skin of our teeth.
Freeman Dyson, "Infinite in All Directions"
