HTV83: februari 2010

The unified world of cosmology and quantum physics

The discovery of the ‘intervention of consciousness’ in the world of matter, half a century ago, left the scientific world with a large void. The world of physics found itself in an impossible position. An empirical science, meaning a science relying on evidence derived from observation or experiment, found itself with it’s back against the wall. If we talk about the world of consciousness we deal with psychology and philosophy rather than science. The best proven theory thus far seemed without any consciousness itself for it called the ‘interpretation of Copenhagen’1 to life. Or more specifically Niels Borh, one the grandfather of quantum physics did, ‘the ghost in the closet’. Our everyday world is surrounded with things based on quantum physics, that goes for the products we make and how we make them. We seem to be doing fine without the world of consciousness, or are we not.

The unified theory suggest 1 world of understanding in both energy and matter, who are indeed one and the same. We have been in search for it over 50 years no. To simply explain, we have a macro world of big things like planets, stars, galaxies and gas clouds and a micro world of atoms, quarks and electrons. The big world life by the rules of symmetry and perfection in terms of time space, the micro world however is total chaos. This led to a long lasting fight between Einstein and Bohr2. Einstein noted understandably ‘How can it be that large things that are made of the same material like small things but do not live by the same rules?

Scientist, apart from some brave man like Penrose 3, stop in front of the wall. They cannot deal with transform or adjust. I believe the next step we have to take is for physics to embrace the consciousness part. Embrace psychology, philosophy and neuroscience and other sciences. We have to rediscover alchemy, a unified science and science beyond, but we do it with a filled rucksack.

Where is the artist in this

The artist here has the ability to put one step in the world of science and suggest possibilities. To take the spot of the scientist that stops in front of the wall and emphasize the impact and possibilities of the physical world around us.

We are currently living in the golden age of the cosmology. Last year two important satellites have been launched that will map our galaxy in the next 5 to 10 years . Meaning telling us how many stars we have in our galaxy including their planets and constituents. We will know if there are other earthlike planets and if they harbor life, including intelligent life. We will know if we are really alone or not! This may still sound like science fiction to you, but it is slowly becoming a everyday reality. I personally am not mind boggled by concepts like this. It is rather that the more we find out the less we know indeed. And more importantly the less we understand. Maybe it is not about what we cannot discover but what we cannot understand. Take for example the concept of the growing of our universe. It grows at an ever accelerating rate and not from one point but from all points at the same time. To understand this in a 2D model take a balloon. The balloon has buttons stuck on it surface. These buttons are placed from each other with exactly the same distances. When you blow up the balloon you can understand that these distances grow between all buttons at the same time with the same speed. Now try to understand this concept in a 3d model! Very hard to picture.. So maybe our real wall is not the limit of our will or possibilities to change but simply the limit of our brain, of our understanding? Are there other ways of understanding we can find. Maybe a role for the artist to ask questions here?

Notes :

1http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p09.htm

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohr–Einstein_debates

3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Penrose

24.2.10

Simon Faithfull

Background on issue 83

htv#83

Links

Blogarchief