Secrets of the Universe (PART 3.)steemCreated with Sketch.

in #philosophy8 years ago (edited)

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Let's continue our philosophical journey to explore the secrets of the Universe further. In this part I will talk about algebra, and the philosophy behind numbers. This is a continuation of my series about metaphysics, that centered around the basic axiom that "there is no objective reality", and everything in the Universe one way or the other is a subjective relationship. If you have missed the previous parts, please read them, otherwise you won't understand what I am talking about:


THERE ARE NO NUMBERS

Algebra

Alright, so this is a logical conclusion of my basic theory about the subjective reality we live in. Numbers as such don't exist. Mathematicians may be confused about this, but this is just a question of perception, I am not saying that math itself is wrong, what I am saying is that only the perception of it is wrong.

For example:
1+1 = 2

Nobody doubts this, however this equation doesn't exist, in reality. There are no "1"-s and there are no "2", out there. What we call 1 and 2, are just abstractions in our mind, that try to explain the word around us. For example you have 2x 1 piece of coin, and you add them together you get 2.

coins.jpg

But this doesn't make sense, because you already have 2 coins, what do you add together? The coin doesn't come out of nowhere, so by already having the 2 coins, you are doing nothing, just a mental exercise.

Let me put it this way, the equation 1+1=2, is correct, in the mind, but it doesn't reflect into reality:

  • 1) You already have 2 coins, so the equation doesn't do anything. Even if you don't have the 2nd coin, it still exists somewhere in order to be eligible for the addition. So if the 2 coins exist, then the equation doesn't do anything. If the 2nd coin doesn't exist, then there is only 1 coin, so it is invalid. And if the 2nd coin is just being minted, after it is finished being minted, there are automatically 2 coins, regardless of it's physical location. For example you could argue that the addition is in order to separate different coins from different parts of the universe, but the equation doesn't carry a geographical function with it, so we assume that when we talk about 2 coins, we ignore their physical location, the only question that matters is do they exist or not?
  • 2) There are no coins, because as I said there are no objects. Now this is a bit hard to imagine with coins, but let me illustrate it.

zoom.jpg

Where is the coin? Because for it to be a coin, it has to have boundaries, and there is no boundary. If you zoom into the edge of the coin, you get atoms, quantum stuff, and who knows what, if you zoom very deep. If you zoom out, then you get the Earth, the Solar System, the Galaxy, the Universe, possibly Multiverse if you zoom far out....

So the coin doesn't exist, it's just a bunch of atoms, and more stuff as you zoom down. You can't even see the coin from 1 mile away. So the coin only exists if it's right near to you, otherwise it's either too far away for your senses to pick it up, or too close. For example if the coin get's smashed into atom-by-atom bits, you will no longer have the means to detect it, even though it was the same material that made up the original coin.

You might want to check out this tool, to see the "zoom levels in the Universe": http://htwins.net/scale2

Therefore the coin only exists as an experience to you, through your senses, and the number "1", representing the 1 coin, is just how you identify that particular experience in your mind. The equation 1+1=2 is only in your mind.



There is no zero

Yes there is no zero, or otherwise said, there is no nothing. No nothing is a negation of nothing, which means that there is no such thing as "nothing". This is misrepresented in math, by using the "zero" number.

ATTENTION: I am not saying the concept of zero should not exist. A numerical system without zero is fallacious, as have been used in early human history. You might want to read about numerical systems here:

What I am saying is that zero should not symbolize nothing, but instead balance. In fact the Mayans, thought of zero as a symbol of "balance" instead of "nothing".

For example going with the coin analogy above. You don't have a coin actually so you can't assign numbers to it, so how it works is that you first invent the number and then assign it to an "object" around you. And this is where the problem starts because the number can't represent the object in the physical world, because there isn't any.

For example if you have 1 coin in your hand and somebody takes it out:
1-1=0

But there is no "0" coin, the coin didn't disappeared, it just changed geographical location, but the formula is ignorant of physical location, this is where the problem lies. As said earlier, it's just a collection of atoms, or deeper quantum phenomena, that doesn't just disappear, even if you smash the coin into atomic pieces.

So if somebody took out the coin from your hand, there is still 1 coin. So the best thing the number zero could represent is actually a sort of change or balance, but not the concept of "nothing".

But other weird things could be realized if you take this logic further, which is correct by the way, the only problem is with the perception of it.

You can also say that that coins is what there is in my hand, a shiny .5 dollar coin. But the coin is constantly eroding, due to chemical/physical/quantum fluctuations inside the coin. So the coin now is not the same coin after 1 second. For example if you took an electron microscope and measure the coin, you would constantly see atoms moving in it, chemical reactions, etc...

So if the coin right now consists of let's say 1 billion atoms, but after 1 second, 1 atom falls out of it, and only 999,999,999 atoms remain after 1 second. Therefore:

1,000,000,000 = 999,999,999

Because it's still 1 coin, however 1 billion atoms are equal to 999,999,999, just as 1 coin now equal the 1 coin in 1 second. Of course this is illogical, but this is where I am getting at.

If you say that there is 1 coin in your hand then you are wrong, precisely because of what I told above. So the only explanation is that there is no coin. The coin exists only in your mind as an abstraction of your experience.

In fact it's just a subjective experience of the coin, and what you abstract in your mind to as 1 coin, in reality is just a system of changing atoms, and quantum phenomena, that at 1 moment may have 999,999,999 atoms , the other moment it may have 999,999,998 atoms, and so on.

It's a question of magnification, and precision. Therefore you can't say that the coin is real, because if you were to actually measure it, precisely, you would only see subatomic fluctuations, and nothing more, and if you look at the coin from space, then there is no coin after all.

Hahaha, it's mind boggling, but take your time to think about this. The point is that we in our mind assign properties to physical objects, from our abstract thoughts, whereas we fail to recognize that the physical objects are not there, they are just random experiences that we get through our senses.

And yes, Math works, Math is good, it helps us understand complicated things, and gives us logical "crutches" that we can navigate reality by, however when we actually think about the metaphysical consequences of it, then it breaks down, because our objectivist perspective is wrong.

As I said, there is no objective reality.


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Yes, the rabbit hole is very deep.

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Nice review of the dichotomy between material existence and abstract ideas. I love pointing out the limits of objectivity in mathematics, glad to see someone else thinking along the same lines.

I included your piece in today’s #philosophy-review. Hoping to bring you more readers and discussion!
https://steemit.com/philosophy/@aaanderson/the-philosophy-review-12-8-2016

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