Difference between revisions of "TFNR - The Scales of Reality"

Latest revision as of 18:51, 6 April 2026

Science—physics, and cosmology in particular—is engaged in the study of Nature across a very wide range of dimensional scales, from the immensely small to what are commonly considered the boundaries of the Universe itself. And we human beings, situated in the middle, observe in both directions—amazed by the immense Complexity that resides both in the infinitesimal and in the infinite.

Among the many dimensional scales and the numerous orders of magnitude, the most significant are undoubtedly those concerning the Dimensionality / Dimensions of Reality: Causality, Spatiality and Temporality. Especially the spatial and temporal dimensional scales, which—as physical quantities—permeate nearly all formalizations that constitute our understanding of Physical Reality.

Causality - Cause

The measure of the causal distance between different Structures / Forms is what we call Complexity: the quantity and quality of Action, produced by the Force acting upon the Field, required to generate that Structure, that Form. In other words, it is the amount of Information that enables the Form to exist in its Essence, in the shape / configuration it possesses at a given moment, in a specific spatial position. Complexity is challenging to quantify, as it depends on qualitative factors and on the history of the Variations undergone by the Field in producing the Form in question.

Spatiality - Space

Observing Nature from a spatial point of view, we perceive the vastness of the spectrum of observable dimensions—from the tiniest Particles of Ordinary Matter to the outermost limits of the observable Universe. Yet Nature extends spatially far beyond what we can observe—and even far beyond what we can imagine.

In the small, it reaches down to the Planck scale—and even further, toward the infinitely small. In the large, it stretches to the borders of the Universe as we currently conceive it—based on observations of a very distant past that arrive to us today and compel us to calculate immense sidereal distances.

Let's try to provide some numerical values—though in many cases these are approximate estimates, since observational data and theoretical models often offer limited precision:

• 10^-∞ meters: the continuum in Space Dimension
• 10^-35 meters: the Planck scale - Planck length
• 10^-20 to 10^-15 meters: the scale of Ordinary Matter Particles
• 10^-3 meters: the observed microwave radiation at about 2.7 K, which corresponds to a frequency of about 160.2 GHz and a wavelength approximately 2 mm, commonly named CMB - Cosmic Microwave Background. Instead of being the relics of the Big Bang, I hypothesize that it represents the black body radiation of the cosmos itself—the measured slight variations in this temperature reflect the spatial distribution of the Mass of the Dark Matter / Dark Energy components within cosmic structures (the so-called "cosmic web" with its voids, walls/sheets, filaments and nodes)
• 10⁰ meters: we, the scale of magnitude of the spatial dimensions of our body, our today life objects
• 10⁹ to 10¹² meters: Stars (e.g., Sun ~ 1.4 x 10⁹ m diameter; supergiants up to ~ 10¹² m)
• 10¹⁸ meters: Reference scale for interstellar distances (e.g., 1 light-year ~ 9.46 x 10¹⁵ m; 100,000 light-years ~ 10²¹ m)
• 10²⁰ to 10²² meters: Galaxies (e.g., Milky Way ~ 10²¹ m across)
• 10²² to 10²³ meters: Clusters of Galaxies (e.g., Coma Cluster ~ 10²³ m)
• 10²³ to 10²⁵ meters: Nodes of the Cosmic Web — dense regions where filaments intersect, typically hosting massive galaxy clusters
• 10²⁴ to 10²⁵ meters: Superclusters (e.g., Laniakea ~ 10²⁴ m)
• 10²⁴ to 10²⁶ meters: Filaments of the Cosmic Web — thread-like structures connecting clusters and superclusters, containing over 50% of the universe's Matter
• 10²⁵ to 10²⁶ meters: Walls / Sheets of the Cosmic Web (e.g., Sloan Great Wall ~ 1.4 x 10²⁶ m)
• 10²⁵ to 10²⁶ meters: Giant voids of the Cosmic Web (e.g., Boötes Void ~ 2 x 10²⁵ m)
• 8.8 x 10²⁶ meters: The observable Universe in accordance with the Standard Cosmological Model
• 10^∞ meters: despite current observations and models, I hypothesize that the Universe is spatially infinite. If we were to adopt a concept widely used in contemporary science—"naturalness" (a notion I do not particularly appreciate, as it appears rather presumptuous for us to define what Nature, in its infinite complexity, can or cannot do, can or cannot be)—then we might argue that imposing limits on the spatial extension of the Reality in which we exist seems profoundly unnatural. Who—or what—could have established such limits, such boundaries? Under what principles, and for what purpose?

Many of the steps listed in this sequence of increasing orders of magnitude appear to define true resonances—intervals of spatial extension in which Nature's creativity and evolutionary capacity seem to concentrate. These resonances manifest as peaks in the Complexity of Forms (structures, objects, systems, etc.), characterized by relatively homogeneous dynamics, and which collectively appear to constitute the raw material—the building blocks—for the emergence of complexity in the next resonance.

