--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The history of the universe is, in…" description: "\"The history of the universe is, in effect, a huge and ongoing quantum computation. The universe is a quantum computer.\" — Seth Lloyd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c17/seth-lloyd-13748_computation_the-history-of-the-universe-is-in-effect_1405254.jpg" --- # The history of the universe is, in effect, a huge and… ![“The history of the universe is, in effect, a huge and ongoing quantum computation. The universe is a quantum computer.” quote by Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c17/seth-lloyd-13748_computation_the-history-of-the-universe-is-in-effect_1405254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c17/seth-lloyd-13748_computation_the-history-of-the-universe-is-in-effect_1405254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c17/seth-lloyd-13748_computation_the-history-of-the-universe-is-in-effect_1405254.jpg) > “The history of the universe is, in effect, a huge and ongoing quantum computation. The universe is a quantum computer.” [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The universe operates like a massive, evolving quantum computer, processing information at fundamental levels. **In simple terms:** The cosmos computes information like a quantum computer. Key Takeaway Explore quantum principles to understand reality. Themes science technology philosophy cosmology Mood scientific speculative thought‑provoking Type lecture philosophical When to use this quote - research labs - educational curricula - public outreach programs Key Concepts quantum information computational theory emergent complexity Questions to Reflect On - What implications does a computational universe have for free will? - How can we test this hypothesis experimentally? A Different Perspective Quantum computing is still theoretical for many applications. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computation/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“The universe is a quantum computer. Since you can simulate any set of particle interactions with a quantum computer made of the same number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walton/the-universe-is-a-quantum-computer-since-you-can-simulate-any-set-of/) [David Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walton/) > [We couldn't build quantum computers unless the universe were quantum and computing. We can build such machines because the universe is storing and processing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/we-couldn-t-build-quantum-computers-unless-the-universe-were-quantum/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [“A thousand-bit quantum computer would vastly outperform any conceivable DNA computer, or for that matter any conceivable nonquantum computer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/a-thousand-bit-quantum-computer-would-vastly-outperform-any/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [DNA is a quantum computer that localizes a non local omnipresent consciousness or spirit into space time energy information and matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/dna-is-a-quantum-computer-that-localizes-a-non-local-omnipresent/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [When you zap things with light to build quantum computers, you're hacking existing systems. You're hijacking the computation that's already happening in the universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/when-you-zap-things-with-light-to-build-quantum-computers-you-re/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [I have not proved that the universe is, in fact, a digital computer and that it's capable of performing universal computation, but it's plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/i-have-not-proved-that-the-universe-is-in-fact-a-digital-computer-and/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [One of the things that I've been doing recently in my scientific research is to ask this question: Is the universe actually capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/one-of-the-things-that-i-ve-been-doing-recently-in-my-scientific/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [All physical systems can be thought of as registering and processing information, and how one wishes to define computation will determine your view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/all-physical-systems-can-be-thought-of-as-registering-and-processing/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [The term, information at your fingertips, is to remind people what a broad role the personal computer will be playing. It's not a computation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-term-information-at-your-fingertips-is-to-remind-people-what-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/if-we-suppose-that-many-natural-phenomena-are-in-effect-computations/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [If you roll dice, you know that the odds are one in six that the dice will come up on a particular side. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-roll-dice-you-know-that-the-odds-are-one-in-six-that-the-dice/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/can-you-make-fancy-patterns-of-water-that-actually-have-some/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [ALGEBRA is a general Method of Computation by certain Signs and Symbols which have been contrived for this Purpose, and found convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-maclaurin/algebra-is-a-general-method-of-computation-by-certain-signs-and/) Colin Maclaurin > [Calculators can only calculate - they cannot do mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-van-de-walle/calculators-can-only-calculate-they-cannot-do-mathematics/) John A. Van de Walle > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) ## More by Seth Lloyd > [Every physical system registers information, and just by evolving in time, by doing its thing, it changes that information, transforms that information, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/every-physical-system-registers-information-and-just-by-evolving-in/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [“The significance of a bit depends not just on its value but on how that value affects other bits over time, as part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/the-significance-of-a-bit-depends-not-just-on-its-value-but-on-how/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [ \[With quantum computers\] you can calculate how many bits are in the universe, how much energy it takes to flip them, how much energy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/with-quantum-computers-you-can-calculate-how-many-bits-are-in-the/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [In this metaphor we actually have a picture of the computational universe, a metaphor which I hope to make scientifically precise as