Various understandings and definitions of time will be reviewed. The nature and structure of time will be reviewed and the concepts of time and passage of time will be refreshed. The fundamental role played by energy and four natural forces in the actions, reactions and interactions concerning matter, anti-matter, energy in space and time will be critically analyzed. The reality how time is constructed during the construction of materials will be presented and discussed. (...) The classical and quantum ideas in this regard will be comprehensively studied. How these ideas will give us a fresh insight about the nature, structure and role of time in the construction of materials through natural scientific and manmade processes will be highlighted. The relations among matter, anti-matter, energy and time will be freshly stated. The milli-, micro-, nano, pico-, femto-, atto-times will be qualitatively analyzed considering physical, inorganic, organic and bio-materials and their construction and structure. The physics of timelessness also will be put forward. -/- . (shrink)

Two radically different views about time are possible. According to the first, the universe is three dimensional. It has a past and a future, but that does not mean it is spread out in time as it is spread out in the three dimensions of space. This view requires that there is an unambiguous, absolute, cosmic-wide "now" at each instant. According to the second view about time, the universe is four dimensional. It is spread out (...) in both space and time - in space-time in short. Special and general relativity rule out the first view. There is, according to relativity theory, no such thing as an unambiguous, absolute cosmic-wide "now" at each instant. However, we have every reason to hold that both special and general relativity are false. Not only does the historical record tell us that physics advances from one false theory to another. Furthermore, elsewhere I have shown that we must interpret physics as having established physicalism - in so far as physics can ever establish anything theoretical. Physicalism, here, is to be interpreted as the thesis that the universe is such that some unified "theory of everything" is true. Granted physicalism, it follows immediately that any physical theory that is about a restricted range of phenomena only, cannot be true, whatever its empirical success may be. It follows that both special and general relativity are false. This does not mean of course that the implication of these two theories that there is no unambiguous cosmic-wide "now" at each instant is false. It still may be the case that the first view of time, indicated at the outset, is false. Are there grounds for holding that an unambiguous cosmic-wide "now" does exist, despite special and general relativity, both of which imply that it does not exist? There are such grounds. Elsewhere I have argued that, in order to solve the quantum wave/particle problem and make sense of the quantum domain we need to interpret quantum theory as a fundamentally probabilistic theory, a theory which specifies how quantum entities - electrons, photons, atoms - interact with one another probabilistically. It is conceivable that this is correct, and the ultimate laws of the universe are probabilistic in character. If so, probabilistic transitions could define unambiguous, absolute cosmic-wide "nows" at each instant. It is entirely unsurprising that special and general relativity have nothing to say about the matter. Both theories are pre-quantum mechanical, classical theories, and general relativity in particular is deterministic. The universe may indeed be three dimensional, with a past and a future, but not spread out in four dimensional space-time, despite the fact that relativity theories appear to rule this out. These considerations, finally, have implications for views about the arrow of time and free will. (shrink)

The major point in [1] chapter 2 is the following claim: “Any formalized system for the Theory of Computation based on Classical Logic and Turing Model of Computation leads us to a contradiction.” So, in the case we wish to save Classical Logic we should change our Computational Model. As we see in chapter two, the mentioned contradiction is about and around the concept of time, as it is in the contradiction of modified version of paradox. (...) It is natural to try fabricating the paradox not by time but in some other linear ordering or the concept of space. Interestingly, the attempts to have similar contradiction by the other concepts like space and linear ordering, is failed. It is remarkable that, the paradox is considered either Epistemological or Logical traditionally, but by new considerations the new version of paradox should be considered as either Logical or Physical paradox. Hence, in order to change our Computational Model, it is natural to change the concept of time, but how? We start from some models that are different from the classical one but they are intuitively plausible. The idea of model is somewhat introduced by Brouwer and Husserl [3]. This model doesn’t refute the paradox, since the paradox and the associated contradiction would be repeated in this new model. The model is introduced in [2]. Here we give some more explanations. (shrink)

Norbert Wiener’s idea of “cybernetics” is linked to temporality as in a physical as in a philosophical sense. “Time orders” can be the slogan of that natural cybernetics of time: time orders by itself in its “screen” in virtue of being a well-ordering valid until the present moment and dividing any totality into two parts: the well-ordered of the past and the yet unordered of the future therefore sharing the common boundary of the present between them when (...) the ordering is taking place by choices. Thus, the quantity of information defined by units of choices, whether bits or qubits, describes that process of ordering happening in the present moment. The totality (which can be considered also as a particular or “regional” totality) turns out to be divided into two parts: the internality of the past and the externality of the future by the course of time, but identifiable to each other in virtue of scientific transcendentalism (e.g. mathematical, physical, and historical transcendentalism). A properly mathematical approach to the “totality and time” is introduced by the abstract concept of “evolutionary tree” (i.e. regardless of the specific nature of that to which refers: such as biological evolution, Feynman trajectories, social and historical development, etc.), Then, the other half of the future can be represented as a deformed mirror image of the evolutionary tree taken place already in the past: therefore the past and future part are seen to be unifiable as a mirrorly doubled evolutionary tree and thus representable as generalized Feynman trajectories. The formalism of the separable complex Hilbert space (respectively, the qubit Hilbert space) applied and further elaborated in quantum mechanics in order to uniform temporal and reversible, discrete and continuous processes is relevant. Then, the past and future parts of evolutionary tree would constitute a wave function (or even only a single qubit once the concept of actual infinity be involved to real processes). Each of both parts of it, i.e. either the future evolutionary tree or its deformed mirror image, would represented a “half of the whole”. The two halves can be considered as the two disjunctive states of any bit as two fundamentally inseparable (in virtue of quantum correlation) “halves” of any qubit. A few important corollaries exemplify that natural cybernetics of time. (shrink)

This is Part 1 of a four part paper, intended to redress some of the most fundamental confusions in the subject of physical time directionality, and represent the concepts accurately. There are widespread fallacies in the subject that need to be corrected in introductory courses for physics students and philosophers. We start in Part 1 by analysing the time reversal symmetry of quantum probability laws. Time reversal symmetry is defined as the property of invariance under the (...) time reversal transformation, T: t --> -t. It is shown that quantum mechanics (classical or relativistic) is strongly time asymmetric in its probability laws. This contradicts the orthodox analysis, found throughout the conventional literature on physical time, which claims that quantum mechanics is time symmetric or reversible. This is widely claimed as settled scientific fact, and large philosophical and scientific conclusions are drawn from it. But it is an error. The fact is that while quantum mechanics is widely claimed to be reversible on the basis of two formal mathematical properties (that it does have), these properties do not represent invariance under the time reversal transformation. A recent experiment (Batalhão at alia, 2015) showing irreversibility of quantum thermodynamics is discussed as an illustration of this result. Most physicists remain unaware of the errors, decades after they were first demonstrated. Orthodox specialists in the philosophy of time who are aware of the error continue to refer to the ‘time symmetry’ or ‘reversibility’ of quantum mechanics anyway – and exploit the ambiguity to claim false implications about physical time reversal symmetry in nature. The excuse for perpetrating the confusion is that, since it is has now become customary to refer to the formal properties of quantum mechanics as ‘reversibility’ or ‘time reversal symmetry’, we should just keep referring to them by this name, even though they are not time reversal symmetry. This causes endless confusion, in attempts to explain the physical irreversibility of our universe, and in philosophical discussions of implications of physics for the nature of time. The failure of genuine time reversal symmetry in quantum mechanics changes the interpretation of modern physics in a deep way. It changes the problem of explaining the real irreversibility found throughout nature. (shrink)

In a quantum universe with a strong arrow of time, it is standard to postulate that the initial wave function started in a particular macrostate---the special low-entropy macrostate selected by the Past Hypothesis. Moreover, there is an additional postulate about statistical mechanical probabilities according to which the initial wave function is a ''typical'' choice in the macrostate. Together, they support a probabilistic version of the Second Law of Thermodynamics: typical initial wave functions will increase in entropy. Hence, (...) there are two sources of randomness in such a universe: the quantum-mechanical probabilities of the Born rule and the statistical mechanical probabilities of the Statistical Postulate. I propose a new way to understand time's arrow in a quantum universe. It is based on what I call the Thermodynamic Theories of Quantum Mechanics. According to this perspective, there is a natural choice for the initial quantum state of the universe, which is given by not a wave function but by a density matrix. The density matrix plays a microscopic role: it appears in the fundamental dynamical equations of those theories. The density matrix also plays a macroscopic / thermodynamic role: it is exactly the projection operator onto the Past Hypothesis subspace. Thus, given an initial subspace, we obtain a unique choice of the initial density matrix. I call this property "the conditional uniqueness" of the initial quantum state. The conditional uniqueness provides a new and general strategy to eliminate statistical mechanical probabilities in the fundamental physical theories, by which we can reduce the two sources of randomness to only the quantum mechanical one. I also explore the idea of an absolutely unique initial quantum state, in a way that might realize Penrose's idea of a strongly deterministic universe. (shrink)

Although Fuzzy logic and Fuzzy Mathematics is a widespread subject and there is a vast literature about it, yet the use of Fuzzy issues like Fuzzy sets and Fuzzy numbers was relatively rare in time concept. This could be seen in the Fuzzy time series. In addition, some attempts are done in fuzzing Turing Machines but seemingly there is no need to fuzzy time. Throughout this article, we try to change this picture and show why it (...) is helpful to consider the instants of time as Fuzzy numbers. In physics, though there are revolutionary ideas on the time concept like B theories in contrast to A theory also about central concepts like space, momentum… it is a long time that these concepts are changed, but time is considered classically in all well-known and established physics theories. Seemingly, we stick to the classical time concept in all fields of science and we have a vast inertia to change it. Our goal in this article is to provide some bases why it is rational and reasonable to change and modify this picture. Here, the central point is the modified version of “Unexpected Hanging” paradox as it is described in "Is classical Mathematics appropriate for theory of Computation".This modified version leads us to a contradiction and based on that it is presented there why some problems in Theory of Computation are not solved yet. To resolve the difficulties arising there, we have two choices. Either “choosing” a new type of Logic like “Para-consistent Logic” to tolerate contradiction or changing and improving the time concept and consequently to modify the “Turing Computational Model”. Throughout this paper, we select the second way for benefiting from saving some aspects of Classical Logic. In chapter 2, by applying quantum Mechanics and Schrodinger equation we compute the associated fuzzy number to time. (shrink)

"The earth revolved around the sun long before man and all conscious beings appeared on its surface." Yes really, how could I imagine otherwise? The problem is precisely in the : "How could I imagine?" The difficulty is indeed twofold: 1) Whenever we represent the world without our presence, whether it is the earth a hundred million years ago or a Cartesian space only flanked by its 3 axes, we are in reality at the very center of this representation. 2) (...) Nothing can be said about the world that is not previously knowledge (s) having made sense. Not only can the knowing subject in no way extract himself from his representation of the world, but he does not have any concept of representation which is not subject to the preliminary laws of formation of meaning. It follows that the proposition "reality has form" is unprovable. We will not come back to the idea according to which time and space are “something” in which reality would bathe, something “in addition” to reality and which therefore escapes this question of form. 1) the necessary presence of the subject at the centre of any representation, 2) the precedence of the laws of formation of meaning over meaning and therefore over form. (shrink)

Logical information theory is the quantitative version of the logic of partitions just as logical probability theory is the quantitative version of the dual Boolean logic of subsets. The resulting notion of information is about distinctions, differences and distinguishability and is formalized using the distinctions of a partition. All the definitions of simple, joint, conditional and mutual entropy of Shannon information theory are derived by a uniform transformation from the corresponding definitions at the logical level. The purpose of this (...) paper is to give the direct generalization to quantum logical information theory that similarly focuses on the pairs of eigenstates distinguished by an observable, i.e., qudits of an observable. The fundamental theorem for quantum logical entropy and measurement establishes a direct quantitative connection between the increase in quantum logical entropy due to a projective measurement and the eigenstates that are distinguished by the measurement. Both the classical and quantum versions of logical entropy have simple interpretations as “two-draw” probabilities for distinctions. The conclusion is that quantum logical entropy is the simple and natural notion of information for quantum information theory focusing on the distinguishing of quantum states. (shrink)

