TFNR - Reverse engineering of Reality: a case study
In these final three sections of this chapter - strengthened by all the anticipations laid out in the earlier chapters - we will delve into what will be explored in greater depth in the chapters to come. This incursion into the Fundamental Nature of Reality will enable us to grasp the unique approach at play, the hypotheses proposed by this model of describing Reality, and the pathway that I intend to follow to present as comprehensive a picture as possible, even within the scope of this introductory work.
In this section, I will adopt a bottom-up approach to uncovering what Reality is, its composition, and its workings. Naturally, this will be presented in a highly condensed form, as more detailed discussions will be found in the subsequent chapters. Starting with a case study - a real-world situation, ideally not overly complex - I will attempt a bit of reverse engineering: dismantling it step by step to trace its origins, causes, and the phases that have brought us to this point since the dawn of Time, so to speak.
In the following section, I will attempt to take a top-down approach, audaciously assuming the role of the cook - a creator deity tasked with the challenging mission of bringing forth the complex tapestry of Existence that lies before us. I will strive to identify the ingredients, preparations, main methods, steps needed to execute the recipe, and the presentation and delivery of this masterpiece.
In the final section, "A box full of nothing," I will endeavor to encapsulate everything discussed so far using a theatrical device. The curtain rises. A magician appears on stage. Silence falls. He holds up a box. He opens it and begins to extract items, each progressively thinner, more impalpable, immaterial, abstract. He is on a quest for nothingness! Will he succeed? We shall find out...
And now, let us begin with reverse engineering of a case study. But which case shall we choose? Infinite possibilities abound. Yet, one stands out above the rest. Newton reclines beneath a tree. An apple tree, to be precise. Suddenly, a fruit falls and strikes the poor philosopher on the head!
Let us attempt to describe this event from the perspective of the model presented here.
The work we aim to undertake together is to begin at the level of Reality where there are apples, trees, people, air, soil, the Earth, light, heat, and so forth. From there, we can ascend (or descend - depending on your preference) through the most elementary, fundamental levels of Reality, ultimately reaching the Source from which everything derives, originates, and is formed. Ascend or descend, as I was saying - it’s inconsequential. These are merely conventions, not actual directions or physical orientations. It’s an endeavor to trace back along the causal chain that extends from the Source to the apple falling on Sir Isaac Newton’s head. This causal chain consists of Forces that act / operate within Reality, coupled with the ascent of a variational chain (Space-time), encompassing the Fields upon which these Forces act. What we observe and strive to comprehend is the interplay of Actions enacted by those Forces on these Fields, perceived as "Processes of Events organized by Relations, produced by Entities." These include the entities (onto), the phenomena (pheno) that animate them, and the dynamics (dyna) that realize them.
What is extraordinary - yet simultaneously chilling - is the realization that to describe any phenomenon, no matter how trivial or commonplace, it is necessary to invoke the entire intricate structure of the Formation of Reality. This encompasses all physical entities, natural processes, Forces, Fields, Events, Relations, and Processes - everything across all levels of Reality, as every facet of the world manifests or finds its counterpart across all levels, dimensions and scales of Reality.
Let us begin!
An apple... Made of molecules, organic and biological. Composed of interacting atoms. Built from electrons and nucleons, quarks and gluons, and who knows what else! Already, we encounter chaos and turbulence in abundance. But we cannot halt our exploration here. By scaling down the dimensions, beyond the abyss that lies below the Particle scale - where intangible turbulence reigns - we reach the Planck scale. Here, the fundamental formative Processes dimensionally resonate through Spaces and Times within the seething chaos of what is known as quantum foam, zero-point fluctuations, or quantum vacuum (which, paradoxically, is far from empty). Yet we could venture further still, into even smaller scales, where Space and Time themselves blur, confused in the indeterminacy that imposes a constraint on pure chaos. Naturally, the tree is constructed in this same manner. As are the ground, the Earth, and so forth. Even the air, though it is a little less dense.
