Originally written 09-01-2015
What I think of now is the nature of reality, which I suppose is a general enough subject to include anything I want. Yesterday, I read of quantum particles/waveforms. Nothing is a particle until an interaction forces it to behave so; until such a time occurs, it is simply a wave-form of possibility. Regardless, the article suggested that a choice not yet made by an observer in the future would affect the particles behavior. They were able to, I guess, scientifically “prove” that this did occur. From my perspective, this means that either the choice made by the observer was influenced by the particle, or that the choice was predetermined before the experiment ever started.
Assuming the universe runs on strictly-defined and unwavering physical principles, I then make the case that all information in the universe is readable from a single atom. From the beginning of our known universe all particles have fallen under the rule of these constant physical properties. According to our understanding the fundamental forces are gravitational, electromagnetic, and the strong and weak nuclear. Since the creation of any type of information in our universe all energy/matter has been under the constant influence of these interactions. We see these forces as separate and unique, but at one time they may all have been unified. Prior to energy assimilating into particle structure I do not know what could have been, but I’m assuming that since then all matter in our universe has been under the influence of these forces.
Because these forces are fundamental and never-changing, one could postulate that nothing in the universe could be as it is unless everything before had been as it was…paradoxical, yes, but everything is. Fractals in fractals. If it were possible to get absolute measurements of any object, and if there was enough data and processing power behind it, one could extrapolate everything that ever had been from that single measurement. This could only exist in This state with This position, This spin, etc., had everything else existed the way it had. The entirety of the universe is held from the largest perspective down to the smallest.
A fact that may come from this is that even acts of biologically “living” creatures are just a part of this measurable and completely law-abiding universe, for our own biology was formed by these fundamental interactions. The formation of the first organic compounds began reacting with each other which then built upon those reactions and created further diversity, ALWAYS evolving in-sync with all else. “Living” creatures are certainly more far-removed from these fundamental interactions as they move themselves; they experience and build upon those experiences to make choices, but they could not respond to a stimulus unless that stimulus was created; that stimulus has it’s roots in the instant the universe was born. Humans don’t consider stars to have choice. They have a life-cycle, but as we believe in personal choice we also believe stars do not have choice. They are at the whim of their surroundings just reacting to whatever occurs. What if conscious thought is not “conscious” at all?
From the moment organisms begin developing they are bombarded with stimuli. Heat, sounds, movement, etc.; people understand basically that these things are occurring and that these things affect the development of any organism. We don’t often consider the true immense amount of stimuli affecting the development of an organism. Gravity from every piece of matter in the universe exerts force in different amounts on every other piece of matter in the universe. So again, the entirety of the universe shapes, from the beginning, the development of the organism.
Suppose the organism is a human. They have DNA; DNA that has evolved over billions of years to produce the modern homo sapiens. After a fetus begins developing the way in which it’s genes are expressed is inseparable from the external environment in which it resides. It draws everything from it’s own DNA, yet it’s expression is completely unique. Even identical twins – who share completely identical DNA – are made completely unique the moment they split, as they are now experiencing, if only slightly, different stimuli. These minute differences affect how the neurons develop, they affect how their genetics are expressed.
As there is no separation of development from environment, and as the environment was predetermined by the past, then the resulting expression of these stimuli is inevitable and predetermined. “Personalities” are expressions of an intricate stimulus-response interaction, which were built upon infinite stimulus-response interactions which are all predicated by fundamental interactions of particles. The majority of a humans life is sustained by subconscious processes. The brain works for self-preservation without “conscious” intervention. For many forms of life, it takes much more than just sitting idly and living…they must MOVE to survive. Must seek food, must seek water. Conscious thought is a brain’s manifestation of it’s need to be able to measure it’s surroundings and respond to them in a way that will ensure it’s host survives.
Most creatures do not need much thought to sustain themselves, as their environments are simple in comparison to humans; their brains do not manifest consciousness in the same way. As humans began living in larger communities and changing their environment to suite their needs for survival, their brains had to develop more to react to these intricate external stimuli. As an organism becomes more aware of it’s environment and interacts in more intricate ways, the brain must manifest consciousness in more intricate and abstract ways to deal with this awareness. At some point the brain’s abstract consciousness became able to override and alter the way external stimuli are processed. The consciousness manifested by a brain’s need to survive and respond to it’s environment can even CHANGE how the brain perceives it’s environment and, not only that, the abstract consciousness created by the brain can consciously decide how to define personal self-preservation.
This abstract consciousness can override self-preservation or redefine it entirely for a person’s biology by believing that their “self” persists beyond their death. In this way the organisms self-preservation is made absolute, and instead of living to self-preserve their abstract consciousness can decide for itself what purpose to have, even denying their immediate survival or comfort in favor of abstract ideas spurred from social influences. I believe almost everyone lives in some gray-area between believing in the persistence of their self forever and believing upon death that their self ends absolutely. Most living creatures are unable to conceive their own end.
Rich Mind 