According to our understanding of the everyday physical world, observable phenomena are underpinned by persistent objects that can be reidentified across time by observation of their distinctive properties. This understanding is reflected in classical mechanics, which posits that matter consists of persistent, reidentifiable particles. However, the mathematical symmetrization procedures used to describe identical particles within the quantum formalism have led to the widespread belief that identical quantum particles lack either persistence or reidentifiability. However, it has proved (...) difficult to reconcile these assertions with the fact that identical particles are routinely assumed to be reidentifiable in particular circumstances. For example, when two electrons move through a bubble chamber, each is said to generate a sequence of bubbles that is caused by one and the same particle. Moreover, neither of these assertions accounts for the mathematical form of the symmetrization procedures used to describe identical particles within the quantum framework, leaving open theoretical possibilities other than bosonic and fermionic behavior, such as paraparticles, which do not appear to be realized in nature. Here we propose the novel idea that both persistence and nonpersistence models must be employed in order to fully account for the behaviour of identical particles. Thus, identical particles are neither persistent nor nonpersistent. We prove the viability of this viewpoint by showing how Feynman's and Dirac's symmetrization procedures arise through a synthesis of a quantum treatment of these models, and by showing how reidentifiability emerges in a context-dependent manner. We further show that the persistence and nonpersistence models satisfy the key characteristics of Bohr's concept of complementarity, and thereby propose that the behavior of identical particles is a manifestation of a persistence-nonpersistence complementarity, analogous to Bohr's wave-particle complementarity for individual particles. Finally, we construct a precise parallel between these two complementarities, and detail their conceptual similarities and dissimilarities. (shrink)

In a quantum universe with a strong arrow of time, we postulate a low-entropy boundary condition to account for the temporal asymmetry. In this paper, I show that the Past Hypothesis also contains enough information to simplify the quantum ontology and define a unique initial condition in such a world. First, I introduce Density Matrix Realism, the thesis that the quantum universe is described by a fundamental density matrix that represents something objective. This stands in sharp (...) contrast to Wave Function Realism, the thesis that the quantum universe is described by a wave function that represents something objective. Second, I suggest that the Past Hypothesis is sufficient to determine a unique and simple density matrix. This is achieved by what I call the Initial Projection Hypothesis: the initial density matrix of the universe is the normalized projection onto the special low-dimensional Hilbert space. Third, because the initial quantum state is unique and simple, we have a strong case for the \emph{Nomological Thesis}: the initial quantum state of the universe is on a par with laws of nature. This new package of ideas has several interesting implications, including on the harmony between statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, the dynamic unity of the universe and the subsystems, and the alleged conflict between Humean supervenience and quantum entanglement. (shrink)

Abstract: -/- This paper explores the relationship between time and information, proposing that time, rather than being a linear progression, emerges from the processing and interpretation of information within complex systems. Drawing on principles from quantum mechanics, information theory, and the philosophy of time, it examines how the perception of time is subjective and deeply influenced by consciousness, memory, and cultural context. In this framework, time dilation is framed not as a mere physical phenomenon (...) but as a lack of contrast in the flow of information, where systems in motion struggle to create meaning or distinction. Fundamental information, which underlies the laws of physics and the fabric of reality, is explored as an intrinsic force shaping time’s manifestation across scales—from quantum events to human perception. The paper also addresses the persistence of information beyond death, investigating how cultural, linguistic, and technological systems preserve and reinterpret information across generations, contributing to the evolution of consciousness. A mathematical model is proposed to integrate subjective time perception with information processing, offering a novel approach to understanding the nature of time and its role in shaping reality. By exploring these ideas, this work challenges traditional conceptions of time and presents new pathways for inquiry into the nature of consciousness, the universe, and the informational basis of existence. (shrink)

The paper discusses this year’s Nobel Prize in physics for experiments of entanglement “establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science” in a much wider, including philosophical context legitimizing by the authority of the Nobel Prize a new scientific area out of “classical” quantum mechanics relevant to Pauli’s “particle” paradigm of energy conservation and thus to the Standard model obeying it. One justifies the eventual future theory of quantum gravitation as belonging to the (...) newly established quantum information science. Entanglement, involving non-Hermitian operators for its rigorous description, non-unitarity as well as nonlocal and superluminal physical signals “spookily” (by Einstein’s flowery epithet) synchronizing and transferring some nonzero action at a distance, can be considered to be quantum gravity so that its local counterpart to be Einstein’s gravitation according to general relativity therefore pioneering an alternative pathway to quantum gravitation different from the “secondary quantization” of the Standard model. So, the experiments of entanglement once they have been awarded by the Nobel Prize launch particularly the relevant theory of quantum gravitation grounded on “quantum information science” thus granted to be nonclassical quantum mechanics in the shared framework of the generalized quantum mechanics obeying rather quantum-information conservation than only energy conservation. The concept of “dark phase” of the universe naturally linked to the very well confirmed “dark matter” and “dark energy” and opposed to its “light phase” inherent to classical quantum mechanics and the Standard model obeys quantum-information conservation, after which reversible causality or the mutual transformation of energy and information are valid. The mythical Big Bang after which energy conservation holds universally is to be replaced by an omnipresent and omnitemporal medium of decoherence of the dark and nonlocal phase into the light and local phase. The former is only an integral image of the latter and borrowed in fact rather from religion than from science. Physical, methodological and proper philosophical conclusions follow from that paradigm shift heralded by this year’s Nobel Prize in physics. For example, the scientific theory of thinking should originate from the dark phase of the universe, as well: probably only approximately modeled by neural networks physically belonging to the light phase thoroughly. A few crucial philosophical sequences follow from the break of Pauli’s paradigm: (1) the establishment of the “dark” phase of the universe as opposed to its “light” phase, only to which the Cartesian dichotomy of “body” and “mind” is valid; (2) quantum information conservation as relevant to the dark phase, furthermore generalizing energy conservation as to its light phase, productively allowing for physical entities to appear “ex nihilo”, i.e., from the dark phase, in which energy and time are yet inseparable from each other; (3) reversible causality as inherent to the dark phase; (4) the interpretation of gravitation only mathematically: as an interpretation of the incompleteness of finiteness to infinity, for example, following the Gödel dichotomy (“either contradiction or incompleteness”) about the relation of arithmetic to set theory; (5) the restriction of the concept of hierarchy only to the light phase; (6) the commensurability of both physical extremes of a quantum and the universe as a whole in the dark phase obeying quantum information conservation and akin to Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophical and theological worldview. (shrink)

The Great Divide in metaphysical debates about laws of nature is between Humeans, who think that laws merely describe the distribution of matter, and non-Humeans, who think that laws govern it. The metaphysics can place demands on the proper formulations of physical theories. It is sometimes assumed that the governing view requires a fundamental / intrinsic direction of time: to govern, laws must be dynamical, producing later states of the world from earlier ones, in accord with the (...) fundamental direction of time in the universe. In this paper, we propose a minimal primitivism about laws of nature (MinP) according to which there is no such requirement. On our view, laws govern by constraining the physical possibilities. Our view captures the essence of the governing view without taking on extraneous commitments about the direction of time or dynamic production. Moreover, as a version of primitivism, our view requires no reduction / analysis of laws in terms of universals, powers, or dispositions. Our view accommodates several potential candidates for fundamental laws, including the principle of least action, the Past Hypothesis, the Einstein equation of general relativity, and even controversial examples found in the Wheeler-Feynman theory of electrodynamics and retrocausal theories of quantum mechanics. By understanding governing as constraining, non-Humeans who accept MinP have the same freedom to contemplate a wide variety of candidate fundamental laws as Humeans do. (shrink)

The nature of time is perceived by intellectuals variedly. An attempt is made in this paper to reconcile such varied views in the light of the Upanishads and related Indian spiritual and philosophical texts. The complex analysis of modern mathematics is used to represent the nature and presentation physical and psychological times so differentiated. Also the relation between time and energy is probed using uncertainty relations, forms of energy and phases of matter. Implications to time-dependent (...) Schrodinger wave equation and uncertainty principle are hinted. (shrink)

Quantum-Based Consciousness Through the Universal Law of Balance -/- By Angelito Enriquez Malicse -/- Introduction -/- The nature of consciousness remains one of the most profound mysteries in science and philosophy. Traditional approaches, from Cartesian dualism to modern neuroscience, have attempted to explain consciousness as either separate from or entirely reducible to physical processes. However, neither classical physics nor standard cognitive science fully captures the depth of subjective experience. -/- Recent developments in quantum mechanics suggest that (...) consciousness may emerge from fundamental quantum processes. This perspective aligns with my Universal Law of Balance, which asserts that all natural phenomena—including human cognition—follow an inherent equilibrium. If the universe operates under a universal balancing principle, then consciousness itself must arise from a quantum-level equilibrium between mind, body, and environment. -/- In this essay, I propose a Quantum-Based Consciousness Model grounded in the Universal Law of Balance. This model bridges quantum physics, homeostasis, and the dynamic feedback systems that regulate conscious awareness. -/- 1. The Mind-Body Problem and Quantum Balance -/- The traditional mind-body problem questions how the subjective experience of consciousness arises from material processes. Classical neuroscience views the brain as a computational machine, where neural activity produces cognition through deterministic or probabilistic functions. However, this classical approach fails to explain: -/- Quantum Indeterminacy in Neural Activity – Brain function exhibits micro-level quantum behavior, which may be integral to decision-making and perception. -/- The observer Effect – Consciousness appears to interact with reality at a fundamental level, as seen in quantum experiments like the double-slit experiment. -/- Non-Locality and Entanglement – Human thought processes may exhibit quantum-like non-locality, where ideas, emotions, and memories interact in ways that classical physics cannot fully describe. -/- Applying the Universal Law of Balance -/- According to my Universal Law of Balance, all natural processes—including cognition—maintain a homeostatic equilibrium. Consciousness does not arise from material processes alone but from a quantum-based equilibrium that continuously stabilizes the interaction between: -/- 1. Physical Processes (Neural and biological systems) -/- 2. Quantum Fields (Subatomic processes in brain microtubules and electromagnetic fields) -/- 3. Environmental Feedback (Sensory input, social interaction, and external conditions) -/- When these three components are in balance, a stable conscious experience emerges. Disruptions in this balance—such as mental illness, stress, or sensory overload—disturb consciousness, leading to cognitive dysfunction. -/- 2. Quantum Coherence and the Emergence of Consciousness -/- One possible explanation for consciousness in quantum mechanics is quantum coherence—the idea that subatomic particles remain in a superposition until observed. In the brain, microtubules (tiny structures within neurons) may maintain quantum coherence, allowing for complex, non-linear processing. This is the foundation of Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff’s Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) Theory. -/- However, my Universal Law of Balance refines this concept by proposing that consciousness emerges when quantum coherence reaches a dynamic equilibrium with classical neural processes. This means: -/- Consciousness is neither fully deterministic (as in classical physics) nor purely random (as in quantum indeterminacy). Instead, it stabilizes at a balanced point where quantum effects interact with large-scale neural activity. -/- The collapse of the wave function in microtubules is not purely random but governed by a natural equilibrium, ensuring cognitive stability. -/- This equilibrium mechanism aligns with homeostasis in biological systems, where the mind continuously adjusts to maintain stable awareness. -/- 3. Feedback Mechanisms in Conscious Decision-Making -/- The Universal Law of Balance suggests that all decision-making follows a feedback system between internal cognition and external reality. This aligns with quantum theory’s concept of entanglement, where particles remain correlated across distances. -/- Consciousness as a Quantum Feedback Loop -/- 1. Perception (Quantum Input) – Sensory data enters the brain and is processed at both the classical (neuronal) and quantum (wave-function) levels. -/- 2. Processing (Balance Point) – The brain stabilizes this input, maintaining a balance between deterministic neural patterns and quantum superpositions. -/- 3. Decision-Making (Quantum Collapse and Output) – Conscious action occurs when the brain collapses quantum possibilities into a stable outcome. -/- This cycle mirrors the homeostatic feedback present in all biological systems. Just as the body regulates temperature or glucose levels to maintain balance, consciousness regulates perception and decision-making to maintain cognitive equilibrium. -/- 4. Implications for Artificial Intelligence and AGI -/- If human consciousness follows a quantum-based balance mechanism, then creating true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) requires integrating this principle. Current AI systems function purely on classical computation and lack quantum equilibrium. However, a future AGI system designed with: -/- Quantum computing components -/- Real-time homeostatic feedback -/- Self-regulating decision models -/- …could mimic human-like consciousness. This aligns with my belief that future AI should follow the Universal Law of Balance to achieve true intelligence. -/- 5. Conclusion: A Balanced Consciousness Model -/- Quantum-based consciousness is best understood through the Universal Law of Balance, which integrates: -/- Quantum Mechanics – Superposition, coherence, and wave function collapse shape cognitive states. -/- Neuroscience – The brain maintains a balance between quantum and classical processes. -/- Environmental Feedback – Consciousness is a dynamic, homeostatic system that adjusts to internal and external conditions. -/- By applying this principle, we bridge physics, biology, and philosophy, offering a unified framework for understanding consciousness. This balance-driven model could revolutionize fields like cognitive science, mental health, and AI development, guiding humanity toward a deeper comprehension of its own nature. -/- . (shrink)

The nature of time is perceived by intellectuals variedly. An attempt is made in this paper to reconcile such varied views in the light of the Upanishads and related Indian spiritual and philosophical texts. The complex analysis of modern mathematics is used to represent the nature and presentation physical and psychological times so differentiated. Also the relation between time and energy is probed using uncertainty relations, forms of energy and phases of matter.

