Monday, December 21, 2015

Is empirical testing of string theory possible?

Conference at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich

String theory considers particles as energy vibrations, occurring within compact-dimensions, so small that empirical testing is a technical impossibility. Since the experimental testing of ideas is regarded as an essential requirement in science, string theory, the elegant and promising concept in theoretical physics, remains highly philosophical. Its wildly speculative nature is reminiscent of pseudoscience. Nevertheless, string theory's proponents are entirely convinced by its beauty or logically compelling quality. Einstein probably would approve of such a mathematically elegant approach. As he said in 1933, “I hold it true that pure thought can grasp reality, as the ancients dreamed.” However, such speculative ideas can quickly spiral out of control into truly bizarre notions, such as the possibility of multiverses, or wormhole travel.

A hypothesis detailed the book, The Science of Consciousness, considers the mind similar to material fermions. All aspects of elementary particles thus play out in the mental complexity formed by the neuronal connections of a biological system. Some of these phenomena include the Pauli exclusion principle, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, emotional fluorescence, emotional hysteresis, and emotional fever.

Several aspects of our physiology, such as semantics, obeys the laws of quantum mechanics. For example, in quantum entanglement, observation on one part of the system instantaneously affects the state in another section, even if they are separated by space-like distances. In emotional fermions, the same phenomenon transpires over time. Entanglement means a shared wave function, which cannot be decomposed as separate subsystems. For example, in word association experiments, entanglement activates associative target words simultaneously, and the semantics of concept combinations can be modeled by quantum theory. The contextual nature of cognition leads to unintuitive word associations (analog to ‘spooky action at a distance’) or resistance to ambiguous situations (such as the Necker cube). If the string theory characteristics were correct for the mind, then string theory could be easily tested.

The new physical worldview, based on physics principles, is detailed in the book 'The Science of Consciousness.' Find your copy on Amazon.

The above hypothesis is supported by the 2017 article, Origin of Neural Firing and Synthesis in Making Comparisons.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Karma, the long term consequences of behavior

The brain evolves in interaction with the physical world. In its operation, the mind becomes similar to material systems. This symmetry leads to an intuition, which allows us to move without falling over or to catch a falling ball. In a previous post, I argued that the mind forms relationships analogous to gravity.

According to Einstein, gravity is positive spatial curvature. The material world cannot be insulated from gravity, and gravity (as well as field curvature) increases toward the center of large objects. The social world is symmetric to the physical world, but its functions and relationships depend on time and temporal curvature. For example, the social (temporal) curvature layers represent access to time. Because the most significant pressure on a planet or star is in its center, stress represents the lack of time. A lack of time corresponds to a constant search for survival, which affects the dispossessed the most (Figure 1). Only the outer layers provide a wealth of time. In other words, the time pressure comes from a time transfer from the poor to the rich. In practice, access to time manifests as money.

Because emotional gravity is a positive curvature temporal field, social existence requires a selfish mind to protect our interests against others and advertisement pressures. The temporal field curvature differences lead to social hierarchy. In hierarchic societies, rigid and impassable class differences largely spare the rich from the consequences of unwise actions. It also makes advancement nearly impossible for those belonging to the lower classes. However, modern democratic societies are highly dynamic, allowing and even facilitating social mobility: the movement between field curvature layers.

Figure 1. The temporal curvature layers of society

As matter cannot be insulated from gravity, the mind cannot be insulated from the effects of stress (i.e., temporal gravity). The conservation of the temporal field leads to field effects, called karma, which accumulate over time. Cheating and corruption form distrust and anxiety in the mind and initiate specific actions, which lead to adverse consequences over the long term. Moving to another city cannot erase the consequences of cheating or selfish actions, which enclose the mind by limiting possibilities and making life more difficult. Therefore, emotional gravity causes insecurity. Anxiety and guilt lead to distrust and enhanced dependence on things and people. Ultimately, they inhibit social mobility and predispose people to lower social status.

