What is the true nature of reality?
I want to start off by saying that I am just a regular dude. I am not a scientist or physicist, I am just a curious individual. 😄
I have been very interested in quantum mechanics for the last 15 years or so. It has often become the subject of many late night drunk conversations with friends and family, and I am always on the lookout for new or different ideas on the subject.
There have been tons of experiments, and thought experiments that have given me some interesting perspective on the true nature of reality, but today I want to focus on two:
The double slit experiment:
The double slit experiment is where either a photon or a particle of mass such as an electronic is shot through a sheet of metal that has two slits in it, and projected onto a background. The above photo is that background. How is it possible that it could show many vertical lines on the background if there are only two slits in the sheet of metal? The answer is that these particles can be both a single particle or a wave, depending on the circumstances.
This duel possibility leads me to this second experiment:
Schrodinger's cat
Schrodinger's thought experiment is an excellent example for quantum superposition. This is the idea that all matter and light around us, indeed all types of particles are always both here, and not here, at the same time.
Thoughts:
After pondering these experiments I began to imagine particles as being able to pop into existence, and back out again, depending on if those particles were being observed. This was the way I thought of superposition for years, but recently I have begun to think of it differently.
I now think that our reality is more like a cloud of information. We are all part of this cloud. Your pc, your couch, that salad you had, and even these words you are reading online, are all part of one giant cloud of information, and the only reason it is taking the shape you see, is because we are observing that information and shaping that information. We are forcing these particles to snap into one of it's infinite probable states. Particles are not popping in and out of existence, they are always there in one form or another, and is not until we observe or interact with them that they snap out of superposition.
The nature of reality is one of the most fascinating things to me, and this theory seems absolutely possible. But it could also turn out to be complete bullshit, and I am open to the discussion. 😉
If you read this, thank you! And please do comment down below!
Very nice, thought-provoking post. Those two experiments and quantum mechanics in general also compel us to consider the nature of light ... or to consider the nature of reality in terms of the nature of light.
Since light is a wave when unobserved, and a particle when observed, might it not be that all particles (which we observe) are actually, inherently, essentially light?
Such a concept involves a major leap across an incomprehensible chasm from our all-too-human existence, but it's worth considering. And that kinda hints at what many poets / mystics say when they state that "We are children of light," or "We are the light" or "Our home is in the light."
We can look at it from the limited perspective of our 5 senses, and assert that we are only material beings composed of dust and water (mud!). Or we can realize that this material world is something that we perceive only through our 5 senses – and that there's much more beyond what our senses can perceive.
Ultimately, to assume that the 5 senses of a race of humanoids on a tiny planet in the far off reaches of a corner of the universe can tell us what reality consists of is a bit presumptuous.
So, when the mystics and the quantum physicists hint that there's more to reality than what our senses can discern, I listen to them. And try to "understand" that there's so much more reality beyond our limited perception. Maybe, someday, we will grow and evolve to a point where we will "see" the true nature of reality. And the true nature of light.
Let there be light. :-)
This is very interesting. And I agree completely that we just cannot comprehend reality to it's fullest degree. We could very well be surrounded by other forms of life but we are unable perceive them at all due to our limited senses.
This reminds me of another thought I had... When trying to understand the limitations of our senses, I have been using insects as an example. Imagine you are a beatle, walking on a log. Your whole world is just searching for food and shelter. Now, asking humans to comprehend reality is like asking that beatle to understand how a combustion engine inside the airplane flying above works. The beatle has no possibility of ever understanding. It just cannot comprehend it.
Exactly. Most physicists now believe that there are 11 dimensions (not only our 4 dimensions, including space-time). Can you comprehend that??!
Also, Michio Kaku, in his great book Hyperspace, has a thought experiment similar to your beetle story. He realized that fish, swimming around in the water, would / could have no conception of the world outside of the water. Y'know, the world of our reality.
And he said that if one of the fish was caught by you and pulled out of the water, all the other fish would believe he had completely vanished. And they could prove that he did vanish, just by searching the entire lake.
Then, when you threw the fish back, all the other fish would be very shocked at his sudden reappearance.
And when the fish told them about this whole other world "outside of the water," they would not be able to believe him,
Makes you wonder if we are just fish swimming around, unable to get out of our "water."
I love that analogy! Quite thought-provoking!
Nice post. If a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to see it...did it really fall?
You have my upvote.
Thank you!
I just came across your post and really enjoyed it. Thanks (UPV&FOL) :)
Awesome! Im really glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! :)
Welcome, keep posting!
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