The mathematical constructions, physical structure and manifestations of physical time are reviewed. The nature of insight and mathematics used to understand and deal with physical time associated with classical, quantum and cosmic processes is contemplated together with a comprehensive understanding of classical time. Scalar time (explicit time or quantitative time), vector time (implicit time or qualitative time), biological time, time of and in conscious awareness are (...) discussed. The mathematical understanding of time in special and general theories of relativity is critically analyzed. The independent nature of classical, quantum and cosmic physical times from one another, and the manifestations of respective physical happenings, distinct from universal time, are highlighted. The role of a universal time related or unrelated to origin, being etc., of universe or cosmos as common thread in all happenings is reviewed. The missing of time is identified and concept of absence of time is put forward. The complex nature of time and the real and imaginary dimensions of physical time are also elaborately discussed together with human time- consciousness as past, present and future. (shrink)

Timelines is an inquiry into the nature of time, both as an apparent feature of the external physical world and as a fundamental feature of our experience of ourselves in the world. The principal argument of Timelines is that our coventional ideas about time are largely mistaken and that what we think of as independent physical time is actually our calibration of a certain relation between events. Namely, the relation between time-keeping events and (...) the causal sequential differences of physical processes which are real and independent of us. (shrink)

Julius Kovesi was a moral philosopher contemporary with Alasdair MacIntyre, and dealing with many of the same questions as MacIntyre. In our view, Kovesi’s moral philosophy is rich in ideas and worth revisiting. MacIntyre agrees: Kovesi’s Moral Notions, he has said, is ‘a minor classic in moral philosophy that has not yet received its due’. Kovesi was not a thinker whose work fits readily into any one tradition. Unlike the later MacIntyre, he was not a Thomistic Aristotelian, nor even (...) an Aristotelian. He saw his viewpoint as Platonic, or perhaps more accurately as Socratic. His writings, unlike MacIntyre’s, have little to say about justice. However, Kovesi did offfer a theory of practical reason. His main contention was that all human social life embodies a set of concepts that govern and guide that life, concepts without which that life would be impossible. These include our moral concepts. For Kovesi, moral concepts are not external to, but constitutive of social life in any of its possible forms. But in the course of his argument he also developed a way of thinking about how concepts work, which we term ‘conceptual functionalism’, and which we will elucidate. (shrink)

The Fundamental Sequence of Reality: Awareness as the First Cause Abstract The nature of reality has long been debated in philosophy, physics, and cosmology. The dominant paradigm suggests that physical reality emerged through energy interactions following the Big Bang. However, this paper proposes a fundamental shift in perspective: that awareness is the first cause of existence, preceding time, action, energy, and matter. This model aligns with modern quantum mechanics, neuroscience, and ancient metaphysical thought, providing a framework that (...) unifies scientific and philosophical inquiries. This paper explores how awareness initiates creation, the role of time as a coordination system rather than a force, the activation of energy as a response to directed motion, and the emergence of physical reality as the final effect. 1. Introduction The current scientific model postulates that the universe began with a singularity—an infinitely dense state that expanded to form all matter and energy. However, this theory does not explain what existed before the singularity or what caused it to activate. Additionally, the problem of consciousness remains unresolved in science, with competing theories about whether it is emergent or fundamental. This paper presents a new model where awareness exists as the first cause, setting the foundation for all subsequent phenomena. 2. Awareness as the First Cause 2.1 Defining Awareness as a Pre-Physical Reality Awareness, in this model, is not an emergent property of matter but an intrinsic state of existence. This idea is supported by: Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) Theory (Penrose & Hameroff, 2014): It suggests that consciousness exists in a quantum superposition before neural activity occurs, meaning it is fundamental rather than a byproduct of brain processes. The Observer Effect in Quantum Mechanics: The Double-Slit Experiment demonstrates that particles behave as waves until observed, implying that awareness plays a role in the formation of reality (Wheeler, 1983). Philosophical Idealism: Thinkers like Kant, Berkeley, and Chalmers have suggested that perception structures reality rather than reality existing independently. 2.2 Awareness Preceding Physical Existence Since awareness exists independently of time and space, it does not require a cause. The fundamental realization of awareness results in self-questioning, which initiates the unfolding of structured existence. 3. Time as a Coordination System, Not a Primary Force 3.1 Julian Barbour’s “End of Time” Hypothesis Barbour (1999) argues that time is not fundamental but is an emergent property of change. This aligns with: Einstein’s relativity, which shows that time is relative and can be influenced by motion and gravity. Quantum mechanics, which demonstrates that quantum events do not require a linear passage of time. 3.2 Time as a Measurement, Not a Cause This model suggests that time exists to coordinate the unfolding of awareness into structured phenomena, not as a force that causes motion. 4. Energy Release as a Reaction, Not a Primary Cause 4.1 Feynman’s Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) Feynman (1985) demonstrated that energy exists in a probability state until an interaction forces it into action. This means: Energy is not a first principle; it is activated through directed action. The vacuum state of the universe holds dormant energy that is only triggered when conditions allow it. 4.2 The Activation of Energy Energy is released only when awareness initiates action. Without awareness directing the process, energy remains in an unmanifested state. 5. Physical Reality as the Last Step 5.1 The Holographic Principle Physicists such as Gerard ‘t Hooft and Leonard Susskind propose that the universe is a projection of lower-dimensional information. This means: Matter is not fundamental; it emerges as a consequence of deeper, pre-physical structures. Awareness shapes reality at a fundamental level before material existence. 5.2 Consciousness & Quantum Gravity Penrose suggests that wave function collapse is influenced by gravitational effects, implying a connection between consciousness and spacetime itself. 6. Addressing Contradictory Theories 6.1 The Standard Big Bang Model The Big Bang assumes energy was the first principle, but it does not explain why energy became active. This model fixes that issue by proposing that awareness initiates energy release. 6.2 The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics The Copenhagen Interpretation states that wave function collapse occurs when observed but does not define the observer. This model proposes that awareness is the ultimate observer, explaining why quantum states collapse into defined reality. 7. Implications for Science & Human Understanding This model unifies: Quantum Mechanics & Consciousness: Awareness as a fundamental principle aligns with quantum observation. Physics & Philosophy: Idealism meets empirical research in a coherent framework. Cosmology & Metaphysics: The origin of the universe is explained beyond materialist assumptions. 8. Conclusion By placing awareness as the first cause, we create a framework that bridges science, philosophy, and quantum mechanics. This model explains the missing elements in modern physics and provides a foundation for future exploration. 9. References Barbour, J. (1999). The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics. Bohr, N. (1928). "The Quantum Postulate and the Recent Development of Atomic Theory." Nature. Chalmers, D. J. (1995). "Facing up to the problem of consciousness." Journal of Consciousness Studies. Einstein, A. (1915). "General Theory of Relativity." Feynman, R. P. (1985). QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter. Guth, A. H. (1981). "Inflationary universe: A possible solution to the horizon and flatness problems." Physical Review D. Penrose, R. & Hameroff, S. (2014). "Consciousness in the universe: A review of the ‘Orch OR’ theory." Physics of Life Reviews. Susskind, L. (1995). "The World as a Hologram." Journal of Mathematical Physics. Wheeler, J. A. (1983). "Law without law." Quantum Theory and Measurement. (shrink)

The paper considers the symmetries of a bit of information corresponding to one, two or three qubits of quantum information and identifiable as the three basic symmetries of the Standard model, U(1), SU(2), and SU(3) accordingly. They refer to “empty qubits” (or the free variable of quantum information), i.e. those in which no point is chosen (recorded). The choice of a certain point violates those symmetries. It can be represented furthermore as the choice of a privileged reference frame (...) (e.g. that of the Big Bang), which can be described exhaustively by means of 16 numbers (4 for position, 4 for velocity, and 8 for acceleration) independently of time, but in space-time continuum, and still one, 17th number is necessary for the mass of rest of the observer in it. The same 17 numbers describing exhaustively a privileged reference frame thus granted to be “zero”, respectively a certain violation of all the three symmetries of the Standard model or the “record” in a qubit in general, can be represented as 17 elementary wave functions (or classes of wave functions) after the bijection of natural and transfinite natural (ordinal) numbers in Hilbert arithmetic and further identified as those corresponding to the 17 elementary of particles of the Standard model. Two generalizations of the relevant concepts of general relativity are introduced: (1) “discrete reference frame” to the class of all arbitrarily accelerated reference frame constituting a smooth manifold; (2) a still more general principle of relativity to the general principle of relativity, and meaning the conservation of quantum information as to all discrete reference frames as to the smooth manifold of all reference frames of general relativity. Then, the bijective transition from an accelerated reference frame to the 17 elementary wave functions of the Standard model can be interpreted by the still more general principle of relativity as the equivalent redescription of a privileged reference frame: smooth into a discrete one. The conservation of quantum information related to the generalization of the concept of reference frame can be interpreted as restoring the concept of the ether, an absolutely immovable medium and reference frame in Newtonian mechanics, to which the relative motion can be interpreted as an absolute one, or logically: the relations, as properties. The new ether is to consist of qubits (or quantum information). One can track the conceptual pathway of the “ether” from Newtonian mechanics via special relativity, via general relativity, via quantum mechanics to the theory of quantum information (or “quantum mechanics and information”). The identification of entanglement and gravity can be considered also as a ‘byproduct” implied by the transition from the smooth “ether of special and general relativity’ to the “flat” ether of quantum mechanics and information. The qubit ether is out of the “temporal screen” in general and is depicted on it as both matter and energy, both dark and visible. (shrink)

-/- The Universal Law of Balance in Nature and Its Application to Cosmology -/- The universe, in all its vastness and complexity, follows fundamental principles that govern its formation, structure, and evolution. If the universal law of balance in nature, as formulated by Angelito Malicse, is truly a fundamental law, then it must apply to all physical systems—including cosmology. The cosmos operates through a delicate interplay of opposing forces, equilibrium states, and self-regulating processes. From the expansion of the (...) universe to the formation of galaxies, black holes, and even the quantum realm, we can see how the universe upholds a balance that sustains its existence. -/- The Big Bang and Cosmic Expansion: A Balanced Beginning -/- The Big Bang theory explains that the universe originated from an infinitely dense singularity and has been expanding ever since. This expansion is governed by finely tuned physical constants. If the rate of expansion had been slightly faster, matter would have dispersed too quickly for galaxies to form. If it had been slightly slower, gravitational collapse would have occurred early on. -/- This fine-tuning suggests a natural equilibrium that enables the formation of structured systems rather than chaos or premature collapse. It aligns with the universal law of balance, where natural forces regulate themselves to sustain stability and existence. The very fabric of the universe appears to have been designed to operate within a delicate range, ensuring its continued evolution. -/- Cosmic Inflation and Homeostasis in the Universe -/- During the first moments after the Big Bang, the universe underwent a brief but intense period of cosmic inflation, expanding exponentially faster than the speed of light. This process ensured that energy and matter were evenly distributed, leading to a homogeneous and isotropic universe on large scales. -/- This phenomenon mirrors biological homeostasis, where a system self-regulates to maintain stability. Just as a living organism adjusts internal conditions to sustain life, the universe adjusted its own expansion to ensure long-term structural balance. This aligns with the universal law of balance, demonstrating that even at the largest scale, self-regulation ensures stability. -/- Gravitational Balance in Galactic Formation -/- Galaxies and planetary systems form due to the interplay of gravitational attraction and rotational forces. Gravity pulls matter together, while angular momentum prevents collapse. This balance creates stable systems where stars, planets, and entire galaxies can persist for billions of years. -/- If gravitational forces were too strong, matter would collapse into dense objects too quickly. If too weak, galaxies would never form, and the universe would remain an empty void. This self-sustaining balance echoes the way decision-making works in human societies—where opposing forces (such as economic, social, and political pressures) must be weighed to maintain stability. The universe, much like human systems, thrives through equilibrium. -/- Dark Matter and Dark Energy: Opposing Forces in Equilibrium -/- Approximately 95% of the universe is composed of dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious components that shape cosmic evolution. Dark matter provides the gravitational glue that holds galaxies together, preventing them from flying apart. Dark energy, on the other hand, drives the accelerated expansion of space. -/- These two forces act in opposition, yet their interaction maintains the overall stability of the universe. If dark energy were too dominant, galaxies would tear apart. If dark matter were too dominant, the universe would collapse under its own gravity. This cosmic balance reflects the universal law of balance, where opposing forces must coexist in equilibrium to sustain existence. -/- Thermodynamic Equilibrium and Entropy: Order Within Disorder -/- The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy (disorder) increases over time. Left unchecked, the universe should become a chaotic, unstructured mess. Yet, within this increasing disorder, we see localized structures of order—galaxies, stars, planets, and even life itself. -/- This paradox suggests that while entropy governs the overall system, temporary balance allows complex structures to emerge and persist. Just as societal stability emerges from balancing chaos and order, the cosmos generates structure despite the drive toward disorder. This principle aligns with the universal law of balance, where even in a seemingly random environment, natural forces work to create structured, stable systems. -/- Black Holes and Information Balance -/- Black holes, some of the most extreme objects in the universe, consume matter and energy, seemingly erasing all information about what falls into them. However, modern physics suggests that information is not truly lost—it is preserved in some form, whether encoded on the event horizon (as suggested by the holographic principle) or through quantum processes. -/- This concept aligns with the universal law of balance because it suggests that even in the most extreme environments, information follows a conservation principle. Just as human actions have consequences that persist in various forms, the universe ensures that no energy or information truly disappears, maintaining a deeper cosmic equilibrium. -/- Quantum Cosmology: Balance at the Smallest Scales -/- At the smallest scales of reality, quantum mechanics governs the behavior of particles, where superposition and uncertainty play fundamental roles. In the early universe, quantum fluctuations helped seed the formation of galaxies. -/- These fluctuations demonstrate a balance between uncertainty and structure. Just as human decisions arise from multiple possibilities but follow natural constraints, the universe’s structure emerges from quantum uncertainty within governing physical laws. This suggests that even at the quantum level, the universe operates under a principle of balance. -/- Multiverse Theories and the Balance of Possibilities -/- Some theories suggest that our universe is just one of many in a multiverse, each with different physical laws. If this is true, then our universe may simply be one of the few that has achieved the right balance of forces to sustain structure and life. -/- This supports the idea that cosmic selection could function similarly to natural selection—only universes with stable laws of physics persist. This aligns with the universal law of balance, where systems that maintain equilibrium continue to exist, while those that fail to achieve balance dissolve into nonexistence. -/- Conclusion: A Universe Governed by Balance -/- From the grand scale of cosmic expansion to the microscopic realm of quantum fluctuations, the universe appears to follow the universal law of balance in nature. Every major phenomenon—whether it be the interplay of gravity and expansion, the self-regulation of galaxies, or the emergence of structured systems within entropy—reflects the principle that equilibrium is essential for existence. -/- If this law is truly fundamental, then it not only governs the universe but also human behavior, decision-making, and societal structures. The same balance that sustains galaxies and black holes also shapes civilizations, economies, and individual consciousness. -/- By understanding this universal principle, we can apply it to solve real-world problems. If leaders, scientists, and educators incorporate the law of balance into governance, economics, and education, it could lead to a more stable, sustainable, and just society—just as it has sustained the universe for billions of years. -/- . (shrink)

We need to understand personal identity to develop radical life extension technologies: mind uploading, cryonics, digital immortality, and quantum (big world) immortality. A tentative solution is needed now, due to the opportunity cost of delaying indirect digital immortality and cryonics. However, solving the problem of personal identity is not easy. Human personal identity is a complex thing, not similar to other types of identity, such as that of Theseus ship. First of all, human identity consists of two intertwined types (...) of identity: informational identity, which predicts sameness, and identity of consciousness, which predicts what I will experience in the next moment of time. The identity of consciousness is called "hard problem of identity", and it is because it supervenes on the nature of consciousness. The second feature of human personal identity is that it is observed and measured internally, by identity subject himself. The third is that it evolves in time. -/- The main dichotomy in the views on personal identity and copies can be presented as: either my copy=original or a soul exists. In other words, some non-informational identity carrier (NIIC) may exist that distinguishes the original from its exact copy. Typically, it is often claimed that NIIC is either continuity of consciousness, or soul, or perspective, or the sameness of atoms, or position in space. We create an exhaustive map of identity theories. -/- We demonstrate here that the idea of continuity of consciousness is very similar to the idea of soul, but also has several problems: - Is it the continuity of qualia, of causal processes, of computations or of underlying substrate? - We also show that continuity doesn't prevent the emergence of two future copies if they split smoothly, so continuity does not preserve identity as uniqueness. - Also, continuity doesn't ensure uniqueness as I can continually become someone else. - Continuity + MWI means that I will eventually become anyone, that is, open individualism. - Continuity also can be paradoxically preserved without preserving body and mind as a separate process like flame. - Humans also seems to survive discontinuity during sleep without problems. Nevertheless, continuity appears to be inherent to qualia, emerging after observation but before action, and in planning. Only if continuity of consciousness is an ontological necessity, it can be a valid NIIC, but this is true only in a specific version of solipsism (qualia dust theory). In that case, a specific set of personal qualia becomes the personality carrier. -/- If copy=original then even imperfect copies suffice for personal immortality, as self-recognition becomes the main criterion of identity. -/- Open and closed individualism deny the existence of identity but must reinvent it as "practical identity" and therefore revert to copy=original. -/- To resolve the main dichotomy, we must recognize that personal identity requires an overarching system: God, qualia world, social agreement, or evolutionary fitness. This means that we cannot solve identity without solving metaphysics (and the nature of time). Unlikely we'll solve this, before creating superintelligent AI. -/- Therefore, a conservative approach to personal identity is preferable: as we don't know the nature of identity, we should preserve as much as possible and avoid Mars Teleporting unless necessary for survival. We can solve the Mars Transporter (even broken) by incorporating mind merging later, which is another conservative approach. -/- We can solve the "I don't care about my copy" problem through indexical uncertainty and by dividing "copy" into "mirror copy", "personality-copy" and "future copy". If both cyclic universe and continuity as identity are true, I will eventually become any my copy. MWI is functionally equivalent to cyclic universe, so I will become any copy in different timesteps. Therefore, we should care about parallel copies only if future copies don't exist (though in MWI future copies always exist, plus the chance to become someone else). (shrink)

Here, we try to build the structure of a Theory of computation based on considering time as a fuzzy concept. Actually, there are some reasons to consider time as a fuzzy concept. In this article, we don’t go to this side but we remind that Brower and Husserl ideas about the concept of time were similar [14]. Throughout this article, we present the Theory of Computation with Fuzzy Time. Considering the classical definition of (...) Turing Machine we change and modify the concept of Time to Fuzzy time. We call this new Theory TC* and this type of computation “Fuzzy time Computation”. We have relatively large number of fundamental unsolved problems in Complexity Theory. In the new Theory some of the major obstacles and unsolved problems are solved. It should be mentioned that in this article, we consider fuzzy number a symmetric one. The point about the symmetry is in the proof of Lemma 3, although we are able to generalize it. More specifically, we define the new classes of complexity Theory, P*, NP*, BPP* in TC* analogues to the definitions P, NP, BPP as their natural substituted definition. We show P*≠ NP*, P*= BPP*. Finally, we have Theorem 4, P≠NP . (shrink)

1.Summary The key terms. 1. Key term: ‘Sunyata’. Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) is known in the history of Buddhism mainly by his keyword ‘sunyata’. This word is translated into English by the word ‘emptiness’. The translation and the traditional interpretations create the impression that Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) declares the objects as empty or illusionary or not real or not existing. What is the assertion and concrete statement made by this interpretation? That nothing can be found, that there is nothing, that nothing exists? Was (...) Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) denying the external world? Did he wish to refute that which evidently is? Did he want to call into question the world in which we live? Did he wish to deny the presence of things that somehow arise? My first point is the refutation of this traditional translation and interpretation. 2. Key terms: ‘Dependence’ or ‘relational view’. My second point consists in a transcription of the keyword of ‘sunyata’ by the word ‘dependence’. This is something that Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) himself has done. Now Nagarjuna’s (Kumarajiva’s) central view can be named ‘dependence of things’. Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) is not looking for a material or immaterial object which can be declared as a fundamental reality of this world. His fundamental reality is not an object. It is a relation between objects. This is a relational view of reality. This is the heart of Nagarjuna’s (Kumarajiva’s) ideas. In the 19th century a more or less unknown Italian philosopher, Vincenzo Goberti, spoke about relations as the mean and as bonds between things. Later, in quantum physics and in the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead we are talking about interactions and entanglements. These ideas of relatedness or connections or entanglements in Eastern and Western modes of thought are the main idea of this essay. Not all entanglements are known. Just two examples: the nature of quantum entanglements is not known. Quantum entanglements should be faster than light. That's why Albert Einstein had some doubts. A second example: the completely unknown connections between the mind and the brain. Other examples are mysterious like the connections between birds in a flock. Some are a little known like gravitational forces. 3. Key terms: ‘Arm in arm’. But Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) did not stop there. He was not content to repeat this discovery of relational reality. He went on one step further indicating that what is happening between two things. He gave indications to the space between two things. He realized that not the behaviour of bodies, but the behaviour of something between them may be essential for understanding the reality. This open space is not at all empty. It is full of energy. The open space is the middle between things. Things are going arm in arm. The middle might be considered as a force that bounds men to the world and it might be seen as well as a force of liberation. It might be seen as a bondage to the infinite space. 4. Key term: Philosophy. Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva), we are told, was a Buddhist philosopher. This statement is not wrong when we take the notion ‘philosophy’ in a deep sense as a love to wisdom, not as wisdom itself. Philosophy is a way to wisdom. Where this way has an end wisdom begins and philosophy is no more necessary. A.N. Whitehead gives philosophy the commission of descriptive generalization. We do not need necessarily a philosophical building of universal dimensions. Some steps of descriptive generalization might be enough in order to see and understand reality. There is another criterion of Nagarjuna’s (Kumarajiva’s) philosophy. Not his keywords ‘sunyata’ and ‘pratityasamutpada’ but his 25 philosophical examples are the heart of his philosophy. His examples are images. They do not speak to rational and conceptual understanding. They speak to our eyes. Images, metaphors, allegories or symbolic examples have a freshness which rational ideas do not possess. Buddhist dharma and philosophy is a philosophy of allegories. This kind of philosophy is not completely new and unknown to European philosophy. Since Plato’s allegory of the cave it is already a little known. (Plato 424 – 348 Befor Current Era) The German philosopher Hans Blumenberg has underlined the importance of metaphors in European philosophy. 5. Key terms: Quantum Physics. Why quantum physics? European modes of thought had no idea of the space between two this. They were bound to the ideas of substance or subject, two main metaphysical traditions of European philosophical history, two main principles. These substances and these subjects are two immaterial bodies which were considered by traditional European metaphysics as lying, as a sort of core, inside the objects or underlying the empirical reality of our world. The first European scientist who saw with his inner eye the forces between two things had been Michael Faraday (1791-1867). Faraday was an English scientist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism. Later physicists like Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg and others followed his view in modern physics. This is a fifth point of my work. I compare Nagarjuna (Kumarajiva) with European scientific modes of thought for a better understanding of Asia. I do not compare Nagarjuna (kumarajiva) with European philosophers like Hegel, Heidegger, Wittgenstein. The principles and metaphysical foundations of physical sciences are more representative for European modes of thought than the ideas of Hegel, Heidegger and Wittgenstein and they are more precise. And slowly we are beginning to understand these principles. Let me take as an example the interpretation of quantum entanglement by the British mathematician Roger Penrose. Penrose discusses in the year of 2000 the experiences of quantum entanglement where light is separated over a distance of 100 kilometers and still remains connected in an unknown way. These are well known experiments in the last 30 years. Very strange for European modes of thought. The light should be either separated or connected. That is the expectation most European modes of thought tell us. Aristotle had been the first. Aristotle (384 - 322 Before Current Era) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. He told us the following principle as a metaphysical foundation: Either a situation exists or not. There is not a third possibility. Now listen to Roger Penrose: “Quantum entanglement is a very strange type of thing. It is somewhere between objects being separate and being in communication with each other” (Roger Penrose, The Large, the Small and the Human Mind, Cambridge University Press. 2000 page 66). This sentence of Roger Penrose is a first step of a philosophical generalization in a Whiteheadian sense. 6. Key terms: ‘The metaphysical foundations of modern science’ had been examined particularly by three European and American philosophers: E. A. Burtt, A.N. Whitehead and Hans-Georg Gadamer, by Gadamer eminently in his late writings on Heraclitus and Parmenides. I try to follow the approaches of these philosophers of relational views and of anti-substantialism. By ‘metaphysical foundations’ Edwin Arthur Burtt does not understand transcendental ideas but simply the principles that are underlying sciences. 7. Key terms: ‘Complementarity’, ‘interactions’, ‘entanglements’. Since 1927 quantum physics has three key terms which give an indication to the fundamental physical reality: Complementarity, interactions and entanglement. These three notions are akin to Nagarjuna’s (Kumarajiva’s) relational view of reality. They are akin and they are very precise, so that Buddhism might learn something from these descriptions and quantum physicists might learn from Nagarjuna’s (Kumarajiva’s) examples and views of reality. They might learn to do a first step in a philosophical generalisation of quantum physical experiments. All of us we might learn how objects are entangled or going arm in arm. [The end of the summary.]. (shrink)

This dissertation is concerned with two of the largest questions that we can ask about the nature of physical reality: first, whether physical reality begin to exist and, second, what criteria would physical reality have to fulfill in order to have had a beginning? Philosophers of religion and theologians have previously addressed whether physical reality began to exist in the context of defending the Kal{\'a}m Cosmological Argument (KCA) for theism, that is, (P1) everything that begins to exist has (...) a cause for its beginning to exist, (P2) physical reality began to exist, and, therefore, (C) physical reality has a cause for its beginning to exist. While the KCA has traditionally been used to argue for God's existence, the KCA does not mention God, has been rejected by historically significant Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, and raises perennial philosophical questions -- about the nature and history of physical reality, the nature of time, the nature of causation, and so on -- that should be of interest to all philosophers and, perhaps, all humans. While I am not a religious person, I am interested in the questions raised by the KCA. In this dissertation, I articulate three necessary conditions that physical reality would need to fulfill in order to have had a beginning and argue that, given the current state of philosophical and scientific inquiry, we cannot determine whether physical reality began to exist. -/- Friends of the KCA have sought to defend their view that physical reality began to exist in two distinct ways. As I discuss in chapter 2, the first way in which friends of the KCA have sought to defend their view that physical reality began to exist involves a family of a priori arguments meant to show that, as a matter of metaphysical necessity, the past must be finite. If the past is necessarily finite, then the past history of physical reality is necessarily finite. And if having a finite past suffices for having a beginning, then, since the past history of physical reality is necessarily finite, physical reality necessarily began to exist. I show that the arguments which have been offered thus far for the view that the past is necessarily finite do not succeed. Moreover, as I elaborate on in chapter 5, having a finite past does not suffice for having a beginning. -/- As I discuss in chapter 3, the second way in which friends of the KCA have sought to defend their view that physical reality began to exist involves a family of a posteriori arguments meant to show that we have empirical evidence that physical reality has a finite past history. For example, the big bang is sometimes claimed to have been the beginning of physical reality and, since we have excellent empirical evidence for the big bang, we have excellent empirical evidence for the beginning of physical reality. The big bang can be understood in two ways. On the one hand, the big bang can be understood as a theory about the history and development of the observable universe. Understood in that sense, then I agree that the big bang is supported by excellent empirical evidence and by a scientific consensus. On the other hand, some authors (particularly science popularizers, science journalists, and religious apologists) have wrongly interpreted big bang theory as a theory about the beginning of the whole of physical reality. As I argue, while a beginning of physical reality may be consistent with classical big bang theory, classical big bang theory does not provide good reason for thinking that physical reality began to exist. -/- In part II, I turn to discussing three necessary, but not necessarily sufficient, conditions for physical reality to have a beginning. Before discussing the three conditions, in chapter 4, I introduce three metaphysical accounts of the nature of time (A-theory, B-theory, and C-theory) as well as some formal machinery that will subsequently become useful in the dissertation. I introduce the first of the three conditions in chapter 5. According to the Modal Condition, physical reality began to exist only if, at the closest possible worlds without time, physical reality does not exist. I show that this condition helps us to make sense of various views in both theology and philosophy of physics. In chapter 6}, I introduce the second of my three conditions, the Direction Condition, according to which, roughly, physical reality began to exist only if all space-time points agree about the direction of time, so that all space-time points can agree that physical reality's putative beginning took place in their objective past. In chapter 7, I discuss the third condition, the Boundary Condition, according to which physical reality began to exist only if there is a past temporal boundary such that physical reality did not exist before the boundary. I show that there are two senses in which physical reality could be said to have had a past temporal boundary. Lastly, in chapter 8, I show that there is a relationship between my three conditions and classical big bang theory, even though the relationship is not the one usually identified in the literature. -/- In part III, I present four arguments for the view that, at the present stage of philosophical and scientific inquiry, we cannot know whether physical reality satisfies the three necessary conditions to have had a beginning and, consequently, we cannot know whether physical reality had a beginning. As I will prove in chapter 9, no set of observations that we currently have, when conjoined with General Relativity, entails that physical reality satisfies the Direction or Boundary Conditions. As I show in chapter 10, considerations in the philosophical foundations of statistical mechanics entail either that the Cosmos violates the Modal Condition or else that there is a transcendental condition on the possibility of our knowledge of the past that prevents our access to data we would need to gather to determine whether physical reality satisfies the Boundary Condition. In chapter 11, I show that there are a number of live cosmological models according to which physical reality does not satisfy the Boundary Condition. As long as we don't know whether any of those cosmological models are correct, we do not know whether physical reality satisfies the Boundary Condition. Lastly, I turn to confirmation theory and show that, at our present stage of inquiry, ampliative inferences for the conclusion that physical reality satisfies the Modal, Direction, and Boundary Conditions are not successful. (shrink)

This article had its beginning with Einstein's 1919 paper "Do gravitational fields play an essential role in the structure of elementary particles?" Together with General Relativity's statement that gravity is not a pull but is a push caused by the curvature of space-time, a hypothesis for Earth's ocean tides was developed that does not solely depend on the Sun and Moon as Kepler and Newton believed. It also borrows from Galileo. The breakup of planets and asteroids by white dwarfs, (...) neutron stars or black holes is popularly ascribed by today's science to tidal forces (gravitation emanating from the stellar body and having a greater effect on the near side of a planet/asteroid than the farthest side). Remembering Einstein's 1919 paper, it was apparent that my revised idea of tidal forces improves on current accounts because it views matter and mass as unified with space-time whose curvature is gravitation. Unification is a necessity for modern science's developing view of one united and entangled universe – expressed in the Unified Field Theory, the Theory of Everything, String theory and Loop Quantum Gravity. The writing of this article was also assisted by visualizing the gravitational fields forming space-time being themselves formed by a multitude of weak and presently undetectable gravitational waves. The final part of this article concludes that the section BITS AND TOPOLOGY will lead to the conclusions in ETERNAL LIFE, WORLD PEACE AND PHYSICS' UNIFICATION. The final part also compares cosmology to biological enzymes and biology's substrate of reacting "chemicals" - using virtual particles, hidden variables, gravitation, electromagnetism, electronics’ binary digits, plus topology’s Mobius strip and figure-8 Klein bottle. The product is mass - enzyme, substrate and product are all considered mathematical in nature. Also, gravitation and electromagnetism are united using logic and topology – showing there’s no need in this article for things like mathematical formalism, field equations or tensor calculus. (shrink)

The file on this site provides the slides for a lecture given in Hangzhou in May 2018, and the lecture itself is available at the URL beginning 'sms' in the set of links provided in connection with this item. -/- It is commonly assumed that regular physics underpins biology. Here it is proposed, in a synthesis of ideas by various authors, that in reality structures and mechanisms of a biological character underpin the world studied by physicists, in principle supplying (...) detail in the domain that according to regular physics is of an indeterminate character. In regular physics mathematical equations are primary, but this constraint leads to problems with reconciling theory and reality. Biology on the other hand typically does not characterise nature in quantitative terms, instead investigating in detail important complex interrelationships between parts, leading to an understanding of the systems concerned that is in some respects beyond that which prevails in regular physics. It makes contact with quantum physics in various ways, for example in that both involve interactions between observer and observed, an insight that explains what is special about processes involving observation, justifying in the quantum physics context the replacement of the unphysical many-worlds picture by one involving collapse. The link with biology furthermore clarifies Wheeler’s suggestion that a multiplicity of observations can lead to the ‘fabrication of form’, including the insight that this process depends on very specific ‘structures with power’ related to the 'semiotic scaffolding' of the application of sign theory to biology known as biosemiotics. -/- The observer-observed 'circle' of Wheeler and Yardley is a special case of a more general phenomenon, oppositional dynamics, related to the 'intra-action' of Barad's Agential Realism, involving cooperating systems such as mind and matter, abstract and concrete, observer and observed, that preserve their identities while interacting with one another in such a way as to act as a unit. A third system may also be involved, the mediating system of Peirce linking the two together. Such a situation of changing connections and separations may plausibly lead in the future to an understanding of how complex systems are able to evolve to produce 'life, the universe and everything'. -/- (Added 1 July 2018) The general structure proposed here as an alternative to a mathematics-based physics can be usefully characterised by relating it to different disciplines and the specialised concepts utilised therein. In theoretical physics, the test for the correctness of a theory typically involves numerical predictions, corresponding to which theories are expressed in terms of equations, that is to say assertions that two quantities have identical values. Equations have a lesser significance in biology which typically talks in terms of functional mechanisms, dependent for example on details of chemistry and concepts such as genes, natural selection, signals and geometrical or topologically motivated concepts such as the interconnections between systems and the unfolding of DNA. Biosemiotics adds to this the concept of signs and their interpretation, implying novel concepts such as semiotic scaffolding and the semiosphere, code duality, and appreciation of the different types of signs, including symbols and their capacity for abstraction and use in language systems. Circular Theory adds to this picture, as do the ideas of Barad, considerations such as the idea of oppositional dynamics. The proposals in this lecture can be regarded as the idea that concepts such as those deriving from biosemiotics have more general applicability than just conventional biology and may apply, in some circumstances, to nonlinear systems generally, including the domain new to science hypothesised to underlie the phenomena of present-day physics. -/- The task then has to be to restore the mathematical aspect presumed, in this picture, not to be fundamental as it is in conventional theory. Deacon has invoked a complex sequence of evolutionary steps to account for the emergence over time of human language systems, and correspondingly mathematical behaviour can be subsumed under the general evolutionary mechanisms of biosemiotics (cf. also the proposals of Davis and Hersh regarding the nature of mathematics), so that the mathematical behaviour of physical systems is consistent with the proposed scheme. In conclusion, it is suggested that theoretical physicists should cease expecting to find some universal mathematical ‘theory of everything’, and focus instead on understanding in more detail complex systems exhibiting behaviour of a biological character, extending existing understanding. This may in time provide a more fruitful understanding of the natural world than does the regular approach. The essential concepts have an observational basis from both biology and the little-known discipline of cymatics (a discipline concerned with the remarkable patterns that specific waveforms can give rise to), while again computer simulations also offer promise in providing insight into the complex behaviours involved in the above proposals. -/- References -/- Jesper Hoffmeyer, Semiotic Scaffolding of Living Systems. Commens, a Digital Companion to C. S. Peirce (on Commens web site). Terrence Deacon, The Symbolic Species, W.W. Norton & Co. Karen Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning, Duke University Press. Philip Davis and Reuben Hersh, The Mathematical Experience, Penguin. Ilexa Yardley, Circular Theory. (shrink)

