# Computational Equivalence **Entity class:** Computational principle **Primary theorist:** [[wiki/Stephen Wolfram|Stephen Wolfram]] ## Definition The Principle of Computational Equivalence is Stephen Wolfram’s proposal that almost every process that is not obviously simple can attain an equivalent maximal level of computational sophistication. The principle is stronger than the familiar claim that many systems can be simulated computationally: it proposes a broad equivalence among the computational capabilities of sufficiently complex processes. ## Relevance to digital minds Wolfram uses the principle to argue that minds and consciousness can in principle be represented digitally, while also emphasizing that the human significance of a computation depends on its connection to human purposes and history. The principle therefore routes into [[wiki/Substrate Independence|Substrate Independence]], [[wiki/Digital Minds|Digital Minds]] and [[wiki/Mind Uploading|Mind Uploading]] without by itself proving that a simulation instantiates consciousness or preserves personal identity. ## Primary source route - [Stephen Wolfram, “A World Run with Code”](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/05/a-world-run-with-code/) ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts