A True Theory of Everything

Posted by Jules Evans on 12 June 2008 | 5 Comments

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You can't help but admire the incredible ambition and optimism of modern physicists, with their search for a 'theory of everything', which will combine quantum mechanics with quantum physics, and will finally explain the entire physical universe - from the very big, like black holes, to the very small, like sub-atomic particles.

What sends me off into a reverie about such investigations is the thought that such theories really could be a 'theory of everything' - that's to say, they could incorporate the human mind, and how it relates to the universe. Imagine, a physical theory of the universe that also explained consciousness, that healed the split between mind and matter that we have lived with since Descartes' great critique of the animist and alchemist world view. Imagine a theory where we could once again say, as the alchemists of old did, 'As above, so below'. As in the universe, so in the atom, so in the human mind.

This week, I went to a conference organized by the Royal Society of Medicine and the Scientific and Medical Network, where a psychologist tried to do just this.

Professor Harold Walach, from the University of Northampton's psychology department, was trying to explain why some forms of complementary medicine, such as spiritual healing, homeopathy, Reiki or even distant healing, seemed to work. Was it because of some 'energy' being transmitted from the healer to the patient? If so, what is this energy, where does it come from, why can't we measure it or fit it into any of our working models of physics?

Walach proposed a rather different model to explain complementary medicine. He calls it Generalized Entanglement, or Non-Locality, which is an idea he took from Quantum Physics. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to all things Quantum, but from what I understand, non-locality is the discovery, which has apparently been proven by John Bell in 1961, that two particles can affect each other, to the extent that you can accurately predict how one is behaving by how another is behaving, even if they are great distances apart.

There is a correspondence between the particles, which defies the principle of locality of conventional relativity theory, which says that for one particle to affect another particle they have to be sufficiently near each other to have a causal impact.

Walach connected this mind-bending idea of non-locality to Carl Jung's equally-mindbending theory of synchronicity - which is an attempt to explain the weird coincidences which occur to us all the time, which we can't really explain. Why is it we think of someone one moment, and just the next bump into them at a party? Why do we dream of a white horse, and then see one the next morning? Why do adverts on the Tube sometimes seem to comment with weird appropriateness on our inner thoughts?

Synchronicity is an a-causal way of explaining why such uncanny correspondences happen. They don't necessarily happen, Jung suggests, because of mechanistic causes, because A pushed B. They happen because all things are connected in the moment, all things are weaved together in the Universal Mind - both our consciousness, and external events. Events reflect our consciousness, and in turn our consciousness is shaped by events.

Walach suggested we could use this idea of non-locality to explain why, for example, healers could heal patients without touching them, even at great distances. They establish a correspondence, a non-local link, between them, which means what happens to one also happens to the other. So a healer generates a positive mental state in themselves, and this mental state is mysteriously and non-locally transferred to the patient.

I was wondering, while he explained this idea, what quantum and astro-physicists would make of it - some physicists are quite clear that their theories only apply to the physical world, and it's dangerous to start applying them to human behaviour.

As it happens, sitting behind me in the audience was professor Bernard Carr, one of the great living experts on relativity and the universe, who I recognized from the BBC 4 show about the Theory of Everything which I watched a few months ago. I also heard him speak on the In Our Time show about multiple universes last year.

After the talk, I went up and asked him what he thought - could the principle of non-locality or other aspects of quantum physics be applied to the human mind. Could we build a true 'Theory of Everything'?

His answer surprised me. He said: "That's exactly what I've been trying to find. At the moment, physicists say they are looking for a Theory of Everything, but actually they're just looking for physics theories. A true Theory of Everything would not just explain the physical universe, but consciousness as well."

So what did he think of Walach's application of non-locality to complementary medicine. "Non-locality is a very interesting principle. It can be explained in two different ways. One way to explain it is that, somehow, there is an instantaneous transmission of information between the two particles that are connected non-locally, so that if something happens to one of them, it is instantly transmitted and communicated to the other particle, no matter how far away it is. The other theory is that there is no causal link, so transmission of information, there is just a formal relationship or correspondence between the two particles. Walach seemed to believe the second of these theories - that non-locality is a-causal, so there is no transmission of information between the healer and the patient."

Professor Carr said that he, by contrast, was inclined to believe that there was such a transmission of information during non-locality, so obviously there is a causal link.

Let's take a couple of examples - two rather freaky psychic events that occurred to me in the last two weeks. The first was this Saturday evening. I was in a pub in Camden, watching the football, and struck up a conversation with another person at my table, who turned out to be an exile from Zimbabwe, who was complaining bitterly about how the country had gone to the dogs. Meanwhile, my brother was in a Chinese restaurant in Gerrard Street, where the person sitting next to him happened to strike up a conversation. He turned out to be an exile from South Africa, who was complaining bitterly about how his former country was going to the dogs.