In the Critique of Pure Reason Kant argues that the empirical knowledge of the world depends on a priori conditions of human sensibility and understanding, i. e., our capacities of sense experience and concept formation. The objective knowledge presupposes, on one hand, space and time as a priori conditions of sensibility and, on another hand, a priori judgments, like the principle of causality, as constitutive conditions of understanding. The problem is that in the XX century the physical science completely (...) changed how we conceive our knowledge of the world. Face to this new situation, what was changed in our classical reason? However, if the transcendental point of view is adopted, in the specific case of quantum mechanics, we have to wonder about the general conditions of this theory that make possible such knowledge, which predictive value is much more accurate than the classical physics. The aim of this work is firstly to show the Kantian implications on Bohr’s interpretation of quantum phenomena and secondly to provide an overview of the key elements for understanding the transcendental locus of ordinary language in the quantum mechanics context, in order to give support to a transcendental pragmatic position in the analysis of science. (shrink)

Tim Maudlin has influentially argued that Humeanism about laws of nature stands in conflict with quantum mechanics. Specifically Humeanism implies the principle Separability: the complete physical state of a world is determined by the intrinsic physical state of each space-time point. Maudlin argues Separability is violated by the entangled states posited by QM. We argue that Maudlin only establishes that a stronger principle, which we call Strong Separability, is in tension with QM. Separability is not in (...) tension with QM. Moreover, while the Humean requires Separability to capture the core tenets of her view, there's no Humean-specific motivation for accepting Strong Separability. We go on to give a Humean account of entangled states which satisfies Separability. The core idea is that certain quantum states depend upon the Humean mosaic in much the same way as the laws do. In fact, we offer a variant of the Best System account on which the systemization procedure that generates the laws also serves to ground these states. We show how this account works by applying it to the example of Bohmian Mechanics. The 3N-dimensional configuration space, the world particle in it and the wave function on it are part of the best system of the Humean mosaic, which consists of N particles moving in 3-dimensional space. We argue that this account is superior to the Humean account of Bohmian Mechanics defended by Loewer and Albert, which takes the 3N-dimensional space, and its inhabitants, as fundamental. (shrink)

When this article was first planned, writing was going to be exclusively about two things - the origin of life and human evolution. But it turned out to be out of the question for the author to restrict himself to these biological and anthropological topics. A proper understanding of them required answering questions like “What is the nature of the universe – the home of life – and how did it originate?”, “How can time travel be removed (...) from fantasy and science fiction, to be made scientific and practical?”, and “How can the proposed young age of genus Homo be made to actually be reasonable – when simply stating it would be solid ground for instant rejection and dismissal?” The result is that the article also talks about subjects like Artificial Intelligence, General Relativity, and cosmology. -/- From where did life originate? God? Evolution? Panspermia? If the tendency of humans and scientists to regard undiscovered science as pseudoscience can be overcome, Einstein gave another alternative to consider when he introduced General Relativity. Time isn’t linear – progressing in a straight line from past to present to future. That assumption ignores Relativity which states that space AND TIME are curved. Where did life and the genetic code come from? Can the answer build AI? -/- The first question can be answered by the section of this article titled SETI, Evolution, and Time which says life (possibly multicellular and intelligent) and the genetic code came from humans acquiring knowledge of these things over the centuries, then applying that knowledge – via terraforming, accumulation of raw materials like amino acids and nucleic acids, genetic engineering - to a time in the past when life didn’t exist. From that origin, life evolved through innumerable mutations and adaptations, with humans once again acquiring knowledge of it in cyclic (nonlinear) time. -/- The second question is answered by saying artificial intelligence (AI) as the product of life is only half of the equation. The other half refers to Relativity’s curved space-time and violation of the notion that time always travels from past to future. We have always lived in an artificially intelligent, non-probabilistic universe where everything in time and space is connected into one thing by quantum entanglement – making the brain and genes products of binary-digit activity or artificial intelligence (life is not merely dependent on biology’s “lock and key” mechanisms but also possesses AI). -/- The earliest documented representative of the genus Homo is Homo habilis, which evolved around 2.8 million years ago. Scientists used to believe there was a straight line from H. habilis to us, Homo sapiens. This article will use the “advanced” waves loved by Physics Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, view the history of science through the lens of Conic Sections applied to Relativity’s curved space-time, and incorporate the necessity of so-called imaginary time * – popularized by Prof. Stephen Hawking. While the evolutionary proposals are more in agreement with this early straight line than with modern theories, Albert Einstein’s General Relativity is used to transform the straight line into a curved line, ultimately concluding that Homo habilis (H. habilis) originated only (and unbelievably, as far as today’s science and technology is concerned) ~250,000 years ago. Other branches and dead ends of Homo – e.g. Neanderthals – are the result of mutations and adaptations, with the resultant modifications to anatomy and physiology. The surprisingly young age of H. habilis allows nearly 200,000 years for habilis, or one of its descendants, to reach Australia … if this country’s indigenous Aboriginal population did, as claimed, reach this “island continent” 60,000 years ago. -/- * The ultraviolet catastrophe, also called the Rayleigh–Jeans catastrophe, is a failure of classical physics to predict observed phenomena: it can be shown that a blackbody - a hypothetical perfect absorber and radiator of energy - would release an infinite amount of energy, contradicting the principles of conservation of energy and indicating that a new model for the behaviour of blackbodies was needed. At the start of the 20th century, physicist Max Planck derived the correct solution by making some strange (for the time) assumptions. In particular, Planck assumed that electromagnetic radiation can only be emitted or absorbed in discrete packets, called quanta. Albert Einstein postulated that Planck's quanta were real physical particles (what we now call photons), not just a mathematical fiction. From there, Einstein developed his explanation of the photoelectric effect (when quanta or photons of light shine on certain metals, electrons are released and can form an electric current). So it appears entirely possible that another supposed mathematical trickery (imaginary time and the y-axis of Wick rotation) will find practical application in the future. -/- The article includes mathematical references to cosmology (spoiler alert – you’ll read about things like Vector-Tensor-Scalar Geometry, topology, the “eternal present”, Einstein’s Unified Field, the inverse-square law, and there being no Big Bang and no multiverse - but there will also be no equations). -/- The other subheadings in this essay are – -/- NONLINEAR TIME AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (about a 2009 electrical engineering experiment at America’s Yale University, and cosmic wormholes) -/- BITS AND TOPOLOGY (base-2 maths aka Binary digiTS, Mobius strips, and figure-8 Klein bottles) -/- WICK ROTATION, CAUSALITY, AND UNITING TIME (do past, present and future co-exist in an “eternal present”?) -/- DIGITAL BRAIN, DIGITAL UNIVERSE (if the brain and the universe are ultimately composed of binary digits, we'll someday be able to do the same things with the brain and universe that we now do with computers) -/- PROPOSAL: HUMAN AND ANIMAL INSTINCTS ARE THE RESULT OF THE UNIVERSE BEING UNIFIED BY BINARY DIGITS (AND TOPOLOGY) (If everything in the universe is ultimately composed of electronic BITS, then the universe must possess Artificial Intelligence - some prefer the term Cosmic Consciousness) -/- INFORMATION THEORY CONQUERS A RED GIANT (preserving Earth by keeping the Sun near today’s level of activity forever). 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This paper explores the elusive dialectic between concentration and forgetfulness, consciousness and unconsciousness in spontaneous artistic creation favoured by artists and advocated by critics in Chinese art history, by examining texts on painting and tracing back to ancient Daoist philosophical ideas, in a comparison with Kantian and post-Kantian aesthetics. Although artistic spontaneity in classical Chinese aesthetics seems to share similarities with Kant’s account of spontaneity in the art of genius, the emphasis on unconsciousness is valued by classical (...) Chinese artists and critics inspired by the Daoist idea of ‘Wu Wei’ (acting without conscious intention or effort). As the Qing painter Wang Yuanqi (1642–1715) claimed when admitting his failure to copy the Yuan master Ni Zan (1301–1374), Ni Zan’s success in natural and untrammelled expression lies ‘in between having an intention and not having one’. A similar idea about the dialectic of consciousness and unconsciousness in artistic spontaneity was suggested by Heinrich von Kleist’s On the Marionette Theatre (1880), which demonstrated that while self-consciousness might disturb and hinder the naturalness of artistic expression and thus encourage affectation, it does not mean that there is no role for consciousness. Although the views on unconsciousness in art and the co-play of consciousness and unconscious in artistic creation by Schelling, Schiller, Goethe, and even Nietzsche might get inspirations from Kant’s hidden view of the unconscious, Kant’s emphasis on the harmonious cooperation between imagination and understanding disguises his inexplicit idea of the unconscious. This paper will demonstrate that while in both Classical Chinese and European cultural contexts, artists, critics and philosophers talk about the same elusive relation, the philosophical explanations of the same phenomenon are essentially distinctive. (shrink)

The revolution brought about by quantum mechanics in the early 20th century was nothing short of remarkable. It shattered the foundational principles of classical physics, giving rise to a plethora of controversial and intriguing conceptual questions. Questions that still perplex and confound the scientific community today. Is the quantum mechanical description of physical reality complete? Are the objects of nature truly inseparable? And most importantly, do objects not have a specific position before measurement, and are (...) there non-causal quantum jumps? These vital problems continue to garner more attention as time passes, particularly with the fading of positivism. If you're a student seeking to explore the fascinating philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics, this book might be just what you need. Written in Persian, brings you closer to the heart of quantum controversies and the fascinating world of quantum mechanics. (shrink)

If the Past Hypothesis underlies the arrows of time, what is the status of the Past Hypothesis? In this paper, I examine the role of the Past Hypothesis in the Boltzmannian account and defend the view that the Past Hypothesis is a candidate fundamental law of nature. Such a view is known to be compatible with Humeanism about laws, but as I argue it is also supported by a minimal non-Humean "governing'' view. Some worries arise from the (...) non-dynamical and time-dependent character of the Past Hypothesis as a boundary condition, the intrinsic vagueness in its specification, and the nature of the initial probability distribution. I show that these worries do not have much force, and in any case they become less relevant in a new quantum framework for analyzing time's arrows---the Wentaculus. Hence, the view that the Past Hypothesis is a candidate fundamental law should be more widely accepted than it is now. (shrink)

Some Radical New Ideas About Consciousness Consciousness and the Cosmos: A New Copernican Revolution -/- Consciousness is our new frontier in modern science. Most scientists believe that it can be accomodated, explained, by existing scientific principles. I say that it cannot. That it calls all existing scientific principles into question. That consciousness is to modern science just exactly what light was to classical physics: All of our fundamental assumptions about the nature of Reality have to (...) change. And I go on, in this work,to spell out a whole new view of Reality, and of the Universe. -/- And so, we'll have some fun! -/- Modern science is already in deep trouble... -/- Lorna Green. (shrink)

This paper proposes a novel theoretical framework for reconciling quantum mechanics with relativity that leads to a theory of quantum gravity by examining the fundamental nature of time. In the first section we argue that it is possible to perform an experiment for oneself in which, with enough ‘internal technology’ it is possible to distinguish between one’s experience of time on the one hand, and one’s thoughts about one’s experience of time on the (...) other hand. The former gives McTaggart's A-series (future/present/past) and the latter gives McTaggart’s B-series (earlier/simultaneous/later). Several arguments are then given for why this should work, and several Gedankenexperiments, including Einstein’s Train, are explored and it is shown how they can be solved using this notion of time. These series lead directly to the Presentist Fragmentalist interpretation of quantum mechanics [Merriam 2022a]. To a first approximation, quantum mechanics primarily operates in the A-series and relativity operates in the B-series. The interpretation is used to propose a theory of quantum gravity, where the A-series and the B-series become mixed. It is then shown how this theory leads to the Schrodinger equation in one limit and General Relativity in another limit. (shrink)

