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Interesting Conversation on the Basis of Reality
I was talking to my 15 yr old Daughter about atomic theory and the topic of the speed of light came up. I told her that while many refer to that particular rate as the speed of light it is actually really the speed of causality and that not only photons but other wave functions 'travel' that that rate. The conversation progressed to the consideration that reality is wave form energy and she said 'well, its all math then, a really complicated equation I guess.'
But then the conversation got even more abstract covering the notion that all that one is, is an algorithm. That maybe we are all a type of software program? Or maybe, the entire universe rests between the observers ears. That maybe those that are perceiving are only witnessing mere suggestions and not a true 'thing'. That we each create our individual universes? So if this is a program, I wouldn't mind a reset now and then! |
It doesn't matter what it is, it's what you do with it.
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That that is is, that that is not is not, is that it it is.
As a theoretical physicist by training I am delighted to hear of your daughter's conversation, perhaps in her or her ilk there is the necessary progression beyond the approximation that quantum and relativistic physics really is. Too many interesting dilemma's ranging from Schrodingers cat to how does a photon know to travel in a straight line (and, since moving at the speed of light does it experience time or is there only a single photon that is everywhere at once). Sigh....brain too old, math too far in the past to really indulge. I envy her and what sounds like a gifted brain. Dennis |
I'll go with the universe rests between the observer's ears. Reality is what you think it is.
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We are extremely lucky to even be here. More than a 1,000 different things had to line up before life could exist on our planet. |
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Put another way, when I see the color blue, you look at it and declare it to be blue also. However, we may not be seeing the same color. Mr. Kant wrote a VERY interesting treatise suggesting that our brains cannot possibly be a Tabula Rasa. He argued convincingly that there has to be a framework in order for the data to be arrangeable into a world view. Like...boxes that we can put data into so that it can be categorized or ranked in a way that allows a 'world view' to be assembled. One thing that atheists and Christians apparently agree on is that there is MUCH more going on than we can see. Properly cooked, catfish can be really good. |
"Here Daddy, have another mushroom!" :D
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My question is what difference, at this point, does it make?
So far, I've gotten up every morning, experienced my day and did it again and again and again without once ever being concerned about whether or not I made the whole thing up, whether it was real or not or what protons know or don't know. Whether it's all some kind of matrix or simulation or a super complicated algorithm is totally irrelevant; when I'm hungry, I gotta eat, etc. |
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The Universe exists in a real physical way. We're just extremely lucky to be part of it. I believe there have been other societies like ours but they are so far away or the existed so long ago that we'll never over lap. Most likely all of them have run their course and are no longer here. It would take about 10,000,000 years for us to fully explore and colonise our Galaxy. When compared to the age of the Universe that's a very short period of time. Why hasn't it been done by another society before us? I suspect we have a built in shelf life. Or, will we still be here in 10,000 years? |
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Douglas Adams wrote that the answer to "the" question was...cat.
That's good enough for me. |
Did you take the red pill or the blue pill?
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From the Matrix...
“...what is real? How do you define ‘real’?” Or maybe “...all we are is dust in the wind...” |
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42 wasn’t it? |
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So I guess time really is just a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, as The Doctor states. |
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