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The quantum theory of gravity has opened up a new possibility…The universe… would neither be created nor destroyed. It would just BE.
Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, pg. 136
All time and space, of which thought and action are both integral functions, was created as a result of the primordial cosmic explosion which physicists now call the “Big Bang”. Like all explosions, the ‘Big Bang’ was and is, a purely deterministic event. That is to say, that the dynamics, kinematics, and all other events emanating from the initiation of the blast can be precisely predicted if enough is known about the initial conditions of the explosion. In the case of the “Big Bang”, the behavior and outcome of the blast are based on mathematically definable laws, some of which have already been discovered, and , some of which scientists are racing to uncover. The over-riding set of laws defining the “Big Bang’s” behavior, have been dubbed by physicists the “Unified Field Theory” (at present various conflicting versions of Field Theories exist). All action that is related to time and/or space, is a function or effect of this purely deterministic explosion which itself initiated the creation and expansion of time and space. All events, including both thought and action, (both being functions of time and space) are therefore also functions of this purely deterministic event, and therefore, are also entirely deterministic in themselves.
In the early nineteenth century, the great French mathematician, Pierre Laplace, on whose mathematical transforms much of Albert Einstein’s formulae of relativity were based, advocated a similar view of a purely deterministic universe, not only in relation to cosmic and physical phenomenon, but also human behavior and thought itself. Wrote LaPlace:
“An intellect which at a given instant knew all the forces acting in nature, and the position of all things of which the world consists – supposing the said intellect were vast enough to subject these data to analysis – would embrace in the same formula the motions of the greatest bodies in the universe and those of the slightest atoms; nothing would be uncertain for it, and the future, like the past, would be present to its eyes.”
Pierre Simon Laplace, Quoted in M. Capek,
A few years later, upon the discovery of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, ( which theorized that certain pairs of qualities such as the velocity and position , of a subatomic particle, cannot both be known accurately at the same time) Laplace’s theories on determinism came into popular disrepute on the basis that if such fundamental aspects of the minutest particle, as its position and velocity, cannot be predicted with certainty, how then, could one possibly support the theory of a deterministic universe on a macroscopic scale ?
However, determinism as we have embraced it, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, need not be two mutually exclusive concepts. The Heisenberg principle is a mathematical formula which predicts the probability of a particle’s tendency to exist at a particular place in time (i.e. the particle’s “wave nature”). What must be understood is that the observed wave of a particle (technically known as a “probability wave”), however “fuzzy” the Heisenberg uncertainty principle may predict that wave to be, is still a definite observed result, and as such, is still deterministic. As stated later by best-selling author and one of the greatest quantum physicists of the late twentieth century, Stephen W. Hawking;
“We now know that Laplace’s hopes of determinism cannot be realized, at least not in the terms he had in mind. The uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics implies that certain pairs of quantities, such as the position and velocity of a particle, cannot both be predicted with complete accuracy.
Quantum mechanics deals with this situation via a class of quantum theories in which particles don’t have well defined positions and velocities but are represented by a wave. These quantum theories are deterministic in the sense that they give laws for the evolution of the wave with time. Thus if one knows the wave at one time, one can calculate it at any other time. The unpredictable, random element comes in only when we try to interpret the wave in terms of the positions and velocities of particles. But maybe that is our mistake: maybe there are no particle positions and velocities, but only waves. It is just that we try to fit the waves to our preconceived ideas of positions and velocities. The resulting mismatch is the cause of the apparent unpredictability.”
Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, pg. 173
To state it another way, although the particle’s position and velocity may not be precisely determinable due to the fundamentally “wave” nature of “particles”, the wave “is” the reality and is precisely determinable. To quote Albert Einstein:
“… we may therefore regard matter [particles] as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field [waves] is extremely intense…there is no place in this new kind of physics for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality.”
Albert Einstein quoted in M. Capek, The Philosophical Impact of Contemporary Physics, Pg. 319
It can therefore be said that the phenomenon of “cause and effect”, as it relates to events initiated through our apparent “free will”, is an illusion. The apparent “non-determinism” of life, that is, the tendency for us to feel as though it is “we” who cause certain key choices to be made in life (for example, whether or not I will go out to dinner tonight), is due only to the virtually infinite complexity of the formula governing that primordial and entirely deterministic event, the “Big Bang”. It is this complexity which gives rise to the illusion of randomness, chance, luck, and ultimately, our own free will. Again, observes Stephen Hawking:
“Science seems to have uncovered a set of laws that, within the limits set by the uncertainty principle, tell us how the universe will develop with time, if we know its state at any one time. These laws may have originally been decreed by God, but it appears that he has since left the universe to evolve according to them and does not now interfere in it.”
Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, pg. 122
Furthermore, all thought, matter, and life, having its origin in this single cosmic explosion, can be said to be intimately and fundamentally interconnected to each other through the laws which govern the expansion of that cosmic explosion. Each thought, each particle of matter, each life, is a fragment of that original entity. In this sense, it can also be said then, that the phenomenon of “individuality”, or sense of separateness, fragmentation and independence (as opposed to interdependence) from the elements of the universe, to our fellow mankind, to the corner store owner in a remote village of Tunisia and so on, is also an illusion.
The principle of fundamental interconnectedness of apparently independent entities in the universe was given a significant boost in 1997 through a dramatic Swiss experiment. As reported in the New York Times:
“In essence, the experiment by Dr. Nicolas Gisin of the University of Geneva sent pairs of photons … in opposite directions to villages north and south of Geneva. They were dispatched along optical fibres of the kind used to transmit telephone calls. Reaching the ends of the fibres, the two photons were forced to make random choices among equally possible pathways.
Since there was no way for the photons to communicate with each other, “classical” physics would predict that their independent choices would bear no relation to each other. But when their paths were adjusted and the results compared, the independent decisions by the paired photons always matched. …
Since the 1970’s, physicists have been testing a prediction of quantum theory that suggests “entangled” particles continue to communicate with each other even when far apart. Entangled particles are identical entities that share common origins and properties and remain in instantaneous touch with each other, no matter how wide the gap between them…. In Dr. Ginsin’s exercise, as in earlier ones, no signal of any kind was transmitted between the photons, but despite this, one of the photons “knew” what happened to its distant twin and mimicked the twin’s response.”
Malcolm Browne, The New York Times, 1997
Having then realized the two basic cornerstones of our sense of reality to be illusory, what are we to make of our distinct and very real sense of individuality, consciousness and free will? Are we doomed to an existence of mere actors reading a pre-written script ? Can such a script be altered ? Are we at all responsible for our “actions” if they are entirely predetermined ? And how are we to find harmony and contentment in either a universe pre-ordained or one entirely subject to our whims ?
Theories and hypothesis such as those above, which relate to the field of physics and metaphysics dealing with the relationships between space, time, matter, consciousness, and the quantum nature of reality are difficult to prove or disprove conclusively because of the lack of physical instruments capable of dealing with and measuring the theories and assertions in question. Instead, scientists from the time of Albert Einstein, have made extensive use of “thought experiments” to delve into the world of quantum physics. Similarly, in the pages to follow, we will make use of a new range of thought experiments (or in our case, “thought exercises”) to try to shed new light on the mechanics of reality, our existence within that reality and mankind’s collective and “individual” search for contentment and harmony within that existence.
We will break away from traditional influences of religious dogma, philosophy, and metaphysics to forge holistic new paradigms and a clear practical view of our place in the universe that will enlighten and uplift our vision of the road ahead.