Hi all,
I agree with dlorde above, we are not the Universe thinking about itself. The OP is about a clear concept: "Can the Universe Think?".
One Neuron can NOT think. A network of them Can. One Transistor can NOT think. A network of them CAN (or will in the near future). One Logic gate can NOT think. A network of them CAN.
So the first question must be: Is the Universe a Network?
This implies a Medium must exist that connects everything together, without any holes.
In the example below, we see a Cellular Automaton based on Conway's Life program.

- Gospher's Glider Gun
Each cell is a Preon with specific logic rules. Each has an input from its 8 neighbors and each has an output to its 8 neighbors. Each cell is either alive or dead (Black or White) based on the number of neighbors. You can see a specific Geometry at the top that generates a series of gliders or what I will call a 2D Photon. These Photons have a speed, distance separation, resolution and spin (cycles). For all intents they are particles and will have an interactive effect if they crash into another geometry. The whole white area is a grid of Preons. They must Exist and must be Connected to propagate the Photons. If you put a Hole in this White Grid, the Gliders would cease to exist when they crash into a hole. A hole can not propagate them.

- Gospher's Glider Gun, Time as 3rd Dimension
The above graphic is the same exact Grid in 3D where Time has been added as another dimension. Time moves forward on the downward axis. Notice you don't see any movement in this image. This is what it means when one talks about the Block Model of the Universe, where Time is a dimension and not something that flows. We exist in a 4D Reality, but our perception tells us that Time is flowing. It isn't. To a 5Th dimensional Being, our Universe would appear to be without movement, just like this bottom image. Time is an Illusion of Perception. It doesn't flow and has no speed. It is a Purely Mathematical Construct.
Anyway, back to Conway's Automaton. Folks playing with this simple 2D Preonic Automaton have constructed many working Geometries, including many forms of Turning Machines.
Wikipedia wrote:From a theoretical point of view, it is interesting because it has the power of a universal Turing machine: that is, anything that can be computed algorithmically can be computed within Conway's Game of Life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_LifeIn the following link you can see a fun cartoon that depicts the concept of using a Turing Machine algorithm to define a Universe.
Bunch of Rocks:
http://xkcd.com/505/The last frame could have been a bit clearer, in that the Lecture Hall is part of the simulation the Rocks have created as a part of creating/defining the Universe.
Anyway, given a problem where I define a 2D Grid with 1x10
65 in a square Matrix/Lattice and seed the Lattice with Preonic Cells using a pseudo-random Fractal Generator, then almost every possible pattern will be probable, including a Turing Algorithm that could compute this Universe.
Now this would admittedly be the hard way. Much easier to jump straight to a Matrix in 4 or more dimensions and seed each cell from a set of rules. The rule sets are called Beables. There could be an infinite assortment of them, thus creating an infinite set of worthless Universes that don't work. But for the few sets that do work, a few full fledged working Universes will be defined.
This is how a Logical Boolean Mathematical Universe can come into Existence. As already hinted at, the Universe described would be a multi-dimensional Lattice of Preons, Preset with virtually any rules and/or Beable Rules.
Beables:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.6073So this brings us back to the concept of whether or not the Universe is Granular and if the Grains are Preons or Sub-Preons. And, if it is a continuous Logic Network with computational ability.. can it have the complexity to wake up? To be an A.I.
To Think for Itself? (long before Stars and such emerge)
Now Marshall makes an interesting point about the Universe expanding so fast that the edges could be exceeding light speed and thus communications through out this Network may become too isolated to work.
Or..
We see the Universe is not Expanding but rather Stretching. That the continuous lattice fabric of Reality is being compressed where Matter is present (like stars and black holes) at the sacrifice of stretching the fabric in the Voids sans Matter. What would this look like?
Light that leaves a Star's Gravity Well Red-shifts. Light Blue-shifts as it enter a Star's Gravity Well. Thus Light is reconstituted. But what about Light that left a Star long ago and has been crossing a Void that is stretching during it duration of flight? Obviously, it can not be reconstituted. Thus the Red shift would remain and be interpreted as a Stars moving away from us, when all that has happened is that the Light has become irrevocably stretched.

- Reconstituted redshift

- Irrevocably redshifted due distance and time
As seen, the lower graph indicates the longer the light has traveled and been subjected to being stretched, the more red it appears to have shifted. Giving us the impression that further objects (Stars-Galaxies) are traveling away from us faster in all directions as a function of distance from us. In my view, the
Scale of the Fabric between remote Galaxies has been stretched. The proper distance has not changed. If you traveled to one of these, you would become quite large during the trip. But being made of Matter, at least you would Scale back down to proper size when you get there.. I hope..lol.
Anyway, an Expanding Universe would require insertion of new space. Perhaps I am wrong and Preons can Multiply. In any event, light leaving from point "A" to "Z" over any distance will eventually get to where its going, it will just take longer, because the closer it gets to where its going (A->Z), the speed of the (Z) will be slowing down relative to that beam traversing the distance.
So even with two Views, there is no real reason to believe this will hamper a Cosmic Mind from being functional. Then again, we have Entanglement, where two particles can affect each other instantly, regardless of the distance separating them. Perhaps our Cosmic Mind can use such channels to stay in almost instantaneous communication between remote cells of the A.I Network.
Do we have any clues about the Universe being Granular? Quantum Lumpiness? That Scale is Controlled? Is it a Solid (Logical Boolean) Object?
Ok, time to stop for a bit and let folks digest my input and respond.
Best wishes,
Dave :^)