Today I want to write about duality:
So many books I read in art, philosophy and science show our tendency to want to reduce things to black and white. Our need to understand the world forces us to simplify all that we see to help us cope with it and understand.
For example, for many years scientists argued about whether light was a wave or a particle. Debate raged with both sides wishing to force light to act in the way that they perceived it acted. Turns out light is both separate and connected to our understanding of it. Depending on the experiment being done on it, it acts as both a wave and a particle. It may act in other unknown ways we have yet to ask it to. Interestingly the “nature” of light depends on the experiments being done on light to test what “it” is. Likewise, the very act of observing matter is such that we can only observe and know its position or its momentum at one time and not both precisely.
Early Greek philosophers gave us the notion that the world is made up of physical atoms (literally meaning indivisible). More recent philosophers (particularly Descartes) have argued that there is a duality to the world and that you can separate life into “matter” and “mind”. This is because they do not know how to account for the mind that appears to be both a brain (which is matter) and a force that gives our body and brain purpose and understanding.
Surely this is exactly the same discussion as for light. Our universe consists of energy. Our minds consist of energy some of it in matter and some of it in waves.
Blake:
“Energy is eternal delight”
It can be negative and positive. It can be materialised as matter or act as a field (like waves of light propagating, gravity, consciousness). Following on the work of Maxwell and others Einstein showed us that matter and energy are equivalent. That is we are all embodiments of energy. Likewise our thoughts and consciousness is matter unlocked, matter set free to move and act as a force.
Einstein:
“Make everything as simple as possible but no simpler.”
We don’t have to force this varied life into a box or a book or a simple position. There is no contradiction between mind and matter. Mind is really just electricity, disembodied matter - matter that has been given its wings.
Things that are are also not. Things that have been will be forever. There is no future or past, there is no purpose. There is only matter and energy acting over space between matter.
We must learn to perceive from eternity and all our contradictions will be exposed for what they are, problems of perception.
I am and I think. Wherefore the therefore?
So many books I read in art, philosophy and science show our tendency to want to reduce things to black and white. Our need to understand the world forces us to simplify all that we see to help us cope with it and understand.
For example, for many years scientists argued about whether light was a wave or a particle. Debate raged with both sides wishing to force light to act in the way that they perceived it acted. Turns out light is both separate and connected to our understanding of it. Depending on the experiment being done on it, it acts as both a wave and a particle. It may act in other unknown ways we have yet to ask it to. Interestingly the “nature” of light depends on the experiments being done on light to test what “it” is. Likewise, the very act of observing matter is such that we can only observe and know its position or its momentum at one time and not both precisely.
Early Greek philosophers gave us the notion that the world is made up of physical atoms (literally meaning indivisible). More recent philosophers (particularly Descartes) have argued that there is a duality to the world and that you can separate life into “matter” and “mind”. This is because they do not know how to account for the mind that appears to be both a brain (which is matter) and a force that gives our body and brain purpose and understanding.
Surely this is exactly the same discussion as for light. Our universe consists of energy. Our minds consist of energy some of it in matter and some of it in waves.
Blake:
“Energy is eternal delight”
It can be negative and positive. It can be materialised as matter or act as a field (like waves of light propagating, gravity, consciousness). Following on the work of Maxwell and others Einstein showed us that matter and energy are equivalent. That is we are all embodiments of energy. Likewise our thoughts and consciousness is matter unlocked, matter set free to move and act as a force.
Einstein:
“Make everything as simple as possible but no simpler.”
We don’t have to force this varied life into a box or a book or a simple position. There is no contradiction between mind and matter. Mind is really just electricity, disembodied matter - matter that has been given its wings.
Things that are are also not. Things that have been will be forever. There is no future or past, there is no purpose. There is only matter and energy acting over space between matter.
We must learn to perceive from eternity and all our contradictions will be exposed for what they are, problems of perception.
I am and I think. Wherefore the therefore?
philosophy , science , duality
Hyla on Apr 15, 2009, 9:44 am
Oh that Schrodinger's Cat was talked about in that show I watched about Hugh Everett / parallel universes. I should watch it again because I've forgotten everything. If you're interested, here's info on it: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/manyworlds/ and you can watch the documentary here (part I of II): http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/entertainment/watch/v15491416CPsP3prx#
Hyla on Apr 15, 2009, 9:34 am
on my way to google Schrodinger... :-)
Luke Rowett on Apr 15, 2009, 9:31 am
Certainly there is even a scientific arguement for what we believe actually being the truth - perception is key. This is why Schrodinger was so mean to his cat.
Hyla on Apr 15, 2009, 9:28 am
I agree in general, but in other cases it's easier said than done if we depend on science to tell us otherwise. And then there's those who believe in God vs. atheists.... :-)
Pete22 on Apr 15, 2009, 8:47 am
absolutely perception is reality to a large extent. which is why we should focus on changing our perceptions more often than trying to change the things around us :)
Hyla on Apr 15, 2009, 8:41 am
I agree - we don't have a clue! But here's something I've wondered a bit about - If we believe something to be true, IS it true - until we find out otherwise? Let's say the world is flat.(!) Then the world, to us, IS flat, whether it is or isn't. Also related, I think, is the placebo effect. Yeah I know, stupid thought - just thought I'd throw it out there. :-)
Pete22 on Apr 13, 2009, 9:36 am
Yeh, the older I get the more I feel like that!
Luke Rowett on Apr 13, 2009, 7:23 am
The greeks decided that the thing that was indivisible should be called an atom (because thats what it ment in greek) we then discovered what we call an atom, and called it an atom, because we thought it was un-dividable. Then we found out it was. I really dont know a great amount about the whole parallel universe thing, so I'll not comment on that one :p The H-bomb takes bits of matter, and makes them in to more bits of matter, but a little bit less. The energy isnt created, it is converted from matter to energy - as matter is energy in a similar way to ice being water. (thats simplified, I am sorry if there are any physicists on). The main point that I think came to me when I read this post, was that we just dont have a bloody clue. The greeks thought something, then we did, then we were wrong and so on and so on. We are always wrong about something, and thats worth bearing in mind. Luke
golden on Nov 24, 2008, 5:34 pm
Things that are are also not. A very beautiful sentence. Great writing Pete. Loved it.
Hyla on Oct 22, 2008, 11:56 am
first paragraph: "show our 'tendency to want'" / "Our 'need' to understand" "tendency to want" and "need" are very different, are they not? I