How can you create a successful and happy life? The first step is to strive toward emotional stability because only a calm mind can make decisions based on a non-partial view. Positive emotional states are the success generators of the mental universe. Success feeds on trust, which is decency exhibited even when no one is looking. People who work toward the betterment of others and themselves maintain a youthful, active, and dynamic life into old age. Want to know more? Read my post, 'The science of karma, a case study.'

Related post: The Science of Karma, a case study

Monday, November 30, 2015

The physical and mental phenomena is unified in a coherent world view

Space and time are two of dynamic systems' most important physical quantities. In the early twentieth century, Einstein's General relativity combined these quantities into spacetime, represented by second-degree differential equations. Although spacetime became a fixture of physics, the idea remains problematic. Space shortens only along one coordinate, but time slows evenly within affected regions. Navigation is possible in any direction in space, but time only moves forward.

We need to consider a cosmic evolution in our acceleratingly expanding universe. In string theory, elementary matter particles are energy vibrations occurring within a compact dimension, representing time. Therefore, space and time form the universe's two orthogonally conjoined energy fields, where space happens to be three-dimensional, whereas the compact dimensions are multi-dimensional.

Interaction with space changes the spatial curvature. Increasing field curvature imposes information content on the horizon, registered as the age of physical systems. The information content of our galactic neighborhood is shown as being over ten billion years old. Due to the complexity evolution requires, only matter with such enhanced age can produce life.

According to string theory, energy vibrations become visible matter, and the biological brain gives rise to the highly autonomous, self-regulating mind. Highly structured mental frequencies betray the nonlinear complexity of the mind. This is why research that examines automatic psychological operation, independent from conscious awareness, has exploded in recent years. Free will has been called into question. The traditional idea of intellect must be revised to explain personal, professional, and economic success. Social and emotional intelligence is an increasingly recognized factor in achievement. The relationship between emotion and cognition is considered new in scientific literature, from psychology to neurology.

Over millennia, philosophers and sages pointed out the unintuitive and multifarious nature of the mind. The laws of quantum mechanics can describe the mental world. String theory might explain the coherence of the material and mental realms. Like elementary particles, where the energy distribution is hidden until interaction, the vast majority of mental operation is hidden, not only from others but even from self-awareness. Is the mind analogous to material matter particles? Analogies to elementary particles can explain various, specific mental phenomena; see my article on the Physics of Selfhood.

A deeper understanding of consciousness allows us to map a congruent life; goals and inspirations can be efficiently reached. It explains why negativity constricts time (appropriately called stress), slowing mental progress. Emotional stability and optimism are indispensable qualities of intellectual excellence.

Watch my video, Can quantum mechanics explain consciousness? Exploring the particle mind

Sign up for my mailing list. You can preorder my book, Emotional Reasoning, Insight into the Conscious Experience, on Aug 1st, 2024.

Monday, November 23, 2015

The importance of practicing happiness

Happiness is expressed in an internationally understood language, elation, laughter or jumping for joy. Because it is implicated with well-being, health and even longevity (the famous Minnesota nun study and others), it has become an essential field of study, known as positive psychology. Happiness builds trust, and inversely only a comfortable, trusting mind can be happy. So belief underlies and supports happiness. Even laughing is the result of a tense or puzzling situation being resolved to be innocent, comprehensible, a relaxing feeling of confidence and trust. However, the quality or strength of belief or the degrees of satisfaction, courage, and joy, can significantly differ. The first, most basic level is money or power. These two are so closely connected; historically they were invariably one and the same. The second level is trust through knowledge, and the third is love. We will examine them in order.

