The Virtual Universe
Philosophy, Physics, and the Nature of Things
by
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'Mind is the first and most direct thing in our experience; all else is remote inference.'
Sir Arthur Eddington, English physicist and astronomer (1882-1944) [1]
Our common-sense notions about reality are quite definite. We see reality as consisting of material objects (such as tables, coins or statues) made of substances (such as wood, silver or marble), which are endowed with qualities, such as hardness, luster or color. Whether somebody observes them or not, these objects have an independent existence of their own 'out there' in three-dimensional space, and are revealed to us by our senses just as they are.
These notions seem so intuitively obvious we see no reason why they should, or could, be questioned in any way. Philosophers, however, have concluded that they are not as obvious as they seem. Actually, in the opinion of some, they are wrong.
Two fundamental questions philosophers have asked about reality are: 'What and how do we know about it?' and 'What is it?' Finding answers to the first question has been the concern of the branch of philosophy called Theory of Knowledge, or Epistemology. Finding answers to the second question has been the concern of the branch of philosophy called Metaphysics.
The term 'metaphysics' literally means 'that which comes after physics'. It derives from the fact that, when the great Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322BC) died, his still untitled treatise on metaphysics was found located after his treatise on physics. Over the centuries, metaphysics has sought to determine what is ultimately real, as opposed to what is merely an appearance of reality.
Widely different answers have been given to the many issues studied by philosophers. For every view, there has been an opposing view; for every argument, a counter-argument. Unlike science, philosophy cannot offer an agreed body of knowledge.
Empiricism (from the Greek word for experience) holds that what we experience through our senses constitutes the only - or at least the major - source of reliable knowledge about reality. Rationalism, on the other hand, holds that it is our ability to reason that constitutes our only true source of knowledge. Skepticism doubts that we can actually acquire any fundamental knowledge of reality.
Some philosophers have denied that either sense experience or abstract reasoning can give us answers about the ultimate nature of the universe. In their view, knowledge about such issues can be acquired directly through intuition without the conscious use of reasoning. The mystic or the artist may be closer to the truth than the philosopher or the scientist.
As a general philosophical term, Idealism refers to any view that stresses the central role of mind in the interpretation of reality. As a theory of knowledge, Idealism holds that the human mind knows only its own mental states or ideas rather than external objects. Its opposite is Realism, which holds that objects can be known as they really are. As a metaphysical theory, Idealism holds that reality exists as mind or consciousness. Its opposite is Materialism, which holds that reality consists entirely of material objects.
The proliferation of 'isms' brings to mind the story of a mythical king who ordered all the blind in the capital to be gathered at the palace, where each was made to touch some different part of an elephant. When asked to describe what they had observed, they gave varied answers such as a column, a fan, a snake, a plowshare, or a broom. Then they started arguing among themselves, and eventually came to blows, to the king's great amusement. It may well be that each 'ism' captures some aspect of reality, but fails to see reality in its totality.
IDEALIST VIEWS
What do we know about the world 'out there'? This question was addressed in the 17th and 18th centuries by three British philosophers: John Locke (1632-1704), George Berkeley (1685-1753), and David Hume (1711-1776). They all start from the empiricist's premise, which is also the premise of the common-sense view of reality. They all reach, however, idealist conclusions of one form or another.
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About the Book
What is the nature of the universe we live in? What is it made of? Is there purpose in it? These are among the fundamental questions addressed by this book, which includes two brief and accessible overviews, one on philosophy, the other on physics without the use of any math.
Over the centuries, a number of philosophers have speculated about the existence of a non-material world in addition to, or to the exclusion of, the material world we believe we live in. Their statements, however, have tended to be too abstract, too difficult to relate to daily experiences. Contemporary physics, on the other hand, has been very successful in accounting for many aspects of the world we experience. Yet, at a fundamental level, physics makes some counter-intuitive assertions with very puzzling philosophical implications that remain largely unexplored.
The central theme of this book is the author''''s conjecture that:
1) We live in a nonmaterial Virtual Universe, which is somewhat similar to the highly publicized virtual reality being developed by computer science, and
2) This Virtual Universe, which includes our whole bodies, is the creation of a Cosmic Mind, of which our individual minds are integral parts.
The idea of a nonmaterial world sounds certainly bizarre, if not absurd. And yet, a Virtual Universe provides a perspective from which meaningful, common sense interpretations can be given to some abstract philosophical statements of the past, and also to some strange assertions of contemporary physics. Readers who disagree with the conjecture of a Virtual Universe might still appreciate the informative overviews on philosophy and physics.
Editors of major publishing houses have called The Virtual Universe ''''an accessible, compelling book,'''' ''''highly informative and accessible'''' and ''''an important and intense endeavor.'''' Others have called it ''''intelligent and written in a very straightforward manner'''' and ''''a clear, concise book and one that gives an excellent overview of the philosophical tradition.''''
Recent Book Review from Kirkus Discoveries:
“Virtual reality is an all-encompassing simulation generated by algorithms to create artificial environments, as well as a metaphor used to clarify the mysterious paradoxes in our universe that have been explored by philosophers and confirmed by leading physicists.
Raspanti attempts to fit all the scientific laws describing nature under the umbrella of virtual reality, in which everything is regulated by an omnipresent entity. He also uses that structure as a means of clarifying the counterintuitive foundation of modern physics. For ages, scientists, philosophers and physicists have attempted to organize the observed patterns of natural phenomena in our universe, from the elliptical orbits of the planets in the solar system calculated by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, to the behavior of electrons, protons and neutrons in a highly charged, unseen quantum subspace envisioned by the eminent American physicist Richard Feynman.
Raspanti is an experienced guide in the fields of philosophy, metaphysics and the branches of classical and modern physics, which include quantum theory. He lays out the philosophical and intellectual leanings of various major personalities in the history of science and delineates a wide swath of historical theories, e.g., Pythagoras’ idea that the natural world is represented by numbers; the mechanistic conceptions of Isaac Newton towards the revolutionary thought experiments of modern physicists such as Albert Einstein; Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, which asserts that the depth of an observation of a phenomenon at the quantum level is always finite and open to ambiguity.
It requires a leap of faith to accept Raspanti’s attempts to structure the elaborate present-day worldview developed by scientists within the context of his virtual-reality assumptions, but his conversational style, free of mathematical equations and symbols, makes this an entertaining introduction to physics and the nature of things in our universe—and well worth that jump.
An enjoyable virtual romp through the universe.”
About the Author
Matthew Raspanti was born in New York City in 1924. He grew up in Italy and lived there until he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Palermo with a doctorate in industrial engineering.
After returning to the United States, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He was a member of the technical staff at world-renowned Lucent Bell Labs for 35 years; for the last 24 as a department head.
His fields of interest included computer hardware and software and computer-controlled telephone systems, fields in which he also did part-time college-level teaching for a number of years. He holds three patents and is an associate member of the research fraternity Sigma Xi. After retiring in 1990, he began work on this book.