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2011-03-13
A brief preliminary brainstorm on the subject of open-source
social operating systems (systems of governance), from the
perspective of systems theory. This is just to put down a few
thoughts that immediately pop into my mind in regards to this
subject... More >
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2011-03-06
Ultimately, we're not made of things but of processes; we're not
objects or subjects, we are happenings.
Both subject and object are complementary aspects of an
experiential process. The process is fundamental whilst the subject
and object are virtual appearances.
The unified cosmic process (Brahman) has subject=God (Supreme
Self) and object=quantum field (spirit world).
This unified cosmic process operates 'between' moments of
existence; changing the state of NOW so that it seems that there are
many successive moments.
As these moments blur together there seems to exist myriad
individual experiential processes (Atman), which operate 'across'
moments of existence.
This is how Atman is Brahman, depending on whether we contemplate
the process as operating 'between' or 'across' moments. When
'between' it is One, whilst when operating 'across' it is many.
The individual experiential processes (Atman) have subject=Jiva
(personal self) and object=Maya (phenomenal world).
In this way the unified cosmic process seemingly animates myriads
of virtual processes, hence the One manifests as many. Many subjects
(embodied beings) and many objects (physical universe).
But ultimately there is just one unified cosmic process, which can
be known as either one subject (God / Supreme Self) or one object
(quantum field / spirit world).
Anyway, that is one possible English interpretation of the
mathematics that I intuitively received and have been contemplating since
2000. The maths is crystal clear and very succinct but it is hard to
find words to describe it because words have so much egoic /
materialist baggage attached.
Hope it makes sense to you...
BTW for much more detail see System
Science of Virtual Reality.
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2011-03-06
The following is a brief overview of an information system
ontology and metaphysics, i.e. those concepts, entities and processes
that provide a foundation for a non-materialist, consciousness based
world-view. The explanation is kind of technical because it is
difficult to explain non-materialist issues in a mostly materialist
language, however the understanding itself is very simple and intuitive
once one shifts to a non-materialist paradigm. This explanation starts
from general principles and works towards particulars. More >
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2011-02-25
There are some who believe that only sentient beings such as
humans can collapse quantum wavefunctions. IMHO this is a fallacy and
it leads to a paradox, which can be resolved by developing a deeper
understanding of consciousness.
The paradox is, if sentient being are required to collapse a
wavefunction, then how could the classical universe exist before
sentient beings evolved, and how could sentient beings evolve if the
classical universe didn't yet exist? At what stage did the pure
quantum potential suddenly start collapsing into particular classical
actualities? How did this new ingredient
"wavefunction-collapsing-sentience" arise from the pure
quantum potential? There is a maze of paradoxes here...
In fact any interaction with another system will collapse the
wavefunction. Any observation will do it, because whenever an
observable is required by another system as part of an interaction
the wavefunction must collapse to provide an observable. This
approach is a natural part of an efficient simulation algorithm,
which only computes the state of a virtual system when another
virtual system requires an observable in order to experience and
interact with it.
The sensitivity to collapse is why researchers are having so much
trouble building quantum computers, they call it the "decoherence
problem". In order to perform computations with wavefunctions we
can't have them collapsing willy-nilly, but the slightest interaction
with any aspect of the surrounding universe will collapse the
wavefunction. So how can one develop a framework within which to
compute with wavefunctions?
If it was only sentient beings who collapse wavefunctions then
the decoherence problem would be easy to solve, just put the quantum
computer in an opaque box and don't let anyone open the box until the
computation has had plenty of time to complete. Then a sentient being
can open the box to collapse the wavefunction and observe the final
result of the computation. This is not what happens in reality.
The only way out of the quantum-sentience-paradox is to accept
that not only complex systems with complex forms of awareness (such
as ourselves) are involved in the collapse of the wavefunction, but
even simple systems with simple forms of awareness. Hence the way out
of paradox is to overcome anthropocentric concepts of consciousness
and accept some form of panpsychism, such as
pan-proto-experientialism.
Even a fundamental particle has its own primitive form of
consciousness - nowhere near as complex and rich as ours, but it is
aware nevertheless. A particle couldn't interact with other particles
if it wasn't aware of their existence and their state of being. It
needs to observe their state of being in order to react to them, and
this observation collapses the wavefunction of the other particles.
Thanks to Tim Cumper for raising this issue and inspiring me to
write this article...
