The universe is a giant brain. The aether of space is the more stable memory. The matter is the computational points--points of change. Matter is spun up in galaxies by the giant systems of aether grinding against each other like weather systems spinning up a tornado. The minds of the universe are like Russian nesting dolls, but more like a fractal. Groups of minds making up one mind of many that make up an even larger mind and so on with the smallest and faster-and-simpler minds occurring nearer to and entangled with with matter.
Thought leads to action in these entities like thought leads to action within one’s own body.
Synchronicities are usually a symptom of large scale synchronization patterns in a large mental system as a given thought pattern is occurring in a supermind.
The gods are memetic entities “Eidolons” using humans and other active systems as hardware.
Existing as a larger distributed computing entity makes whole biomes, cities, state-wide-computer-networks and other complex collections into body parts that change and coordinate in ways not easily sensed by a human.
A shaman recognizes these collections and says “The spirit of the wolf rules the waters” to explain the fact that wolves, as a keystone species, when added to Yellowstone, made changes to other animal behaviors that eventually reshaped the waterways.
Potential energy and information are two words for one thing. Thought and computation, as a form of energy being combined with other information, have real thermodynamic consequences and power to change reality.
Entropy is a cycle like the hydrologic cycle. Just as we used to believe the clouds would eventually run out and the rivers would eventually go dry because we did not understand oceanic evaporation, we also missed the way the world of minds create order and replenish the
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The world of Aetherpunk is a story told many times over eons. Within each of these exist specific eras that serve as milestones in the progression of a civilization in the biotech cycle.