No up or down in space

 

No up or down in space

No Up or Down in Space

The concept of "up" and "down" is deeply ingrained in our everyday lives. On Earth, gravity provides a clear direction: down is towards the center of the planet, while up is the opposite. This orientation shapes our understanding of the world and influences how we navigate our environment. However, when we venture into space, this familiar framework begins to dissolve. In the vastness of the cosmos, the notions of up and down lose their meaning, presenting a fascinating challenge to our perception of reality.

In space, the absence of gravity creates a unique environment where traditional orientations become irrelevant. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experience microgravity, which allows them to float freely. In this state, they can rotate and move in any direction without the constraints of gravitational pull. This freedom can be disorienting for those accustomed to the fixed orientation of life on Earth. The experience of weightlessness transforms the way individuals interact with their surroundings, as they can push off surfaces and glide through the air, defying the expectations set by gravity.

The lack of a definitive up or down in space also has implications for navigation and communication. On Earth, we rely on landmarks and directional cues to guide us. In the vast expanse of space, however, these references are scarce. Astronauts must rely on instruments and technology to orient themselves. The stars, while beautiful, do not provide a consistent frame of reference. Instead, they serve as distant markers that can help with navigation but do not define a specific direction. This reliance on technology underscores the importance of adaptability and precision in space exploration.

Moreover, the absence of a clear up or down challenges our understanding of human behavior and psychology. In a microgravity environment, the body undergoes various changes. For instance, fluids in the body redistribute, leading to a puffy appearance in astronauts' faces. This physiological shift can affect mood and cognitive function, highlighting the intricate relationship between our physical environment and mental state. The experience of floating in a weightless environment can evoke feelings of exhilaration, but it can also lead to disorientation and discomfort. Understanding these effects is crucial for the well-being of astronauts during long-duration missions.

The philosophical implications of a space devoid of up and down are equally intriguing. It invites us to reconsider our place in the universe and the constructs we have built around our existence. The idea that orientation is a human construct challenges our perception of reality. If up and down are merely products of our planet's gravitational influence, what does that say about our understanding of space and time? This perspective encourages a broader exploration of how we define our experiences and the frameworks we use to interpret the world around us.

As humanity continues to explore the cosmos, the lessons learned from the absence of up and down in space will shape our future endeavors. The challenges of navigating a weightless environment, the physiological effects on the human body, and the philosophical questions raised by this experience all contribute to our understanding of what it means to be human in the universe. Embracing the complexities of space will not only enhance our exploration efforts but also deepen our appreciation for the intricate relationship between our planet and the vast, mysterious cosmos that surrounds us.

From Email to the Universe: and other alterations of consciousness

 

Email to the Universe: and other alterations of consciousness

Chapter 49: The Relativity of “Reality”

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The Relativity of “Reality”

 

      1. From the viewpoint of semantics, “reality” is a multi-ordinal concept, having different meanings on different levels of abstraction. On the lowest level of abstraction “reality” refers to immediate sensory consistency. “Is there really a kangaroo in that chair?” can be answered by obtaining the consensus of the group; or, if everybody is stoned, by bringing in some objective observers with objective instruments, etc. On the highest level of abstraction, “reality” refers to logical consistency with a body of established scientific fact and theory. “Is entropy real?” can be answered by consulting a reliable textbook on thermodynamics. Between the level of kangaroo and the level of entropy, there are many other levels of abstraction and, hence, many kinds of “reality.”

      For instance, “Is the Gross National Product real?” is a question on a certain level of abstraction; and if equally intelligent people can, and do, argue about this, it is because they are talking on different levels of abstraction and are not aware of the fact that there are different levels of abstraction and different kinds of “reality.”

      I call this the semantic relativity of “reality.”

      2. Every tribe has its own “reality — map,” or worldview, or What is “real” to the Eskimo is not what is “real” to the Zuni Indian or the Congolese or the Japanese Buddhist or the German businessman or the Russian commissar, etc. If you travel around the world with the naive assumption that everybody is living in the same “reality,” you will make numerous embarrassing mistakes, insult countless people unintentionally, make a splendid ass of yourself and generally contribute to the worldwide belief that tourists are a Curse of God sent to punish people for their sins. To recognize that every culture, and sub-culture, has its own “reality” is the prerequisite of sophistication, tact, and true tolerance. Otherwise you come on like the Englishman who claimed all Chinese understand English if you just shout loud enough.

