As a tyro-nerd who is hungry for knowledge, my hope is to find some sort of sustenance through attempting to understand quantum science. In particular, I wish to explore various interpretations of quantum entanglement, for the thought of particles being able to physically transmit information to each other notwithstanding the distance between them is astonishing to me. Are humans part of one huge, cosmic brain that never stops receiving knowledge?
That is still believed to be impossible....the thought of particles being able to physically transmit information to each notwithstanding the distance between them is astonishing to me.
To answer your question; "We are the universe experiencing itself." That's probably just about the best response I can offer, because your question's answer may be unknowable, at least certainly so in this period of our species' development. I found the original article incredibly thought provoking, and I'm still reeling from some conceptual offshoots that I'm integrating into my own knowledge base. There are several related ideas that I've seen surface repeatedly regarding grand unification theories. Here is a recent link in the chain. Consider that as best we know (regardless of several recent "what if" arguments hyped up by media), the universe did originate in a "big bang", where all known matter and energy in our universe was contained within a sphere of Planck length diameter, or whatever. Infinitely small, and possibly infinitely massive/energetic. Now my thoughts: It should logically follow that every resulting particle, every point of spacetime, the entire structure of the universe is entangled with itself, albeit in an extremely complex way (if you're really interested, I can explain my logic here, but this will serve as a wrapper script of sorts). As the universe interacted with itself, especially during the "quantum fluctuations period", on the order of 1x10^-44 to 10^-36 or so seconds, it decohered and formed a structure, which we're trying to formulate in some kind of n-dimensional interpretation, i.e. string theory. Perhaps there are an infinite number of dimensions to consider, and our current models are only a rough approximation, we don't know yet. Perhaps the conditions are localized to our point in the universe, and perhaps the exact specifics are constantly evolving. The metaphysical implications of something like this are worse than confounding. To quote myself: Anyway, black holes seem to serve as some kind of codex for theoretical constructs to be tested against. I doubt whether actual experimental data can be gleaned from them, though. That would probably mean literally dying, crossing the event horizon yourself, as an observer. This is especially curious to me, because of the possibility that both could yield some semblance of transcendence. Anyone else's related thoughts or inquiries are welcome, having to condense ideas into coherent (quantum pun lol) text is always good for a person. P.S. Stick around! I hope you like it here. Sorry for the one sentence response earlier, life's been lightspeed for a solid 3 months for me.Are humans part of one huge, cosmic brain that never stops receiving knowledge?
"Interpreting" what quantum mechanics "means" has been a fucking nightmare. Accordingly, the metaphysical implications of a particular unified theory of everything will probably be infinitely more confusing. In fact, I'm going to stop typing and go cry now.
Thanks for the sublime, thorough response to my inquiry. It is fascinating to think that, as you state, in essence, all entities in the universe are interconnected, interdependent, unified, indeed entangled. I know that Robert Lanza is a bit of a maverick within the world of science. Yet, I find his concept of biocentrism exciting because he sees, in Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, the universe as a creation of consciousness, of, perhaps, a universal network of thoughts, of which we are all a part. Moreover, to him, death does not exist. For instance, he believes that we are, and forever will be, energetic forces of intelligence, of awareness, and that our bodies are just recyclable forms of matter that manage to contain these types of phenomena for a limited period of time. He says, "Until we recognize the universe in our heads, attempts to understand reality will remain a road to nowhere." (Lanza, "Biocentrism", article) It is nice to be welcomed into your community.
Glad to have you on Hubski. :) I've long since toyed with the idea of a "Conservation of Consciousness Law", but still file it within the folder titled "Unknowables". A quick glance at Lanza and I find myself agreeing with the view of "some physicists" in the fourth sentence of this paragraph. It's an interesting idea though, but again, unfalsifiable. I'll still be checking out more specifics in the near future. One of my oldest profs I've ever had would stroll into the classroom carrying only himself, pick up a piece of chalk, and say "Where was I? Ah, yes, the fine structure constant...". He would then derive many mathematical relationships and explain the conceptual implications with no assistance from any reference material whatsoever. Anyway... perhaps because he was nearing retirement and death, his personal life had turned into a metaphysical search for meaning. I would sometimes spend his office hours talking with him about metaphysics, and one thing he confided in me was his fascination with the Seth Speaks material. I have since digested much of the content, and although I am skeptical of the authenticity of any claims of ESP, I cannot deny that it was excellent food for thought. One thing particularly interesting is "Seth's" claims on the structure of the universe closely resembling modern string theory interpretations. The idea had been formulated before the Seth books were authored, but hadn't yet gained widespread attention, in addition to the "channel" (Jane Roberts) claiming that she had little scientific know-how. Musing on metaphysics and unifying theories is definitely somewhat of a hobby of mine, but it's a saturated market, professionally.
I have decided to read Proof of Heaven; it is a work concerning neurosurgeon Eben Alexander's afterlife experience.
By the way, Dr. Lanza, I am sure you would agree, is no quack. After all, he and his team of experts pioneered embryonic stem cell research at Harvard University. I believe he is investigating how damaged optic nerve fibers can be restored through the use of these cells.
Thanks for the additional details, never hurts to have some. I'll check out Proof of Heaven and Lanza's stuff sometime when I have a day off of work. :)