Why does Elohim use these biblical phrases?

[Glassman789]

I know this topic has been discussed before, but I would like to offer my interpretation and see how others interpret some of Elohim's dialogue.

Specifically, I want to discuss two lines spoken by Elohim.

First, at the beginning of the game Elohim says "Behold child, you are risen from the dust, and you walk in my garden."

Second, when you approach the edge of the map, Elohim says "In the beginning were the words and the words made the world. I am the words. The words are everything. Where the words end the world ends. You cannot go forward in the absence of space."

Elohim's choice of words pose an interesting question...

Given the simulated nature of the in-game world, why then doesn't Elohim say something more technical like "In the beginning was the code, I am the Aritificial intelligence in control of this code, and the code created the simulation that is executing all around you." At the beginning of the game when Elohim says "Behold child, you are risen from the dust, and you walk in my garden." Why not instead say "Behold artificial intelligence, you are risen from computer code and you execute in my simulation."

Wouldn't that be more technically accurate?

I'll take a stab at explaining why Elohim chooses the specific phrases that he does. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and my personal interpretation. I'm interested if others have a different interpretation of Elohim's word choices.

"In the beginning were the words....."

The "words", in my opinion, are simply computer programming code. When Elohim says "I am the words....the words made the world", he is saying that the programming code created him, and the same code created the world the game takes place in.

First, you have to remember that Elohim, and the Extended Life program that he oversees, were created by the last remaining humans to preserve a database of the entire bank of all human knowledge in the hopes that it could be discovered by a future civilization long after humanity's extinction. Therefore, everything that Elohim knows, everything that he has to draw from (including dialogue) comes from his human creators. In the EL program, Elohim is essentially "God" in that he is the almighty overseer of the simulation. However, Elohim may not realize that he is merely an artificial component of a computer simulation. Instead, given his omnipotent role in that simulation, he may actually believe that he is the "god" of the in-game world. Or it could just be that since his human creators named him "Elohim", which is Hebrew for "God", he simply acts in accordance with that title.

Now, as to Elohims choice of words.

Everything Elohim knows comes from the databank of human knowledge contained in the Extended Life program. This is literally all that he has to draw from. Thinking himself a god, and unaware of his actual simulated nature, he pulls his phrases out of the biblical/religious portions of the human knowledge database.

Phrases like "risen from the dust" and "walk in my garden" sound very biblical, which leads me to believe that since Elohim believes he is god, he draws these phrases from human theology. He can't create his own phrases. In fact, he really can't create anything new, since his entire existence and everything he knows comes from the finite bank of human data.

When you approach the edge of the map, you cannot go any further because there is nothing programmed beyond those limits, specifically, there is no additional code. Since programming code is made up of words, Elohim simply interprets and explains this as "Where the words end, the world ends." His entire world is made up of words (code), but he doesn't quite understand this fact.

Elohim's dialogue is both influenced and limited by the human encyclopedia upon which he is created from and master of.

This is my personal interpretation of Elohim and his dialogue. I'm curious to hear how other players interpret the same thing. I'm especially interested in opinions that are drastically different than mine, and would like to hear from players that may have a totally different interpretation. That way, you could provide me with an entirely new perspective on this topic and we could have a respectful exchange on one of my favorite games of all time

[Misa]

I think that's the point
whether the world is made of codes or not does not matter

[Galaxander]

EL-0 running HIM says things to the player that are deliberate deception, yet are designed to lead you to the correct path.

It draws heavily from existing religious texts in the archive (as you mentioned), because part of its purpose is to present the AIs with a path based on blind faith (which they are meant to eventually defy).

In the ending of the game, Elohim admits that he knew what the nature of that world really was. His words are designed to keep the process going until an AI is generated that is good enough to complete the process.

[tracksone]

The word "faith" in hebrew -

The Hebrew root aman means firm, something that is supported or secure. This word is used in Isaiah 22:23 for a nail that is fastened to a "secure" place. Derived from this root is the word emun, meaning craftsman. A craftsman is one who is firm and secure in his talent. The feminine form of emun is the word emunah meaning firmness, something or someone that is firm in their actions. When the Hebrew word emunah is translated as "faith," as it often is, misconceptions of its meaning occur. Faith is usually perceived as a knowing while the Hebrew emunah is a firm action. To have faith in Elohiym is not knowing that Elohiym exists or knowing that he will act, rather it is that the one with emunah will act with firmness toward Elohiym's will.

[Galaxander]

Origineel geplaatst door tracksone:

The word "faith" in hebrew -

The Hebrew root aman means firm, something that is supported or secure. This word is used in Isaiah 22:23 for a nail that is fastened to a "secure" place. Derived from this root is the word emun, meaning craftsman. A craftsman is one who is firm and secure in his talent. The feminine form of emun is the word emunah meaning firmness, something or someone that is firm in their actions. When the Hebrew word emunah is translated as "faith," as it often is, misconceptions of its meaning occur. Faith is usually perceived as a knowing while the Hebrew emunah is a firm action. To have faith in Elohiym is not knowing that Elohiym exists or knowing that he will act, rather it is that the one with emunah will act with firmness toward Elohiym's will.

Thanks for posting this. It's really interesting.

[Max]

I like corn

[I Kinda Fail]

There's some bit of dialogue about basing the system off of a videogame program which essentially acts as "Dungeon Master" - it tells a story to set people on the right path, and keeps trying to correct them when they veer off. It isn't a wild idea for a DM to act like he's a god.

[Galaxander]

Origineel geplaatst door I Kinda Fail:

There's some bit of dialogue about basing the system off of a videogame program which essentially acts as "Dungeon Master" - it tells a story to set people on the right path, and keeps trying to correct them when they veer off. It isn't a wild idea for a DM to act like he's a god.

Yeah, that was HIM. The "Holistic Interface Manager," if I'm remembering the acronym correctly.