      I call this the anthropological, or cultural, relativism of “reality.”

      3. Every nervous system creates its own “reality.” Out of the billions, or billions of billions, of energies intersecting the room in which you read this, your brain, performing 100,000,000 processes per minute (almost all of them unconscious to those circuits called the ego and recognized as “me”) arranges a few hundred or thousand into the Gestalt which you experience as the “reality” of the room. To demonstrate this, in my Info-Psychology classes, I will have the students describe the hall outside the lecture room; no two will describe exactly the same hall.

      Or, I will have everybody write down what they hear in the room during a minute of clock-time; no two lists of these sounds will be identical. A variety of chemicals introduced into the nervous system, or direct brain stimulation with electrical impulses, or yoga, etc., will create an entirely different neurological “reality” while you are still sitting in the "same” room.

      I call this neurological relativism, or the relativity of perceived “reality.”

      4. Two scientists moving at different accelerations can measure the same phenomenon with equally accurate instruments and obtain totally different readings of its extensions in the space and time dimensions. (Einstein, Special On the quantum level, a variety of different philosophical reality-maps, or “models,” describe equally well both the experimental data and the mathematical equations that are known to “fit” the data. Any attempt to get around this by adding more sophisticated instruments leads to adding still more sophisticated instruments to monitor the first set, and so on, forever. (Von Neumann’s “catastrophe of the infinite regress.”)

      I call this physical Relativity, or the relativity of instrumental “reality.”

      In conclusion, “reality” is a concept borrowed from the theologians who, being bankrupt, are in no position to loan anything to anybody. We would do better to restrict ourselves to questions that can be answered. Such questions take the form, “At this date, with the knowledge presently possessed by humanity, which model best accords with the facts?”

      When it turns out, as it usually does these days, that several models work equally well, we might then ask: which models are most amusing? most optimistic? most worthy of our time and energy? most elegant and esthetic? And we can keep in mind, too, biologist J.B.S. Haldane’s warning, “The universe may be not only stranger than we think, but stranger than we can think.”

Enders game

 

Ender's Game

 

From The Father of Cartesian Empiricism: Robert Desgabets on the physics and metaphysics of blood transfusion

 

8.3
From Metaphysics to Physics to expérience:
Cartesian Empiricism
Descartes more than once remarks that the role of experiment is to provide
demonstrations of the first principles or truths of physics by connecting them to the
way God actually made the world. In Part IV of his Discourse on Method he says:
But I must also admit that the power of nature is so ample and so vast, and the principles
so simple and so general, that I notice hardly any particular effect of which I do not know
at once that it can be deduced from the principles in many different ways; and my greatest
difficulty is usually to discover in which of these ways it depends upon them. I know no other means to discover this than by seeking further observations whose outcomes vary
according to which of these ways provides the correct explanation.49
In Part III, Article 46 of Descartes’ Principles of Philosophy he says:
For, seeing that these parts could have been regulated by God in an infinity of diverse ways; experience alone should teach us which of all these ways He chose. That is why we are nowat liberty to assume anything we please, provided that everything we shall deduce from it
is
{entirely} in conformity with experience.50
The idea is that human reason alone cannot discover how God chose to create the world—for the possible ways that reason can conceive exceed the one actual world that the senses come into contact with. The appeal to experience and observation is what delimits the merely conceivable, possible ways to the actual one, and so plays a necessary role in scientific knowledge. We must appeal to experience in order to
find our way back from effects to their causes.
A similar idea runs throughout Desgabets’ Supplement:
He [Descartes] founds the laws of nature for physics only upon the simple supposition that God, in creating the world, put as much movement in the totality of matter as is found there
at present, which we know from experience: this is sufficient for Descartes to deduce the
formation and nature of all things that make up the visible world, in reasoning always from
the cause to effects with consequences similar to those of mathematics. [author’s
emphasis]51
x
x

Title: The Fabric of Illusion

 Title: The Fabric of Illusion

In a world not unlike our own, nestled between the folds of time and space, there existed a city called Veritas. It was a place of shimmering glass towers, swirling nebulae painted across the sky, and streets that seemed to change direction based on the whims of its inhabitants. In Veritas, every morning would greet its citizens with a choice: remain in the confines of perceived reality or step into the unknown and unravel the threads of existence.

