A Mysterious Design That Appears Across Millennia | Terry Moore | TED

Aperiodicity

Terry Moore explores the concept of aperiodicity through the lens of Penrose tiling, a mathematical pattern that never repeats. He explains how this pattern, discovered by Sir Roger Penrose, symbolizes the complexity and unpredictability of life. Despite this complexity, there is an underlying unity that connects everything, a notion echoed by thinkers from Plato to David Bohm 1.

There's an underlying structure and unity to things that seem to be complex and aperiodic.

--- Terry Moore

Moore emphasizes that these designs are not mere decorations but profound statements about the values and worldview of the cultures that created them 1.

   

Cultural Patterns

Moore highlights the discovery of Penrose tiling in a 14th-century madrasa in Uzbekistan, predating Penrose by 500 years. This finding underscores the universal nature of certain patterns and ideas across different cultures and eras. He suggests that these designs reflect fundamental values and a shared understanding of the world 1.

These aren't decorations. These are statements about the fundamental values that culture had.

--- Terry Moore

By examining these patterns, we can gain insight into how ancient cultures perceived themselves and their place in the world 1.