What Is Reality?

[exo_doc]

Is reality a mathematical structure? I thought some on here would enjoy this vid. Check it out:

I love stuff like this!

 

[John Doe]

To say that a given entity is 'mathematical' would seem to suggest that it can be expressed systematically (e.g. via formula, algorithm, computable procedure, etc.). in a way which accords with what we see.

A proof, in other words.

If, however, we learn that a given entity cannot be so proved, we would appear to have two alternatives.

The first; we can assume we have not yet developed a formal expression which provably accounts for the entity (but may one day do so).

The second; we must face the possibility that the entity may lie beyond any proof which can be expressed in any formal system.

Note that neither of these alternatives seems to affect the fact of the entity itself, assuming it is consistently evident (unlike UFO's, to take a topical example).

To argue, as our interview subject does here, that reality may 'be mathematical' seems to confuse the ability to account for aspects of a gestalt entity - like 'reality' - without addressing the truth of the entity when such accounting procedures are incomplete or impossible.

Truth seems to persist beyond the possibility of proof.

A related link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel%27s_incompleteness_theorems

 

[Slim Shady]

What Is Reality?
A. You can never escape the tax man =(

 

[plumbbob12]

Good comments all. My only response is the idea that this question has been asked for at least the last 3000 years that we know of, and probably a lot longer than that. Also the same answers are given. In the end, we still do not understand what this "thing" is. pb<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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[exo_doc]

I don't know if anyone here is a Dr. Who fan, but there's an episode from the Tom Baker days where he runs across a civilization that has discovered the universe is nothing more than mathematical equations. Cosmic mathemeticians keep everything running smoothly.

 

[mike]

I don't know if anyone here is a Dr. Who fan, but there's an episode from the Tom Baker days where he runs across a civilization that has discovered the universe is nothing more than mathematical equations. Cosmic mathemeticians keep everything running smoothly.

Logopolis IIRC.

 

[Ezechiel]

Is reality a mathematical structure? I thought some on here would enjoy this vid. Check it out:

I love stuff like this!

Pretty wild.. Expressing the universe as an equation means that an infinity of equations are needed to produce one that enables a universe like ours. Susskind.(multiverses)

 

[exo_doc]

Logopolis IIRC.

Mike, you're officially on my cool list.

 

[plumbbob12]

Rene Descartes, in his book “Discourse on the Method” asked himself the same question on what can he be sure of in this reality, or as “what is real”. He went through lots of wine and sat for some time, thinking of what one thing he could be sure was “real”. The famous quote “Cogito ergo sum”, or “I think, therefore I am”, was his solution to the one thing he could be sure of, which was the idea that he was able to show that thought exist. With that idea in hand, he tried to establish a set of principles that one can “know” without any doubts, and rejected any ideas that could be doubted in an effort to establish what reality was in a materialistic method. While I think Descartes was on to something, he was stuck in the materialistic method of showing metaphysical properties, which cannot be done by their very definition, but he gave it a good try, and advanced logic in science and mathematics. Other than that, 500 years later, we are still stuck with this one question. Interesting stuff.
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[mike]

Mike, you're officially on my cool list.

Entire row (both sides of the brick ) to the right of the stormtroopers eye's is Dr Who novels, older target brand on the left, newer full length novels to the right (about 150 plus so far)

What can i say, what library is complete without a suit of armour

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c303/elninjo69/005-6.jpg

you can zoom in on this link for a better look

 

[HotSoup]

I often find subjects arising, giving fuel to the notion that, even though we may think, exist, come up with witty definitions, sciences, etc for our existence and how to define anything at all with some relative linear thought process'. The idea has always come up about human perception and the limiting methods we use to convert what we see to what we understand. We exist in our own minds, thats our reality some have explored in telling me, as if we lack the language to describe. This reminds me terribly of the matrix, where everything is simply a fabrication of a fabrication. Keep up the good thoughts.

 

[trainedobserver]

This fellow has the clearest presentation of what reality is and is not that I have ever run across. This video is just an introduction. I recommend all the videos on the youTube channel hosting the following video. His book Mind Dimension is outstanding and anyone interested in consciousness, reality, and perception would find it worth reading. I'm afraid the author has dropped off the map and it may be difficult to find a copy though.

 

[stphrz]

The best thing I can think of regarding reality is what it does.

Reality retains its structure. Even that is circular in the final analysis. It could be reworded to say "reality exists" or "existance exists" or any number of useless tautologies.

Any attempt to define what it is ultimately begs the question as well. You can try to say it's matter/energy/information but since all those things are realated and must also exist you are just saying "reality is that which exists."

"I think therefore I am." To think you must exist. So essentially, that famous quote boils down to "I exist therefore I am."

It's turtles all the way down.

 

[trainedobserver]

The Cleric, Imam, Dude, whoever he is in the video states the obvious as if it were some revelation, and for some people it might be, but the rabbit hole goes way deeper.

Well like I said, "...its just an introduction." There is a great deal more to it than that of course.

 

[HotSoup]

Thanks for the vid, trainedobserver, the spread of information is appreciated.

 

[Elendil]

This is totally OT but: Mike, now that is a really cool library and a real nice piece of armor!

 

[trainedobserver]

Thanks for the vid, trainedobserver, the spread of information is appreciated.

You are welcome. I don't think there is anything that is new in what the fellow is saying(and I think he would say that more or less) as much as it is his scientific approach to it and his thorough examination of the subject. The book (and to some extent the videos) leads you into an examination of human perception to drive home a realization that your perceived reality is not and could not be a true representation of our environment and ourselves. One example he gives in the book, and I'm paraphrasing here because the thing isn't indexed and its been a couple years since I read it. It is as though someone in Paris (your senses) took a picture of the Eiffel Tower cut it into a million pieces, mailed it to an art gallery in New York where a person (your brain) who had never seen the Eiffel Tower nor had any prior knowledge of it reconstructed the bits into a 3D representation and called it The Eiffel Tower and put it on the art gallery floor (your consciousness) for display. I don't think the absolute different nature of perceived (or more loosely subjective) reality over the actual reality is that obvious to most folks and the simple botched up example I gave doesn't communicate that notion as adequately as I'd like.

My understanding, which is admittedly pretty limited and suspect is that the reality that we each experience is our own consciousness brought to us by the unexperienedable processes of real world brain activity. The real world being the quantum soup of multidimensional reality our brain/mind systems present as a 3D virtual representation we understand as the perceived world. No matter what the mechanics of consciousness are however we still seem to be animals clinging to a mud ball that is hurtling through space going nowhere really, really, fast. Or maybe that is just another story we've made up to tell ourselves what it really looks like out there.