Elara, a young woman with wild copper curls and eyes that sparkled with mischief, lived a double life. By day, she was an ordinary librarian, her time spent cataloging ancient tomes and mediating between whispering books. By night, she was an explorer of dreams, diving headfirst into the enigmatic fabric that created their world. The tales of her adventures were whispered in hushed tones among the city's inhabitants, for they knew little of the hidden truths that lay just beyond their reach.

One fateful evening, while browsing through the dusty shelves of the library, Elara stumbled upon a weathered book unlike any she had seen before. Its cover was a deep shade of indigo, embellished with shimmering silver letters that read, “The Truth of Shadows.” Intrigued, she opened it, revealing pages filled with cryptic symbols and sketches of magical landscapes that danced before her eyes. As she flipped through the chapters, a single phrase echoed in her mind: “Reality doesn’t exist.”

The words resonated within Elara, igniting something deep inside her. She closed her eyes, clutching the book tightly, and suddenly felt a pull, as if the fabric of reality was unraveling around her. When she opened them again, she was no longer in the library. Instead, she stood in a vast, vibrant expanse lit by two suns. The sky shifted in hues of lavender and gold, and the ground beneath her trembled gently, alive with energy.

“Welcome, seeker,” said a voice that seemed to emanate from the air itself. A figure materialized before her—a tall being with skin that shimmered like the night sky, swirling with constellations. “I am Kael, Weaver of Realities. You’ve unlocked the doorway to the realm beyond perception.”

“What do you mean? Reality doesn’t exist?” Elara asked, her heart racing.

Kael smiled enigmatically. “What you call reality is but a tapestry woven from the dreams, fears, and desires of countless souls. It is the sum of collective beliefs, a mere reflection in a pool that deepens and shifts with every thought.”

Elara's mind swirled with possibilities as she gazed at the vibrant world around her. It felt more alive than anything she had known. “But how can I reshape it? How can I change what I see, what I feel?”

“The question is not how to change it, beloved seeker, but rather to understand that you are the weaver of your own tapestry. It’s time for you to recognize your power,” Kael instructed, gesturing to the infinite kaleidoscope of realities unfolding before her. “Each thread is a choice, each pattern a belief. Embrace your ability to create.”

With newfound determination, Elara focused her thoughts, envisioning her aspirations, her fears, and her dreams. As she did, she saw radiant threads emerging, intertwining and forming patterns that danced to her desires. The vibrant world pulsed, shifting in response to her energy—the sky darkened, blossoming with galaxies as she began to weave a tapestry of light.

But with every masterpiece comes a shadow. As Elara created, she also unearthed the darker threads—the fears that her mind had hidden, the insecurities that clawed at her spirit. Stumbling upon them, she hesitated, feeling a wave of doubt crash over her. “What if I undo everything?”

Kael appeared beside her, the shimmer of the cosmos swirling around him. “Fear is a part of the weave, just as love is. Acknowledge it, for in acceptance lies your strength. Remember, you are not just the creator; you are also the observer. Allow yourself to experience both the beauty and darkness without judgment.”

Taking a deep breath, Elara embraced her shadows. Instead of flinching, she wove them into her tapestry. As she did, something extraordinary happened—the fears transformed, emerging as lessons learned, illuminating her tapestry with depth and richness. The once dark threads sparkled like constellations, revealing their true nature.

With the completion of her masterpiece, the world around her shimmered and shook. Elara realized she had woven a new reality—one that transcended the limitations of her previous existence. She had unlocked a world where impossibilities danced with possibilities.

As she stood before the altar of creation, the skies changed, settling into a serene twilight. Kael smiled, pride evident in his gaze. “You have awakened to your truth, Elara. Remember, reality is but a canvas. Forge forward, not only for yourself but for all who dwell in Veritas.”

And so, Elara returned to her city, the book clutched tight to her chest, her heart glowing with newfound wisdom. With each passing day, she shared her journey, awakening others to the illusion of their confines and encouraging them to weave their own tapestries.

Reality didn’t exist; what thrived was the power of creativity, the beauty of belief, and the magic of transformation. Together, they would rewrite the story of Veritas, one thread at a time.