Loading ...The Four Fundamental Questions
1) Who are we? “We” means consciousness as a whole in this case.
2) Where did we come from? This means both human life in particular and the universe in general.
3) What are we supposed to do? Generally speaking, what is the meaning of human existence?
4) Where are we going? Does consciousness end or continue infinitely in one form or another?
Note that the fundamental questions themselves are the single questioning statements listed; the additional prose is simply meant as clarification.
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Observing/Manipulating As One
It could be that the MWI interpretation is entirely incorrect and quantum superposition is simply reality waiting to be manipulated/observed. This also falls into line with the x+1 theory in that observing is manipulating; the manipulation is simply our choice in perception, conscious or unconscious.
This can be thought of in relation to New Age ideas like that presented in The Secret if you replace the “draw to” idea with the idea that we manipulate by perceiving. The Buddhist idea of non-self and sub-reality also agree.
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Does Consciousness Require Time?
A random thought perpetrated by by more online reading. Consider this theory:
If we assume that the passage of time is necessary for consciousness (the idea that, without the passage of some perceived measurement of time, consciousness as we experience it would not be possible), than it would also be safe to assume that we are only aware of moment x at moment x+1. That equation would suggest that, since we are only aware of one moment during the following moment, the last moment would never be experienced as there is no longer a consciousness to experience it. That being said, the second-to-last moment could not be experienced either, following backwards to the beginning of consciousness as we perceive it. Basically this equation (based on pure speculation given our lack of understanding of what, if anything, consciousness really is and whether it can be scientifically quantified) suggests that, if we ever existed, we will always exist.
This theory, by its philosophic nature, fits well with the theory of quantum immortality (QIT).
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The Fermi Paradox
Given the immense size of the known universe, we should expect to not be alone as far as life is concerned. In fact, probability says that we should be only one of a great many advanced civilizations. Concerning this, the Fermi Paradox says the following:
The size and age of the universe suggest that many technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations ought to exist. However, this hypothesis seems inconsistent with the lack of observational evidence to support it.
This either means that advanced civilizations are common and there is a reasonable explanation as to why we have not been in contact with them, or that the conditions necessary to support life as we understand it are so absolutely unique that they happened only once; that idea is fleshed out more completely in the Rare Earth Hypotheses.
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Simple Definitions
· Speed
Definition: Simply put, speed is an attribute that describes how fast an object is moving.
Example: The speedometer in a car measures the speed that the car is moving at any given moment.
· Average Speed [Distance Traveled]/[Time Taken to Travel that Distance]
Definition: Average speed is a number arrived at by the equation above and it defines the average speed at a given object in motion over a given distance of movement.
Example: If you were to drive 40 kmh for 1 hour and 60 kmh for 1 hour you would have traveled a total distance of 100 km with an average speed of 50 kmh.
· Velocity
Definition: Velocity measures both the speed and direction of an object in motion. Because a measurement of velocity requires both speed and direction, constant speed does not necessarily imply constant velocity.
Example: A car circling around at a constant speed of 50 kmh does not have constant velocity; its constantly changing direction is equal to a constantly changing velocity.
· Acceleration
Definition: Acceleration is defined as the change in velocity of an object in motion over time.
Example: While we use the term accelerate to denote increasing speed and decelerate to denote decreasing speed in common language, the language of physics uses the term to describe the change in velocity in general; this includes increased speed, decreased speed and change in direction.
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Newton’s Laws of Motion
An object that is at rest will remain at rest unless a nonzero net force is exerted on it. An object moving at a constant velocity will continue to move at a constant velocity unless a nonzero net force acts upon it.
Newton’s Second Law of Motion
The net force on a body is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
F = ma & a=F/m
Newton’s Third Law of Motion
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
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