part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/in-this-metaphor-we-actually-have-a-picture-of-the-computational/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Yes, I am a quantum mechanic! Those darn quantum computers break all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/yes-i-am-a-quantum-mechanic-those-darn-quantum-computers-break-all/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [What's happened with society is that we have created these devices, computers, which already can register and process huge amounts of information, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/what-s-happened-with-society-is-that-we-have-created-these-devices/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Meaning is like pornography, you know it when you see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/meaning-is-like-pornography-you-know-it-when-you-see-it/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [If you wanted to build the most powerful computer you could, you can't do better than including everything in the universe that's potentially available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/if-you-wanted-to-build-the-most-powerful-computer-you-could-you-can-t/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [There are considerable advantages to using many degrees of freedom to store information, stability and controllability being perhaps the most important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/there-are-considerable-advantages-to-using-many-degrees-of-freedom-to/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [When it comes to their capacity to screw things up, computers are becoming more human every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/when-it-comes-to-their-capacity-to-screw-things-up-computers-are/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [It's also a reasonable scientific program to look at the dynamics of the standard model and to try to prove from that dynamics that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/it-s-also-a-reasonable-scientific-program-to-look-at-the-dynamics-of/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Some folks think life and technology and mind can keep expanding forever. Others say it can't. We are still not clear on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/some-folks-think-life-and-technology-and-mind-can-keep-expanding/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Of course, one way of thinking about all of life and civilization is as being about how the world registers and processes information. Certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/of-course-one-way-of-thinking-about-all-of-life-and-civilization-is/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Programmed by quanta, physics gave rise first to chemistry and then to life; programmed by mutations and recombination, life gave rise to Shakespeare; programmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/programmed-by-quanta-physics-gave-rise-first-to-chemistry-and-then-to/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [Instead of having to be a member of the Royal Society to do science, the way you had to be in England in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the-royal-society-to-do-science/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) [Explore all 49 Seth Lloyd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) ## More Computation quotes > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) > [Calculators can only calculate - they cannot do mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-van-de-walle/calculators-can-only-calculate-they-cannot-do-mathematics/) John A. Van de Walle > [ALGEBRA is a general Method of Computation by certain Signs and Symbols which have been contrived for this Purpose, and found convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-maclaurin/algebra-is-a-general-method-of-computation-by-certain-signs-and/) Colin Maclaurin > [Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/can-you-make-fancy-patterns-of-water-that-actually-have-some/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [If you roll dice, you know that the odds are one in six that the dice will come up on a particular side. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-roll-dice-you-know-that-the-odds-are-one-in-six-that-the-dice/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/if-we-suppose-that-many-natural-phenomena-are-in-effect-computations/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [The term, information at your fingertips, is to remind people what a broad role the personal computer will be playing. It's not a computation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-term-information-at-your-fingertips-is-to-remind-people-what-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Some things, like the orbits of the planets, can be calculated far into the future. But that's atypical. In most contexts, there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/some-things-like-the-orbits-of-the-planets-can-be-calculated-far-into/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-is-something-going-on-in-time-and-space-and-beyond-time-and/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [To me quantum computation is a new and deeper and better way to understand the laws of physics, and hence understanding physical reality as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deutsch/to-me-quantum-computation-is-a-new-and-deeper-and-better-way-to/) [David Deutsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deutsch/) > [I have tried to avoid long numerical computations, thereby following Riemann's postulate that proofs should be given through ideas and not voluminous computations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/i-have-tried-to-avoid-long-numerical-computations-thereby-following/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Computations using the science of probability on just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-ridenour/the-old-testament-contains-over-300-references-to-the-messiah-that/) Fritz Ridenour > [“Whew, this might be getting a bit confusing. I hope you are following me so far. This is the point in every Theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-mitchell/whew-this-might-be-getting-a-bit-confusing-i-hope-you-are-following/) [Melanie Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-mitchell/) > [“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mathematics-is-not-about-numbers-equations-computations-or-algorithms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People know, or dimly feel, that if thinking is not kept pure and keen, and if respect for the world of mind is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/people-know-or-dimly-feel-that-if-thinking-is-not-kept-pure-and-keen/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) [Browse all 88 Computation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The history of the universe is, in effect, a huge and ongoing quantum computation. 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