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2010-11-02
What questions can science not answer? http://qr.ae/7Xh2
What are some taboos in science? http://qr.ae/Jzq
What is consciousness? http://qr.ae/7FD
What is sentience? http://qr.ae/TRw
Hard Problem of Consciousness http://qr.ae/7nhU
What is naive realism? http://qr.ae/0cq
What exactly are qualia? http://qr.ae/7NA4
What is matter? http://qr.ae/7nnn
Does matter exist? http://qr.ae/7nta
What is it like to be a quantum computational process?
http://qr.ae/7nht
Is the universe a simulation? http://qr.ae/TlI
Is it possible to create a general system simulator?
http://qr.ae/jab
In simple terms, what does the Stern-Gerlach experiment imply
about the nature of quantum systems and observable phenomena?
http://qr.ae/7vvJ
Now that naive realism has been disproved by quantum
mechanics, how will this impact our collective paradigm?
http://qr.ae/0Sr
If society undergoes a paradigm shift to a non-naive realist
paradigm, which words will retain their meaning and which will
change? http://qr.ae/7nCC
Is a photon a particle or a wave? http://qr.ae/7KBb
What basic principles would need to be covered by a
“virtuality tutorial”? http://qr.ae/72X9
What are memes and memeplexes? http://qr.ae/7ndi
Is the concept of a ‘person’ a social construct?
http://qr.ae/7nUN
How do you know if you are self-aware? http://qr.ae/7Ryr
Can we have an agreed-upon definition of ‘reality’?
http://qr.ae/KSb
What is the “problem of the external world”?
http://qr.ae/7vyG
Do spirits exist in Reality? http://qr.ae/7G76
How can you learn faster? http://qr.ae/7tA7
What is evil? http://qr.ae/7tmW
How have Enlightened beings lived in human society?
http://qr.ae/7nyv
What is a memetic disease and how do they operate throughout
our minds and cultures? http://qr.ae/7nMq
How is the concept of a memetic disease related to the
concepts of physical, psychological and social diseases?
http://qr.ae/7nEi
What is the most endemic and destructive cultural phenomenon
of all time? http://qr.ae/7tBw
Is the phenomenon of ethnogenesis an example of memetic
autopoiesis of a collective intelligence? http://qr.ae/7Ih0
What use is the I Ching? http://qr.ae/1N8
What does it mean to be a person with big karma?
http://qr.ae/cmc What
is karma?
What does it mean that everything in the world is a teacher?
http://qr.ae/0yV
Sadguru - teacher within.
What is one thing you have to believe before you can
experience it? http://qr.ae/030
Experiencing oneself as a “person in a world”…
What is the unique quality that is in the consciousness of
the human beings who have attained the Supreme Enlightenment?
http://qr.ae/dIU
Complete absence of delusion
What is the likelihood humans don’t have the brain power to
fully comprehend the answer to why we exist? http://qr.ae/7p14
What are system leverage points and why is it useful to know?
http://qr.ae/7IF3
Is nature self-similar across scales? If so, what is the
principle in which it is self-similar? What are some examples of
self-similarity? http://qr.ae/a3a
What is one important thing that no one told you about?
http://qr.ae/7RGl
The universe isn’t a mechanism that one must ‘manipulate’ and
that events are not just ‘accidental’ happenings - instead the
universe is alive and responsive…
What is a narrative? http://qr.ae/0OG
What is a fractal? http://qr.ae/0gU
Is there a meaningful relation between fractals and cellular
automata? http://qr.ae/0bu
What do the results of the PEAR GCP ICRL experiments say
about consciousness and how can we scientifically explain them?
http://qr.ae/v0h
Consciousness itself, unaided by known physical mechanisms, can
influence physical reality.” The likelihood that this is due to
chance is one in a trillion (10^-12)…
What major social problems have been solved by philanthropy
in the last 50 years? http://qr.ae/7r9u
What do you think of the many-worlds interpretation of
Quantum Mechanics? http://qr.ae/7yfA
Also “System Science of Virtual Reality” is a relevant
ebook http://bit.ly/9XhElB
for those who wish to explore deeper.
Signs of an emerging Paradigm http://bit.ly/dfxL4R
Shape of the Emerging Memeplex and How to Nurture It
http://bit.ly/bWtL1e
I Ching’s Advice on Nurturing the Emerging Memeplex
http://bit.ly/cjRgrC
The I Ching’s “Wisdom for this Phase of the Journey”
http://bit.ly/cFxqD5
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2010-09-30
I just noticed a self-organising narrative on the nature of reality arising from my answers on Quora...
