The Cerebral Osmosis

I have always gone by the notion that no knowledge is trivial. I have a habit of asking question ( too many sometimes!) and I do border on getting on peoples nerves sometimes. The other hazard this entails is that I feel compelled to offer my insights on most problems at hand and thus it has earned me the reputation of being a "fundebaaz". I am still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or a bad one but occasionally I do see some people asking me for advice so I gather I am not a total screw up so far.

This fascination for learning has been a with me for a long long time now. I remember reading a
book called "Tell me Why" while in the 4th grade. That opened up a whole new world for me, a world beyond my syllabus books, a world beyond television and a world which very few people around me knew of. I was hooked on to those books and I started reading more and more. My parents were very encouraging and bought me the other books of the series which cost quite a bit during those days. That childlike curiosity has carried on somehow and even today, I cannot resist learning a hitherto unknown subject. The downside however is that I loose interest very soon and hence find it very difficult to get down to the nitty-gritty details of what ever I may be pursuing. The end result is that I am what you call the "Big Picture" guy. I have sufficient information to connect two discrete hypothesis but can prove neither :-(

The only solace I find is in Quantum Mechanics and Astro physics and I have spent a lot of time on these subjects. I have a mathematical bent of mind so Quantum mechanics does not freak me out but what I love more about these subjects is that they bring me to the edge of human understanding. It gives me the chance to interpret what I see and theorize on what I cannot.
I look at the empty space and think about Zero point energy and what could cause it. If intangible things like space and time can be subject to a very physical thing like mass then can we disregard the premise that an intangible thing like thought can effect the physical world?
The Universe is full of knowledge and the entropy of the Universe is increasing which in turn defines the direction of time. The logarithm of the entropy is what we call information. Does this mean that the accumulation of information by sentient beings effects the entropy of the Universe and hence the flow of time itself, time which in turn controls the rate of assimilation of this information in the first place?

The scientific part of me rejects this hypothesis outright because of its obvious inadequacies and because of its inherent inability to be quantifiable. However, I just have this tinge of suspicion in me that keeps on trying to convince me that there is a bridge between the physical reality and our mental projection of that reality. This suspicion is further re-enforced by observations like what is called the "Measurement problem" in Physics. To put it simply, an electron has a finite probabilty of being in a certain place at a certain time but unless an observer actually "looks" for it, it is impossible to tell where the electron is. Thus it can even be speculated if an electron exists in the first place or if it materializes only when a "measurement" is made. This is similar to the Schrodinger cat experiment as well which leads to a cat being both alive and dead at the same time. The predicament in both cases is due to the fact that the act of making a measurement implies a certain level of interaction with the system and that level of interaction may be enough to alter the system itself.

Once you begin doubting the electron then the world falls apart. I am beginning to wonder if the world we see and the lives we lead are anything but a mathematical model. Every point in life is a branching point in the space time continuum and the choices we make define the reality we encounter. Isint it a fact that happy people tend to lead contended lives, lucky people always tend to be lucky? These are intangible objects and maybe these people are unknowingly projecting their reality as they see it. Its a fascinating notion. It gives us the power to change the world as we see fit. Ohhh! I just may have rationalized the Matrix.

Well easier said than done. There may or may not be a link between conceptual and physical reality but the fact still stands that the Universe has been around for a lot longer than us so we definitely DID NOT imagine it all. There is physical reality and it is undeniable but it is also hard to imagine that the faculty of consciousness is geared for something as inane as survival and pro creation. When one average guy on planet Earth can close his eyes and think about things from Quantum Chromodynamics to Hawking Radiation, it is a victory for human intelligence and perseverance. We are a part of the synchronised framework of the Universe and our physical presence is indescribably miniscule but maybe we are measuring the wrong thing. Any sentient being that can stand up, look at the stars and ask "Who am I?" has more power then they imagine.