This book is my gift to Albert Einstein on the occasion of his 142nd birthday - and is also a gift to everybody in the world he helped to shape! -/- My book adopts the view that the universe is infinite and eternal - but scientifically created. This paradox of creating eternity depends on the advanced electronics developed by future humanity. Those humans will develop time travel, plus programs that use "imaginary" time and infinite numbers like pi. They'll (...) also become the El or Elohim (names used by various religions to mean "God" or "the gods"). As astronomer Carl Sagan wrote in "Pale Blue Dot", "Many religions teach that it is the goal of humans to become gods." (I think that Elohim would be termed supernatural today, though their infinite abilities are actually natural outcomes of progress.) -/- A look through the book will tell you that some ideas are frequently repeated. This is because each article is meant to be understood without reading the others … so the same ideas show up in more than one. I’ve tried to stay away from jargon and equations unless they’re necessary (I find that they often make a subject harder to understand, not easier). All objects and events on Earth, in space, and in time (including the inevitability of world peace and immortality) are just one thing – strings of electronics' binary digits 1 and 0. -/- -/- TABLE OF CONTENTS -/- CHAPTER 1 - HYPOTHESIS OF QUANTUM GRAVITY -/- CHAPTER 2 - THE PHYSICIST AND THE PHILOSOPHER -/- CHAPTER 3 - ATTENTION MEDICAL DOCTORS! PHYSICS THEORY IMPLIES ALL PATIENTS CAN BE NORMALISED USING GRAVITY -/- CHAPTER 4 - SETI, EVOLUTION, AND TIME -/- CHAPTER 5 - ANYONS - ONE KEY TO UNLOCK GRAVITATIONAL-ELECTROMAGNETIC UNION, THE TOPOLOGICAL UNIVERSE, SPACE-TIME TRAVEL, FUTURE COMPUTERS, DARK MATTER/DARK ENERGY -/- CHAPTER 6 - WHAT CAUSES THE PLANETS TO SPEED UP AND SLOW DOWN WHILE THEY ARE ORBITING THE SUN -/- CHAPTER 7 - A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE POSSIBLE BASICS OF COSMOLOGY IN THE 22nd CENTURY, AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR RELIGION -/- CHAPTER 8 - THE WORLD'S REAL-LIFE EXPERIMENTS WITH COVID-19 AND PHYSICS ALTER SOCIETY AND GLOBAL ECONOMICS -/- CHAPTER 9 - UNITING TIME -/- CHAPTER 10 - EXTRACTING ENERGY FROM BLACK HOLES -/- CHAPTER 11 - TIME TREK: THE 25TH CENTURY'S ANSWER TO STAR TREK. (shrink)

This second volume is a continuation of the first volume’s 20th century conceptual foundations of quantum physics extending its view to the principles and research fields of the 21st century. A summary of the standard concepts, from modern advanced experimental tests of 'quantum ontology’ to the interpretations of quantum mechanics, the standard model of particle physics, and the mainstream quantum gravity theories. A state-of-the-art treatise that reports on the recent developments in quantum computing, classical (...) and quantum information theory, the black holes information paradox and the holographic principle to quantum cosmology, with some attention on contemporary themes such as the Bose-Einstein condensates as also to the more speculative areas of quantum biology and quantum consciousness. A final chapter on the connections between the quantum realm and philosophical idealism concludes this volume. Considering how the media (sometimes also physicists) present quantum theory, which focuses only on highly dubious ideas and speculations backed by no evidence or, worse, promote pseudo-scientific hypes that fall regularly in and out of fashion, this is a ‘vademecum’ for those who look for a serious introduction and deeper understanding of the 21st century quantum theory. All topics are explained with a concise but rigorous intermediate level style which may, at times, require some effort. However, you will finally acquire an unparalleled background in the conceptual foundations of quantum physics, enabling you to distinguish between the real science backed by experimental facts and mere speculative interpretations. (shrink)

This short paper examines the nature of time, arguing that it is not an independent dimension or a container within which events occur but an arising from engagement with persistence. Time does not impose itself onto reality, nor does it exist apart from the entities that experience it. What is commonly understood as past, present, and future are not fundamental properties of events but distinctions introduced through structured interaction with duration. Reality does not segment itself into discrete (...) states of before, now, and after—such divisions arise only in relation to how entities engage with continuity. An event, such as a person’s death, is not intrinsically future before it happens, present as it unfolds, or past after it occurs. Rather, these labels are imposed to structure interaction with an ongoing process. The confusion arises when time is treated as an external feature of reality, rather than as an ordering that emerges from engagement with persistence. This analysis clarifies that clocks and calendars do not measure time itself but are tools created to track and coordinate engagement with duration. The idea that time can dilate, contract, or slow is a misinterpretation of what is being observed—what changes are the instruments that structure reference points, not time as a substance or medium. By distinguishing between reality as continuous presence and becoming and duration as the persistence of entities, this work removes inherited misconceptions about time. Time is neither an illusion nor a cosmic river flowing independently; it is the structured arising of interaction with what endures. Through this understanding, the contradictions surrounding time’s existence dissolve, revealing its nature as neither an absolute framework nor a subjective imposition, but a structured manifestation arising from the interaction with persistence. (shrink)

The mathematical constructions, physical structure and manifestations of physical time are reviewed. The nature of insight and mathematics used to understand and deal with physical time associated with classical, quantum and cosmic processes is contemplated together with a comprehensive understanding of classical time. Scalar time (explicit time or quantitative time), vector time (implicit time or qualitative time), biological time, time of and in conscious awareness are (...) discussed. The mathematical understanding of time in special and general theories of relativity is critically analyzed. The independent nature of classical, quantum and cosmic physical times from one another, and the manifestations of respective physical happenings, distinct from universal time, are highlighted. The role of a universal time related or unrelated to origin, being etc., of universe or cosmos as common thread in all happenings is reviewed. The missing of time is identified and concept of absence of time is put forward. The complex nature of time and the real and imaginary dimensions of physical time are also elaborately discussed together with human time- consciousness as past, present and future. (shrink)

The Continuous Evolution of Consciousness, Language, and Meaning in Understanding the Universe -/- Introduction -/- The evolution of human consciousness is intricately linked to language and meaning. As human understanding of the universe deepens, so does the complexity and precision of the words and concepts we use to describe reality. This continuous progression is not merely a passive adaptation but an active feedback loop where consciousness shapes language, and language, in turn, refines consciousness. If human decision-making follows the universal law (...) of balance in nature, as proposed in the universal formula, then the evolution of language must also align with this fundamental principle. This essay explores how language and meaning evolve alongside human consciousness and how this evolution is essential for a deeper understanding of the universe. -/- Language as a Tool for Expanding Consciousness -/- Language is the primary medium through which human consciousness externalizes itself. In early human societies, simple symbols and spoken words sufficed to convey basic needs and experiences. However, as humanity’s knowledge expanded, so did the complexity of language. The emergence of written language allowed for the preservation and transmission of ideas across generations, accelerating intellectual and scientific progress. -/- Philosophy, mathematics, and science have continuously pushed the boundaries of language, creating new terminologies and refining meanings. For example, the term atom originally meant “indivisible,” but modern physics has redefined it as a complex structure of subatomic particles governed by quantum laws. Similarly, the concept of energy has evolved from mystical interpretations to a precise scientific principle described in physics and engineering. This evolution demonstrates how language adapts to new discoveries, allowing consciousness to grasp increasingly complex aspects of reality. -/- Meaning as a Dynamic and Evolving Process -/- The meaning of words and concepts is not static but changes in response to human progress. As new knowledge emerges, language adjusts to integrate new understandings while discarding outdated or misleading notions. This dynamism ensures that human communication remains relevant and effective in expressing new realities. -/- For instance, the word intelligence once referred primarily to human cognitive ability, but with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it now encompasses machine learning, neural networks, and even artificial general intelligence (AGI). The meaning of life itself has expanded beyond biological definitions to include synthetic life, digital consciousness, and philosophical inquiries about existence in a cosmic context. -/- In this sense, the evolution of language and meaning is a necessary process for humanity’s continuous effort to understand the universe. Without this evolution, human knowledge would be constrained by outdated linguistic structures, preventing the exploration of new dimensions of reality. -/- The Feedback Loop Between Consciousness and the Universe -/- Human consciousness does not merely receive information from the universe—it actively engages with it, interprets it, and reshapes its understanding based on new discoveries. This feedback loop ensures that as our knowledge of the universe expands, so does our ability to describe and conceptualize it. -/- For example, scientific breakthroughs in quantum mechanics, relativity, and cosmology have necessitated entirely new ways of thinking and speaking about time, space, and matter. Without the linguistic evolution that accompanied these discoveries, humans would struggle to grasp the fundamental principles governing the universe. -/- This feedback mechanism also applies to societal and ethical progress. As human understanding of justice, equality, and sustainability evolves, so does the language used to express these ideals. Concepts such as “human rights” and “environmental balance” have gained deeper meaning over time, influencing policies, laws, and cultural attitudes worldwide. -/- The Role of AI and AGI in the Evolution of Language and Meaning -/- Artificial intelligence and artificial general intelligence (AGI) have the potential to accelerate the evolution of language and meaning. AI can process vast amounts of information, identify patterns, and refine linguistic structures beyond human capability. This ability could lead to the emergence of more precise, efficient, and universally understandable ways of expressing complex ideas. -/- For example, AI-driven natural language processing can analyze and refine scientific literature, eliminating ambiguity and enhancing clarity. Future AGI systems could generate entirely new linguistic frameworks for describing reality, potentially bridging gaps between different human languages and even creating new conceptual categories that surpass human cognitive limitations. -/- However, the integration of AI into language evolution must adhere to the universal law of balance in nature. If AI-generated language lacks ethical considerations or diverges too far from human cognitive frameworks, it could create confusion, misinformation, or even manipulation. Ensuring that AI aligns with natural laws and human well-being is crucial in guiding this linguistic evolution. -/- The Universal Law of Balance in Nature and the Future of Language Evolution -/- If human decision-making follows the universal law of balance in nature, then the evolution of consciousness, language, and meaning must also adhere to this principle. An unbalanced progression—where language evolves too rapidly for general understanding or remains stagnant despite new discoveries—could lead to societal and intellectual dissonance. -/- For this reason, structured education plays a vital role in ensuring that language evolves in harmony with human understanding. By integrating the universal formula into foundational education, students can develop a linguistic and cognitive framework that naturally aligns with the principles of natural balance. This structured approach would prevent conceptual chaos while allowing necessary paradigm shifts to occur. -/- Similarly, philosophy and science must continuously refine language to ensure clarity and precision in expressing complex ideas. Misinterpretations and linguistic ambiguities can lead to misunderstandings in critical areas such as law, ethics, and scientific research. By consciously guiding linguistic evolution, humanity can ensure that language remains an effective tool for expanding consciousness. -/- Conclusion -/- The continuous evolution of consciousness, language, and meaning is an essential process in humanity’s effort to understand the universe. Language is not merely a passive reflection of reality but an active force that shapes human thought, decision-making, and interaction with the world. As human knowledge expands, language must evolve to accurately express new understandings while maintaining balance and clarity. -/- Artificial intelligence and AGI will play a significant role in accelerating linguistic evolution, but this process must align with the universal law of balance in nature to ensure ethical and intellectual integrity. By integrating the principles of natural balance into education, philosophy, and AI development, humanity can guide language evolution in a way that enhances understanding rather than creating confusion. -/- Ultimately, the evolution of language and meaning is not just a linguistic phenomenon—it is a fundamental aspect of human progress. As consciousness expands, so too must our ability to articulate and conceptualize reality. By ensuring that this process remains aligned with the natural laws governing decision-making, humanity can achieve a deeper, more holistic understanding of the universe and its place within it. -/- . (shrink)