The issue of "What is the 'substance' of this universe?" is touched on in my answer to the question "What is consciousness?" [link]
The issue of "What is it that causes this universe to exist and function?" is touched on in my answer to the question "Is the universe a simulation?" [link]
The issue of "How does such a simulator work?" is touched on in my answer to the question "Is it possible to create a general system simulator, if so how?" [link]
The issue of "How is it that sentience can arise in a simulated virtual reality?" is touched on in my answer to the question "What is sentience?" [link]
The issue of "What is the structure of this universe?" is touched on in my answer to the question "What is a fractal?" [link]
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2010-07-22
See the original and other answers at
http://www.quora.com/Is-the-universe-a-simulation
At the bottom of this page there are also
some other answers and my comments on them.
I will not attempt to answer this question here, but merely
provide some links to instances where the idea has been discussed.
This idea is becoming increasingly popular within the scientific
debate because it provides an explanatory framework that allows us to
comprehend quantum phenomena that were previously incomprehensible...
Whilst it is impossible to comprehend the quantum mechanical
description of the universe in terms of 'physical' phenomena, at the
same time we are finding that thinking in terms of information
processes allows us to understand quantum phenomena, not as something
bizarre and paradoxical, but as the natural & necessary
properties of a simulated virtual reality. More >
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2010-07-10
Let me relate to you a short story as an introduction to the real
subject of this article – the mathematical / metaphysical
foundations of a unified holistic science.
I was 21, working as a taxi driver and quite deeply 'absorbed'
with what one might call the occult, in particular Western Esoteric
(Kabbalistic) Ritual High Magick. However from surface appearances I
was "just a taxi driver".
During this time somehow the thought entered my awareness that "I
will descend into the swamp of modernity wherein I will find and
retrieve a 'Jewel of Immeasurable Worth' that lies unnoticed."
I didn't know what it meant - but the idea grew – not just an
intellectual idea, but an inspiring force. It hovered just beneath
the conscious mind; floating on the 'surface' of the subconscious.
Six months or so later another idea surfaced - "I will study
physics and computer science at Uni next year." And I did - all
up for about 5 years. ######## More >
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2010-07-09
Monica Anderson said on Facebook:
“I can't figure out if the SA (simulation argument) is dualist and
would like to know”
Note: That which she calls SA
I have elsewhere called the VR analogy or computational metaphysics.
I have contemplated this issue of SA and dualism at some length
from many angles, in particular by studying an intuitively received
mathematical model (SMN) of the
reality generative process and how it processes information in order
to create the appearance of indivudual perspectives upon a physical
universe.
In brief I have found that the term 'dualism' has a certain
meaning within a particular context, however SA changes that context
and thereby also the meaning of the term.
To explain, first here is a comment I made earlier in the same
thread, which explains the context of our current meaning of the
term. More >
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2009-09-22
First a few words about the work and then some links.
In brief, in 2000 I intuitively received a vision of the nature of
reality that re-oriented my world-view. Other than a new way of
understanding, it mainly expressed itself in my mind as a form of
mathematics, which I came to understand through the framework of
information and system theory, mystic metaphysics, quantum mechanics
and virtual reality simulation.
This evolved over time into a project that could be described as
"laying down the mathematical foundations of a unified holistic
science" and "using this foundation to shed light on and
unify both ancient and modern wisdom". The work also involves
self-enquiry; observation of, and participation in, the evolution of
collective consciousness; and the navigation of a paradigm shift in
our collective world-view.
To give some insight... Imagine that this physical universe could
be thought of as a virtual reality simulation, within which we are
evolved sentient virtual beings. It would all seem to us to be
physical and in no way different from how it currently does. In this
analogical context what I address is not the objects, people, places,
events, sights, sounds, shapes, qualities, etc within the VR
universe.
What I try to describe and model is the computational process, the
logic of the simulator, the simulation process in action, the
structure of the model that is animated, the low-level virtual
processes and forms that arise within the VR, how these integrate and
evolve into complex systems, how the behaviour of these gives rise to
the principles of physics, how some of these complex systems may
attain sentience and enquire into the nature of their situation, how
they can most effectively achieve this, what they will find when they
do and how does this whole situation relate to mystic wisdom and what
it describes about reality.