The resulting differences are based on the level of emotional gravity, an emotional analog of gravity, which is analyzed in detail in earlier posts. Emotional (i.e., temporal) gravity corresponds to the strength of connection to things or people. Small emotional gravity leads to trust, which takes things granted and verification unnecessary. Emotional gravity is generally inversely related to confidence and education level. Insecurity makes it necessary to accumulate things and form a tight connection with family members, which can lead to abusing relationships. Children and young people are more trusting and adapt quickly to changes. Emotional gravity increases with age, and changes are stressful for the elderly. Trust increases with more access to 'things,' so trust is a cultural (trust also increases with democratization), as well as wealth issue. An extensive 2012 study examined happiness as a function of financial means in various countries. Not surprisingly, the study found a positive relationship between income growth and overall satisfaction. However, there is a dark side of wealth, because the satiation 'richness' point is continuously re-positioned. Striving for greater and greater wealth is a tilted viewpoint, which always denies full happiness. A sudden change of financial means, such as winning the lottery generally does not change the mind, therefore the attachment to possessions (the emotional gravity). People who suddenly find themselves awash in money not necessarily become trusting. In fact, it is often found that lottery winners are usually back to their prior financial state and the happiness of the recipients also returns close to its original level. The reversal of fortune of the prize recipients probably can be explained by the difficulty or mental change.

Completion of a problematic task involves hard, systematic work is very different from the sheer luck of lottery winners. Persistent work and study lead to positive mental transformation (Csikszentmihalyi) via trust, generosity (less attachment to possessions) and results in long-term satisfaction. This mental state, in turn, leads to decisions, which positively influence a person's social, professional status and health. Consequently, it is regularly found that people with higher education level are more trusting and they tend to make better financial and health decisions. In other words, learning leads to long-term happiness.

Love is the most important and most significant source of trust. Those who trust are trustworthy. Thus love is a two-way street. This is why we tend to find dedicated people in occupations, which requires love. Love exists in emotional animals, mammals, and birds (and even crocodiles). Love will allow a bird to risk her life to protect its progeny. It fortifies the hero's determination to win in a difficult undertaking. In children stories and literary classics, it is love that transforms and moves toward a moral upper ground. To love is to trust the beloved. Thus love can be directed toward God or abstract mathematics. Love and trust lead to generosity, honesty, and cooperation.

Who does not follow his heart, cripples his soul.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Quantum entanglement is characteristic of the mind

In the material world, apparent randomness often conceals the underlying determinism. The fusion of predictability with the unexpected creates a fractal structure in nature. Surprisingly, the temporal rhythm of mental phenomena also represents a fractal structure. The mind forms resonance and interference, indicating that cognitive processes obey the laws of quantum mechanics. Therefore, a social laser can model social unrest as a coherent energy transmission.

Entanglement is a phenomenon in which changes in one part of the system instantaneously influence the state of another part, even across large distances. Applying entanglement in a cognitive context can model emotional behavior. For example, entanglement activates associative target words simultaneously. In the social context, social entanglement refers to a perceived power difference in human interaction. It leads to domination, empowering one partner and subjugating the other. Thus, social entanglement plays a role in shaping social structure.

One person can even create an entanglement between two separate events! When two events are separated in time, nonlocality encompasses fictional time travel to the past. This recollection updates comprehension by pushing understanding into the past and the future. This timelessness indicates that understanding can be influenced by significant temporal spans. In this way, childhood memories transform into adult understanding within an adult's mind.

Similar to the quantum mechanic's particle experiment, new information can entirely overturn a solidified mental reality. When we uncover a secret, our comprehension expands to the past, envisioning the time of the first experience. Ideas in the hidden corners of the mind can be reshaped by information years or even decades later. For instance, sexual harassment and abuse are demeaning and degrading for the victim. However, even years later, a new understanding can reverse the relationship dynamics and empower the victim. Often, revealing or constructively processing past abuses, victims of sexual or social misconduct experience healing and liberation.

We have more power over our personal history than we realize. By creating a positive meaning for the past, we give rise to a better future.

Image credit by Thierry Dugnolle

The book Emotional Reasoning: Insight into the Conscious Experience is published on August 30, 2024.

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Monday, November 2, 2015

The role of family in the internet age

Bald eagles, which mate for life and raise their young together, are among the very few animal species with some form of family structure. Human intellectual abilities make a social and family structure with inter-generational consequences possible, which plays a vital role in preserving culture, behavioral patterns, and even social stability. In hierarchic societies, families were the bastions of safety and security, the means to hold onto power, position, and wealth. It was the life insurance policy for the middle class and the poor. The family could be a tool to increase social influence and spread political power (kleptocracy).