In this scene, we also encounter light, heat, and other electromagnetic radiation, manifesting as both Waves and Particles. Note that I wrote "and" instead of "or." This necessitates an explanation - one that offers a glimpse into themes that will be explored in greater depth in subsequent chapters, especially those covering Structures of Information. Why refer to electromagnetic radiation as both Waves and Particles? While the Structures comprising electromagnetic radiation are undeniably Waves, they also exhibit distinct corpuscular behaviors. In certain experiments and observations, they unmistakably appear as Particles. So, what are they? The answer seems deceptively simple: what shape could a wave assume to exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties simultaneously?
What form could it take other than that of a "single wave cycle" or period? Consider the processes behind the generation of electromagnetic radiation. We identify two main scenarios. The first, which was initially explored experimentally (and arguably contributed significantly to the interpretative challenges of Quantum Mechanics), involves the emission of electromagnetic radiation in the form of wave trains, multicycle waves, or e.m. Waves generated by periodic, continuous, and incessant phenomena. The second scenario involves a small, finite, localized body - such as an electron - that, during its excitation and subsequent de-excitation dynamics, emits a photon: an object represented as a single-cycle e.m. Wave, precisely.
Why not a multicycle Wave, as in the case of radio wave emissions? The explanation lies in the nature of the electron's behavior. When it absorbs a quantum of energy, the electron "jumps" to a higher energy state. It then returns to its original state, following a brief journey through Space over a very short Time. During this transition, the electron accelerates due to the energy absorbed and subsequently decelerates, influenced by the electrical attraction of the nucleus and related phenomena. It is during this deceleration that it emits an e.m. Wave in the form of a single cycle - a photon. This photon’s wavelength corresponds to the Space over which the deceleration occurred, while its polarization reflects the orientation of the Spin axis of the decelerating electron during this interval. The photon - a single-cycle Wave - also possesses linear momentum proportional to the energy lost by the electron in deceleration and angular momentum corresponding to the angular momentum lost during this same process.
Now consider the sheer volume of such photon emission and absorption events occurring every second... and the e.m. Waves of multiple wavelengths: here we can indeed discuss frequencies, as they originate from periodic phenomena, giving rise to multicycle e.m. radiation. These include light, radio waves spanning all frequencies, other e.m. radiation from space, and infrared thermal radiation agitating atoms into eternal chaotic vibrations, partially constrained by chemical bonds formed through the joint dynamics of the outermost atomic electron layers.
Here, we remain within the (relatively) well-charted territories of Ordinary Matter (visible) and Electromagnetic Radiation, alongside their dynamics and the dynamics of their interactions - the realms illuminated by Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity, Quantum Field Theory, and the Standard Model of Particles. This is the domain of Motion, Charge, and Spin, as Fundamental Physical Quantities and Phenomena, and weak and strong nuclear interactions, as Derived Physical Phenomena.
And Mass? And gravitational phenomena? All the components of Ordinary Matter we have mentioned above possess a characteristic known as Mass. For small to medium agglomerations and the relatively low speeds characteristic of the world we are investigating, Mass and Gravity seem to have minimal influence on phenomena and their dynamics. However, among the elements of the scenario we have outlined, there is the Earth - and the Earth is far from being an isolated system. It forms part of the solar system, which is itself part of a local structure, embedded within the galaxy that hosts us, the Milky Way. In turn, the Milky Way is part of the Local Group, situated within a cluster, which resides in even larger cosmic formations - and so the hierarchy continues, culminating in the Universe as a whole. Within this grand scale, super compact objects, ultrafast dynamics, and extreme energetic events compel us to consider phenomena related to Mass and Gravity, as well as those arising from high densities or velocities. Here, we find ourselves in the realm of General Relativity.
If I attempt to explain the spatial and temporal distribution (Motion) of all this Matter in the Universe solely based on the Ordinary (visible) Matter that we observe, certain elements simply do not align. In fact, they fail to align entirely! Something absolutely crucial is absent. Let us call it "invisible" Matter. Perhaps we also require some invisible Energy. Indeed, a significant amount of invisible Energy. "Invisible" - an uninspired term, lacking imagination. What if we called it DARK? Dark Mass and Dark Energy! Much more evocative...