What these virtual beings eventually realise is that ultimately
they are not physical beings in a physical universe with individual
identities, they are motions of a cosmic whole that is non-dual,
non-physical, non-local, non-temporal, imperceivable, all pervading
and the animating essence of all things.
Furthermore, there is a persistent cognitive habit that causes
them to perceive and experience things from a dualist perspective.
When this is recognised and its dominance over the mind is overcome,
then reality can be apprehended clearly. Although it is not
perceptible to their senses, it can be intuitively apprehended in no
uncertain terms because it is the inner most essence of their being.
This underlying reality, beneath the film of appearances can be
modelled mathematically and understood scientifically, thus providing
a solid foundation for a unified holistic science/spirituality.
First see this memetic map of areas of interest.
Here is a general
introduction, it's a bit dated but it paints an overall picture
of my line of research. Here is a CV or rough chronological list of primary influences.
Here are various overview articles.
The main results
so far and the main essay
describing the world view implied by the results.
Here are a few brief articles... More >
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2009-09-01
Simulacrum: Something that replaces reality with its representation, which is not a territory, a referential being, or a substance. Simulation is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal. It is not imitation, nor duplication. It is substituting the signs of the real for the real. The simulacrum's function lies in the derealization of the whole surrounding world of everyday reality.
Paraphrased from Definition: Simulacrum.
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2009-08-28
Below are extracts from the Lankavatara
Sutra that are related to naïve realism, information theoretic metaphysics and self-realisation.
All that is seen in the world is devoid of effort and action
because all things in the world are like a dream, or like an image
miraculously projected. This is not comprehended by philosophers and
the ignorant, but those who thus see things, see them truthfully.
Those who see things otherwise walk in discrimination, they cling to
dualism. The world as seen by discrimination is like seeing ones own
image reflected in a mirror, or ones shadow, or the moon reflected in
water, or an echo heard in a valley.
People grasping their own shadows of discrimination become
attached to this thing and that thing and failing to abandon dualism
they go on forever discriminating and thus never attain tranquillity.
By tranquillity is meant Oneness, and Oneness gives birth to the
highest Samadhi which is gained by entering into the realm of Noble
Wisdom that is realisable only within ones inmost consciousness... More >
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2009-04-25
The distilled essence of my input to a
conversation on the forum of the Society
for Scientific Exploration (SSE), which is still continuing so this will grow.
Within the latest SSE newsletter there is an article called
"Signs
of an Emerging Paradigm Shift", which is about naive
realism. The newsletter can be read at:
http://www.scientificexploration.org/explorer/explorer_22_3.pdf
The relevance of these issues for SSE is that naive realist
assumptions are the foundation of the wall of denial that is
maintained by established science. Thus by overcoming these
assumptions that wall is falling apart. This has profoundly
revolutionary consequences for the whole of civilisation, and SSE
is in a prime position to be at the vanguard of the paradigm
shift if it chooses to be.
Warning: This discussion explores an alternate paradigm
that is radically different from the established paradigm. For
many people the established paradigm is intrinsic to the familiar
world that they have known most of their lives and within which
their ego has found its comfortable and secure niche. So be
warned that this subject matter can elicit an unconscious
irrational ego defence mechanism within your mind. To keep an
open mind one must exercise self-awareness and from this much can
also be learnt.
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2009-03-21
I have been very busy lately and not posting much at all so here
is a quick update...
I recently wrote an article for The Explorer, which is the
newsletter of the Society for Scientific Exploration. The newsletter
has yet to be published but you can read the article here: Signs
of an Emerging Paradigm Shift.
I am also writing a book. It is a detailed explanation of the core
principles of my work. In style, the book is somewhere between a
popular science book, an introductory textbook on advanced
mathematics and an introductory treatise on abstract metaphysics.
Part one is complete and the last part is coming soon. You can read
part one here: System
Science of Virtual Reality: Toward the Unification of Empirical and
Subjective Science.
Right now I am mostly involved in a fascinating online
conversation about naïve
realism, its ramifications, its role in the global systemic
crisis and how to overcome it for the sake of us all... If you have
an interest in this subject then check out STAR
for some background information.
The essay Changing
How we think for the sake of all describes my input to that
conversation. The comments have been arranged and edited into a
single essay that expresses the vision that I am sharing in the
conversation.
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2009-03-18
Before I start I will mention that this explanation has been
simplified into common sense (naïve realist) language hence it
doesn't accurately convey what I think but it is adequate. The points
are not random but develop in sequence. More >
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