This occurs both from a causal perspective, in terms of Complexity, and from a spatial one. And not only that—we will now see that even from a temporal point of view, specific durations seem to emerge that characterize distinct causal and spatial resonances.

In general, the greater the spatial extension, the longer the durations and temporal intervals that define the dynamics of the structures emerging within the various "spatial resonances".

Temporality - Time

Also from the temporal point of view (temporal distances, intervals, durations), we observe a vast variability—from the femtosecond scale of chemical-physical reactions up to the supposed age of the Universe.

Here too, let's try to give some numbers, assuming an even greater range:

• 10^-∞ seconds: the continuum in Time Dimension
• 10^-45 seconds - The Planck scale - Planck time
• 10^-15 to 10^-12 seconds: Chemical and atomic processes — femtoseconds to picoseconds, typical of molecular vibrations and electron transitions
• 10^-9 to 10^-6 seconds: Biological and neurological signals — nanoseconds to microseconds, such as synaptic transmission
• 10⁰ seconds: we, the scale of magnitude of the temporal dimensions of our life, our today life events
• 10³ to 10⁵ seconds: Human-scale durations — minutes, hours, days
• 10⁷ to 10⁹ seconds: Historical and geological time — years to centuries
• 10¹⁷ seconds: Approximate age of the Universe — about 13.8 billion years ~ 4.35 x 10¹⁷ seconds in accordance with the Standard Cosmological Model (I do not agree with these hypotheses, which are incompatible with the model I propose here)
• 10³⁰ to 10⁴⁰ seconds: Projected cosmic future — black hole evaporation, proton decay, and deep time scenarios (I do not agree with these hypotheses, which are incompatible with the model I propose here)
• 10^∞ seconds: beyond all physical models, the hypothetical infinite duration of Reality, eternity, as conceived within the framework I present here

Dimensional Scales of Reality

Having examined the immense spectrum of spatial and temporal magnitudes—from the infinitesimal to the cosmic—it becomes essential to organize this continuum into distinct dimensional scales, each characterized by specific physical regimes, dominant dynamics, and degrees of Complexity. These scales are not arbitrary subdivisions: they correspond to resonances of Nature's creativity, where structures, processes, and laws acquire coherence and stability.

Below is a classification of these scales, arranged from the largest to the deepest, and fully aligned with the conceptual framework developed in this work.

Macroscale — Classical Structures and Dynamics

Domain: from macromolecules to astronomical bodies and the Universe Physical Regime: classical physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, general relativity)

Characteristics:

• continuity and determinism
• effective laws emerging from large‑number averaging
• stable, extended structures (organisms, planets, stars, galaxies and beyond)

At this scale, Complexity manifests in the organization of Matter (both dark and ordinary) into coherent Forms governed by classical causality and long temporal durations.

Mesoscale — The Realm of Emergence

Domain: cells, organelles, molecular assemblies, soft Matter Physical Regime: mixed quantum–classical

Characteristics:

• fluctuations and correlations are significant
• symmetry breaking, self‑organization, criticality
• biological and chemical complexity

This is the scale where emergence becomes most evident: where microscopic interactions give rise to macroscopic order, and where Nature's evolutionary creativity is most concentrated.

Microscale — Quantum Particles and Fields

Domain: particles and waves as manifestations of quantum field dynamics Physical Regime: quantum physics

Characteristics:

• discreteness, probabilistic behavior
• quantized states, fundamental symmetries
• short temporal intervals and minimal spatial extensions

Here, the familiar notions of classical reality dissolve into the quantum domain of probabilities, amplitudes, and non‑local correlations.

Sub‑microscale — The Pre‑Physical, Pre‑Geometric Domain

Domain: from the quantum particle scale downward toward the Planck regime and beyond Physical Regime: pre‑quantum, pre‑geometric, pre‑physical

Characteristics:

• breakdown of particle/wave and field concepts
• vacuum fluctuations and proto‑structures
• sub-elementary processes that sustain Spacetime as a (geo)-Metric Fundamental Physical Quantity
• non‑local, non‑metric processes

In this unified view, the sub‑microscale includes what is here called the sub‑elementary domain as the deepest aspect of the sub‑microscale itself: the region where the familiar structures of physics have not yet emerged, and where the Dynamics of Elementary Action operate prior to the existence of Space, Time, Energy, and Information.

A Coherent Hierarchy of Dimensional Scales

Taken together, these four scales form a continuous, hierarchical architecture of Reality:

Macroscale -> Mesoscale -> Microscale -> Sub‑microscale

Each scale:

• expresses a distinct resonance of Complexity,
• hosts its own characteristic structures and durations,
• and contributes to the evolutionary unfolding of Nature.

This classification provides a conceptual map that connects the observable Universe with its deepest generative foundations, offering a unified view of dimensionality across causality, spatiality, and temporality.

Links to the tables of contents of TFNR Paper

• Go to the contents list of the paper "The Fundamental Nature of Reality"

• Go to Chapter 2 "A first look"