Where, then, might we envision locating this Dark Matter and Energy? If we are within a region of Ordinary Matter, would Dark Matter be absent? Could they interpenetrate? It seems impossible. Yet, they do! Because the Dark sector constitutes the very fabric of Space-time - its curvatures and turbulence, the low-density, large extension Structures of Information we term Dark Halos. These halos cradle, cocoon, and nurture Ordinary Matter, allowing it to gather, aggregate, condense, and evolve. Not perfect shapes like celestial spheres, but irregular ellipsoids, bubbles, and halos forged by powerful turbulent flows in the curvature of Space-time's Metric. Or rather, we should say the metric of Time, for at the scales ranging from elementary Particles to the vast extents of the Universe, Space appears flat and homogeneous. Like soap bubbles - irregular yet soft and globular, perpetually evolving within the expansive timescales of cosmic dynamics.
Let us return to the Particles. What if we attempted to fragment all the components of Ordinary Matter - those we call elementary Particles - and similarly, assuming it were possible, decompose and disassemble the Waves themselves? What would emerge? What would we uncover? Let us reverse these inquiries: What Processes are required to generate these Particles and Waves? What raw materials, ingredients, or semi-finished products must we employ? What techniques, methodologies, or tools? And where might these be found?
In essence, how was - or how is - all of this produced? If the Waves arise through the dynamics of the Particles, where is the Particle factory? Who or what produced or produces them? Let us exclude the notion of a manufacturer entirely. Moreover, I am uneasy with the idea that all Ordinary Matter was produced in the past and that we are now essentially riding the gravy train at all, a cosmic train fueled by a dwindling legacy. Given the relentless march of Entropy and the vast expanse of Time since this speculative and improbable Big Bang, there should not remain a single breath of usable Energy to sustain the dynamism we observe in the Universe today.
What does Dark Energy produce to sustain the phenomenon known as Cosmic Expansion? As we shall see later, this phenomenon may only appear as an illusion, a mirage of another phenomenon—real yet hidden within the dimensional depths of Reality. What Energy drives the activity we observe unfolding around us? Has the spring of the cosmic clock - the emblem of radical determinism - still not wound down? Could someone or something be rewinding the spring?
Let's return to the fundamental question everyone seeks to answer: Why is there something instead of nothing? Why "precisely" these Particles, configured in this particular way (in what way, exactly? That remains unclear...), with these specific Properties and Behaviors? Why do the so-called natural constants have those exact values? Why are the physical quantities we measure what they are? So many questions, and yet so few answers. Quantum fields (numerous), strings, loops, and countless other concepts. Objects and increasingly elementary entities, but always entities - for which the same overarching questions persist, endlessly.
We must strive for unification, delve into the Essence of Existence, of existing, the essence of being, and move beyond the search for fragments of Reality - individual, identifiable pieces of Matter. We must immerse ourselves in the continuum from which the discrete phenomena we observe emerge incessantly. Rather than attempting to quantize Gravity, Mass, or Metrics, we need to uncover how and why the discrete - Particles, Waves - arises from this continuous ocean, a singular and unified Field whose dynamics underpin everything that exists.
Here, bypassing numerous steps and significant aspects (which we will revisit in subsequent chapters), we find ourselves at the bottom of the "rabbit hole". In the dimensional abysses where Space and Time are ceaselessly formed, where dynamics originate and manifest as the Processes of Events, organized by Relations, that we recognize as Waves, Particles, Halos, and so on.
Everything within the scene we’ve chosen for this reverse engineering exercise - the apple, Sir Isaac Newton, the tree, the ground, the Earth, the entire Universe - all appears as foam floating on the surface of an infinite ocean. This ocean is perpetually the same and yet always different and ever-changing, filled with non-manifest Action, which we perceive as Information / Energy, organizing itself into manifest, continuously varying, impermanent Structures and Forms.
Who or what moves the pawns? Who generates the wind that stirs the waves, the foam, crafting endlessly shifting patterns and shapes? What force animates the ocean, this infinite and eternal dynamic field? What Force? What Field? From what Source do they emerge? What Primary Source, manifesting itself, incessantly generates all that we see and all that we do not see, but we intuit must exist?
Links to the tables of contents of TFNR Paper