In families, not only money but occupation and titles were handed down. The family could cushion the individual from natural and social dangers, hooligans, bandits, and local rulers. Like creating walls in the ocean, inherited money and nepotic influence often extinguish creative energy, originality's spark, and lead to mediocre comfort. Since in difficult times, the family provided security, it needed to be beyond criticism. Individual problems had to be hidden from the outside, and nonconforming members need to be shunned and disgraced. The large role of the family significantly restricted personal freedom.

In democratic societies, the economic role of the family has decreased. The societal safety net provides pension, health, and end-of-life care to the elderly on a level unmatched by family care. Instead of being handed down, occupations are becoming the expression of individual talents and creative mental potential. Young people do not expect nepotism and family connections to help them. They chart their own path, far from their hometown.

As connections and inherited finances will play a less important role in individual success, the family's institutional role will undoubtedly continue to decline. When the family is not a source of financial security or societal position, covering up weaknesses and deficiencies is no longer necessary; the family can open up to become safe islands of nurture and love. The love and caring within the family that flows out into the community lifts up everyone.

Trust in the social environment and future allows some intellectual billionaires, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and others, to give away their wealth. If everybody feels supported by our social institutions, then medical and technological progress are only limited by our imagination.

Picture credit: Talento Tec

Monday, October 26, 2015

What is temporal gravity and why should you care?

Gravity has a powerful influence not only on the inanimate matter; in biological systems, it governs growth and balance. For this reason, gait (the degree of side-to-side movement during walking) is a reliable indicator of a mental decline in elderly people. But gravity also creates the pressure that slows the biological clock: the body ages faster in free space. Changes in gravity also regulate our mood, which is present in infancy. Children the world over enjoy swings and rocking in a cradle. Even adults enjoy rocking chairs, free falls during parachuting, and bungee jumping. Rollercoasters simulate gravity by an upward vertical motion, giving a feeling of heaviness. At the top, there is a sudden transition from a contracted feeling to weightlessness, the sense of expansion.

Emotions also imitate gravity. Relationships are analog to the hold of gravity. Our attachments, i.e., temporal or emotional gravity, generate an emotional rollercoaster, which intimately regulates our mood, the degree of mental comfort. As gravity constricts the body, emotional gravity is a feeling of tightness. Throughout history and all cultures, the transitions from emotional gravity (tension) to emotional release (feeling of spaciousness) have been recognized as pleasurable. It is no accident that we simulate this transition in so many ways. Even crying in difficulty or after a tragedy is such a process. Children’s stories from ancient times depict this transition from the emotional tension to release. The hero suffers and, the greater his suffering is, the more enjoyable his glorification afterward. Adventure, horror, cliffhangers, and suspense operate on the same principle. We suffer through every averse predicament and emotional tension, and the payoff at the end gives us emotional release. This is also the secret to the success of the twenty-four-hour news channels.

Therefore the environment intimately regulates our mood by controlling emotional gravity. Lack of temporal gravity is formed by low-entropy conditions (order, beauty), producing the feeling of satisfaction, happiness, well-being, relaxation, and excitement of the new. Interest and the body position are open, trusting. The excited dog smelling around or enclosed monkeys are willing to pull a lever to take a peek at the outside world: the new. The child curiously moves forward in a unique situation with excitement (this represents the original energy) or pulls back in worry or fear (meaning temporal gravity, the need for safety).

Although the new is an elementary need, overwhelming and fast-paced information such as flickering light, strongly delineated patterns, or repeating mechanical noises provoke stress. In addition, the temporal tightness of emotional gravity constricts the mind, forming emotions such as anger, negligence, fear, paranoia, running, freezing, and adherence to the past. Even the language describes fear and guilt as demanding and heavy. This is why meditation is a powerful practice for those who experience stress, including most people. If you feel stressed, you should serve yourself beauty and joy. Even taking a deep breath should expand a constricted soul and mind.

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