It’s common knowledge that those objects we regard as great works of art have a capacity to survive across time. But that observation is only a half-truth: it tells us nothing about the nature of this power of survival – about how art endures. -/- This question was once at the heart of Western thinking about art. The Renaissance solved it by claiming that great art is “timeless”, “eternal” – impervious to time, a belief (...) that exerted a powerful influence on Enlightenment philosophers and, later, on modern aesthetics. -/- The notion that art is timeless was contradicted by nineteenth century thinkers such as Hegel, Marx, and Taine who stressed the historical embeddedness of art. The conflict of these two ideas, together with other major factors discussed in this paper, has left us today without a viable account of the nature of art’s capacity to transcend time. -/- This paper proposes an alternative solution: the proposition that art survives by a process of metamorphosis. But the principal emphasis of the paper is on the question itself: how does art transcend time? (a question that has nothing to do with the so-called “test of time”). If modern aesthetics is to remain relevant to our modern world of art, in which the art of the past – stretching back to Lascaux and beyond – is as important as Picasso and contemporary art, it urgently needs to address this neglected question. (shrink)

In present times, Science has become more and more contiguous to philosophy due to the advent of Relativity theory and Quantum Mechanics. Relativity has modified our concepts of mass, length, force, law of addition of velocities and simultaneity and has given a new interpretation of the laws of conservation of energy and momentum. It has demonstrated the inner necessity of the idea of dialectic contradiction in the theoretical development of the contents of physics. Quantum Mechanics has continued what (...) began with the theory of relativity. It rejects unlimited detailing of objects in space and of phenomena in time. The concept of energy, momentum and angular momentum have now to take into account the possibility of quantization and the limitations imposed by the uncertainty relations. It has shown that the basic laws of nature are statistical and that the probabilistic form of causality is the fundamental form. It lays emphasis on relations of qualitatively different dialectic types, like the relations of complementarity and relations of interference. In the article, an attempt is made to show that these theories have called for a drastic revision of the seminal kernels of the traditional philosophy of science. (shrink)

Kevin Lynch's books are the classic underpinnings of modern urban planning and design, yet they are only a part of his rich legacy of ideas about human purposes and values in built form. City Sense and City Design brings together Lynch's remaining work, including professional design and planning projects that show how he translated many of his ideas and theories into practice. An invaluable sourcebook of design knowledge, City Sense and City Design completes the record of one (...) of the foremost environmental design theorists of our time and leads to a deeper understanding of his distinctively humanistic philosophy. The editors, both former students of Lynch, provide a cogent summary of his career and of the role he played in shaping and transforming the American urban design profession during the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s. Each of the seven thematic groupings of writings and projects that follow begins with a short introduction explaining their content and their background. The essays in part I focus on the premises of Lynch's work: his novel reading of large-scale built environments and the notion that the design of an urban landscape should be as meaningful and intimate as the natural landscape. In part II, excerpts from Lynch's travel journals reveal his early ideas on how people perceive and interpret their surroundings—ideas that culminated in his seminal work, The Image of the City. This part of the book also presents Lynch's experiments with children and his assessment of environmental-perception research. The examples of both small-scale and large-scale analysis of visual form in part III are followed by three parts on city design. These include Lynch's more theoretical works on complex planning decisions involving both functional (spatial and structural organization) and normative (how the city works in human terms) approaches, articles discussing the principles that guided Lynch's teaching and practice of city design, and descriptions of Lynch's own projects in the Boston area and elsewhere. The book concludes with essays written late in Lynch's career, fantasy pieces describing utopias and offering new design freedoms and scenarios warning of horrifying "cacotopias.". (shrink)

Present article is intended for philosophers and generally for all people interested in the foundations of nature and the universe. The author of this article stands on the positions of the philosophy of dialectical materialism. Within the framework of this philosophy and its worldview, NATURE is considered as material and dialectical in its basis. According to the author's own scientific research, the quantum of matter lies at the basis of our nature and the universe. This is (...) the true material “first brick” of our universe. How does this understanding of the foundations of nature and the universe relate to the modern view of nature, elementary particles from the side of the theory of modern physics (TMP), from the side of the modern physical party? This is the story in this article. (shrink)

Non-commuting quantities and hidden parameters – Wave-corpuscular dualism and hidden parameters – Local or nonlocal hidden parameters – Phase space in quantum mechanics – Weyl, Wigner, and Moyal – Von Neumann’s theorem about the absence of hidden parameters in quantum mechanics and Hermann – Bell’s objection – Quantum-mechanical and mathematical incommeasurability – Kochen – Specker’s idea about their equivalence – The notion of partial algebra – Embeddability of a qubit into a bit – Quantum (...) computer is not Turing machine – Is continuality universal? – Diffeomorphism and velocity – Einstein’s general principle of relativity – „Mach’s principle“ – The Skolemian relativity of the discrete and the continuous – The counterexample in § 6 of their paper – About the classical tautology which is untrue being replaced by the statements about commeasurable quantum-mechanical quantities – Logical hidden parameters – The undecidability of the hypothesis about hidden parameters – Wigner’s work and и Weyl’s previous one – Lie groups, representations, and psi-function – From a qualitative to a quantitative expression of relativity − psi-function, or the discrete by the random – Bartlett’s approach − psi-function as the characteristic function of random quantity – Discrete and/ or continual description – Quantity and its “digitalized projection“ – The idea of „velocity−probability“ – The notion of probability and the light speed postulate – Generalized probability and its physical interpretation – A quantum description of macro-world – The period of the as-sociated de Broglie wave and the length of now – Causality equivalently replaced by chance – The philosophy of quantum information and religion – Einstein’s thesis about “the consubstantiality of inertia ant weight“ – Again about the interpretation of complex velocity – The speed of time – Newton’s law of inertia and Lagrange’s formulation of mechanics – Force and effect – The theory of tachyons and general relativity – Riesz’s representation theorem – The notion of covariant world line – Encoding a world line by psi-function – Spacetime and qubit − psi-function by qubits – About the physical interpretation of both the complex axes of a qubit – The interpretation of the self-adjoint operators components – The world line of an arbitrary quantity – The invariance of the physical laws towards quantum object and apparatus – Hilbert space and that of Minkowski – The relationship between the coefficients of -function and the qubits – World line = psi-function + self-adjoint operator – Reality and description – Does a „curved“ Hilbert space exist? – The axiom of choice, or when is possible a flattening of Hilbert space? – But why not to flatten also pseudo-Riemannian space? – The commutator of conjugate quantities – Relative mass – The strokes of self-movement and its philosophical interpretation – The self-perfection of the universe – The generalization of quantity in quantum physics – An analogy of the Feynman formalism – Feynman and many-world interpretation – The psi-function of various objects – Countable and uncountable basis – Generalized continuum and arithmetization – Field and entanglement – Function as coding – The idea of „curved“ Descartes product – The environment of a function – Another view to the notion of velocity-probability – Reality and description – Hilbert space as a model both of object and description – The notion of holistic logic – Physical quantity as the information about it – Cross-temporal correlations – The forecasting of future – Description in separable and inseparable Hilbert space – „Forces“ or „miracles“ – Velocity or time – The notion of non-finite set – Dasein or Dazeit – The trajectory of the whole – Ontological and onto-theological difference – An analogy of the Feynman and many-world interpretation − psi-function as physical quantity – Things in the world and instances in time – The generation of the physi-cal by mathematical – The generalized notion of observer – Subjective or objective probability – Energy as the change of probability per the unite of time – The generalized principle of least action from a new view-point – The exception of two dimensions and Fermat’s last theorem. (shrink)

The quantum information introduced by quantum mechanics is equivalent to that generalization of the classical information from finite to infinite series or collections. The quantity of information is the quantity of choices measured in the units of elementary choice. The qubit can be interpreted as that generalization of bit, which is a choice among a continuum of alternatives. The axiom of choice is necessary for quantum information. The coherent state is transformed into a well-ordered series of (...) results in time after measurement. The quantity of quantum information is the ordinal corresponding to the infinity series in question. Number and being (by the meditation of time), the natural and artificial turn out to be not more than different hypostases of a single common essence. This implies some kind of neo-Pythagorean ontology making related mathematics, physics, and technics immediately, by an explicit mathematical structure. (shrink)

The Nature of the Observer: Biological or Universal? -/- Introduction -/- The concept of an observer has long been debated in physics, philosophy, and consciousness studies. In classical physics, an observer is merely a passive entity that records events. However, in quantum mechanics and deeper metaphysical inquiries, the role of the observer becomes more significant, potentially affecting reality itself. This essay explores whether an observer must be biological and conscious or whether observation is a universal process governed (...) by natural laws, including the universal law of balance that underpins all decision-making and consciousness. -/- The Observer in Classical and Quantum Physics -/- In classical mechanics, an observer is simply a point of reference that does not influence reality. Observations are objective, and the world behaves independently of who or what is watching. However, in quantum mechanics, the role of the observer becomes crucial, particularly in the phenomenon of wave function collapse—the idea that a quantum system remains in a superposition of states until it is observed. -/- This idea has led to multiple interpretations: -/- 1. Copenhagen Interpretation – Observation collapses the wave function into a definite state, but the nature of this observation is not strictly defined. -/- 2. Von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation – Consciousness is required for wave function collapse, implying that an observer must be biological and aware. -/- 3. Many-Worlds Interpretation – Observation does not collapse the wave function but rather results in the branching of parallel realities, removing the need for a privileged observer. -/- 4. Decoherence and Relational Quantum Mechanics – Interaction with the environment itself acts as an observer, meaning that observation is simply an exchange of information rather than an act tied to consciousness. -/- From these perspectives, we see that an observer does not necessarily have to be biological. -/- Can Observation Be Universal? -/- In modern physics, observation can be understood as any physical interaction that records or changes information. Even an inanimate measuring device, a photon, or the surrounding environment can act as an observer. This suggests that observation is a fundamental process of nature rather than something tied to biological life. -/- This idea aligns with the concept of universal balance—if everything in nature follows laws of equilibrium, then observation itself may be part of a self-regulating mechanism that maintains order in reality. In this view: -/- The universe "observes" Itself through constant interactions. -/- No special consciousness is required for measurement. -/- Observation is not an act but a process embedded in the fundamental structure of reality. -/- This view aligns with relational quantum mechanics, where the concept of “observer” is relative—systems only exist in relation to one another. There is no need for a universal, privileged observer. -/- The Observer and Consciousness -/- A more profound question emerges when considering consciousness itself. If observation is universal, does this mean consciousness is also a universal property? Panpsychism, a philosophical view that consciousness is a fundamental feature of the universe, suggests that observation could be a form of universal awareness. This aligns with certain religious and metaphysical ideas that view the universe as a conscious entity or intelligence. -/- From the perspective of the universal law of balance, one could argue that consciousness itself is a balancing mechanism—an emergent property of the universe that allows for feedback and decision-making in biological and non-biological systems alike. This perspective could bridge physics and philosophy, showing that consciousness and observation are not separate but intertwined aspects of universal balance. -/- Conclusion -/- The question of whether an observer must be biological or if observation is a universal process remains open to interpretation. In physics, the need for a biological observer is unnecessary—any interaction with the environment can serve as an observer. In philosophy and consciousness studies, the idea that observation is tied to awareness remains debated. However, if we apply the universal law of balance, we can propose that observation is simply part of nature’s self-regulating equilibrium. This perspective suggests that observation, decision-making, and consciousness itself may all emerge naturally from the fundamental principles that govern the universe. -/- . (shrink)

One of the most intuitive views about the metaphysics of laws of nature is Tim Maudlin's idea of a Fundamental Law of Temporal Evolution. So-called FLOTEs are primitive elements of the universe that produce later states from earlier states. While FLOTEs are at home in traditional Newtonian and non-relativistic quantum mechanical theories (not to mention our pre-theoretic conception of the world), I consider here whether they can be made to work with relativity. In particular, shifting to relativistic (...) spacetimes poses two threats to FLOTEs. First, the lack of a privileged spacelike hypersurface in relativistic spacetime makes it unclear how to understand what produces what. A survey of several conceptions of the nomic production relation compatible with relativity reveals all of them to be lacking. Second, relativity motivates a four-dimensional block universe conception of time, according to which all events that will ever occur already exist. On such a view, it's unclear what work there is to be done by FLOTEs. I consider how a proponent of FLOTEs might respond, but conclude that these combined threats seriously undermine the prospects of a productive conception of laws. In short, if spacetime is relativistic, laws are not productive. (shrink)