Index
What is worldbuilding?
The Game of Thrones World Map
In art, design & media:
Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world or setting, sometimes associated with a fictional universe. Developing the world with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, culture and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers.
In science
Scientists use models to represent and explain the world, and to make predictions. Models can be physical objects, diagrams, equations, or computer programs. Why scientists use models
- Understand complex systems: Models help scientists visualize and understand systems that are difficult to see or understand.
- Make predictions: Models help scientists predict how systems will behave under certain conditions.
- Communicate ideas: Models help scientists share their ideas with others.
- Test knowledge: Models help scientists test their current knowledge.
- Physical models: Smaller, simpler representations of the thing being studied. For example, a globe or a map is a physical model of Earth.
- Mathematical models: Sets of equations that represent a phenomenon.
- Computer models: Can perform difficult calculations that would take a long time for humans.
Biosphere 2
In Contemporary Technology
A "General World Model" (GWM) is an advanced artificial intelligence system that aims to create a comprehensive, versatile internal representation of the real world, allowing it to simulate and predict a wide range of situations and interactions across different domains, essentially acting like a "mental map" of the world, much like how humans understand their surroundings; unlike specialized AI models, GWMs strive to capture a broad understanding of environmental dynamics without requiring retraining for specific tasks.
A YOO World is a kind of General World Model
Possible Worlds
Possible worlds and modal reasoning have made "counterfactual" arguments extremely popular in current philosophy. Possible worlds, especially the idea of "nearby worlds" that differ only slightly from the actual world, are used to examine the validity of modal notions such as necessity and contingency, possibility and impossibility, truth and falsity.
Information philosophy can quantify over the information in different possible worlds and thus establish the relative possibilities or "information distance" from our actual world.
Worldbuilding is a kind of indexing.
A cataloging of the information that describes our world at a given point in time.
in·dex/ˈinˌdeks/noun
- 1.an alphabetical list of names, subjects, etc., with references to the places where they occur, typically found at the end of a book."clear cross references supplemented by a thorough index"
- 2.an indicator, sign, or measure of something."exam results may serve as an index of the teacher's effectiveness"Similar:guidecluehintindicationindicatorleadsignsignalmarkevidencesymptomimplicationintimationsuggestion
- 1.record (names, subjects, etc.) in an index."the list indexes theses under regional headings"
- 2.link the value of (prices, wages, or other payments) automatically to the value of a price index."legislation indexing wages to prices"
Index (indices) in Maths is the power or exponent which is raised to a number or a variable. For example, in number 24, 4 is the index of 2.
In words, we might say “2 to the power of 4” = 16.
- Index in a documentAn index is an alphabetical list of topics or subjects in a document, usually found at the end, that includes the page numbers where each topic can be found. It's a navigational tool that helps readers quickly find information, especially in nonfiction books. For example, an index might include names, places, keywords, and major topics.
- Index in investingAn index is a standardized way to track the performance of a group of assets or stocks, such as a broad-based index or one that tracks a specific sector. Indexes are important in financial markets because they help investors measure performance, understand risk, and guide the development of financial products.
An index is a kind of set. A collection of things that identify and contain something larger than the sum of their parts.
With integrated information from data synthesized by technology like digital twins and cultural practices like storytelling (technoculture), we can even more accurately index, describe & measure our informational distance from ours to other actual worlds. We can then develop a systems-wide process of alter-globalization.
Another world is possible.