These two conversations, seemingly related and connected yet without a possible causal link, were going on at the same time, though my brother and I didn't know about it until Sunday, when we described our previous evenings. You could interpret this as an example of synchronicity, of some a-causal principle of non-local correspondence occuring between my brother and I. It wasn't that there was a transmission of information between me or him. There was simply a weird correspondence.

On the other hand, a week before, I was in a store shopping, and I suddenly thought about buying a brown leather jacket. I'd never thought about buying one before, but I suddenly decided it would suit me, and thought about buying one. Then I went to dinner with my parents, and my mum brought out a brown leather jacket which she had seen earlier that day in a charity store and bought for me. You could explain this coincidence as the first explanation of
non-locality - there was a non-local transmission of information from my mother's mind to mine, which made me think of brown leather jackets.

Professor Carr, who was the president of the Society of Psychical Research for many years, believes that many paranormal phenomena can be explained along these lines. He says: "I believe we can explain both consciousness and quantum physics as being united in a higher dimension, a dimension of information, where all information is connected, sort of like a matrix."

I am at risk of misquoting Carr - this sort of talk is way beyond my scientific comprehension. But his theory is not so far fetched. I don't find the idea of non-local psychic connections unbelievable at all. In fact, I think most of us have experienced clear examples of it. And the best explanation for it, and for the quantum theory of non-locality, is that there is some kind of dimension, or field, where both minds and particles are interconnected and capable of transmitting information instantaneously.

Here's an article about a conference on physics and psychics that Carr organized, and here's a Flash tutorial that explains the principle of non-locality rather better than I can. Carr says he is publishing his theory for the first time in the next issue of the Journal of Psychic Research. Should be a fascinating read.

Jules Evans

www.politicsofwellbeing.com


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  • An Embarrassingly Obvious Theory Of Everything
    http://universe-life.com/2011/12/10/eotoe-embarrassingly-obvious-theory-of-everything/

    EOTOE, Some Implications (I)

    A.
    EOTOE is an Embarrassingly Obvious Theory Of Everything.
    In essence it states that all things in the universe, nouns and verbs objects and processes, originate and derive from the energy-mass dualism.
    Origin and essence of this derivation are expressed mathematically by
    E=Total[m(1+ D)] (D = distance travelled by mass since singularity)
    Which suggests that the universe cycles between two poles: singularity/all-mass , and maximum-expanded/nearly-all-energy.
    The “nearly” all-energy leaves behind some mass formats that begin consolidating by gravity, when it eventually overcomes expansion as the mass fueling the expansion is nearly depleted, becoming very small m multiplied by very large D = E .
    B.
    Thus the essence/definition of gravitation is:
    “Gravitation Is the propensity of energy reconversion to mass”.
    Gravitation is the “monotheism” and the “ genesis” of the universe. Singularity, at D = 0, is the very brief all-mass pole of the universe. The Big-Bang-inflation did not produce matter or anti-matter. It was the beginning of mass reconversion into energy, of increasing D fueled by decreasing m.
    The conjectured gravitons, smallest basic particles, most probably do exist, but must be with mass, and gravitons microclusters must “big-bang” during the on-going expansion at a resolution of their energy-mass superposition.
    This is rationally commonsensical, therefore it is scientifically probable.
    Inflation started with the whole universe m shattering into fragments that evolved into, became, the galaxy clusters. The clusters expansion is fed at a constant rate by m-fuel. Since expansion accelerates, since the clusters depart from each other at an ever increasing velocity, we learn that the rate of m-to-E reconversion in the universe is constant. The accelerated expansion derives from the ever decreasing m of each cluster.
    C.
    Thus the essence/definition of evolution, natural selection is:
    Mass formats attaining temporary augmented energy constraint in their successive generations, with energy drained from other mass formats, to temporarily postpone, survive, the reversion of their own constitutional mass to the pool of cosmic energy fueling the galactic clusters expansion.
    This explains why black holes and humans, in fact all mass formats, must feed themselves in order to survive.
    This explains that the essence of quantum mechanics of all processes is the detailed procession steps, the evolution details, between physical states ordained for natural selection.
    D.
    Thus comes to light the universe inspected progressively in greater detail.
    Science reveals the universe’s nature-scope and directing drive, followed by technology studying its evolution details-aspects, followed by engineering exploitation of the attained information. This suggests the specific weight, importance, of science, technology and engineering in considering of research or enterprise plans and implementation.

    Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
    http://universe-life.com/
    PS1:
    Definitely: Dark energy and dark matter YOK! Universe's m reconverts to E at a constant rate…
    Universe accelerated expansion is per Newton's motion laws, obviously…
    Also, universe physics constants should vary, probably slightly, between galaxies clusters due to different clusters sizes...
    Also, the clusters formed by dispersion at inflation…
    PS2:
    The singularity constituents must have been the smallest elementary particles. They may be designated gravitons, but they MUST HAVE MASS. They were born at the energy-mass superposition resolution, together with the fragments that became galaxies clusters.
    At expansion D increases, therefore m decreases, which per Newton mandates mass and matter acceleration. This goes on, most probably, at a constant rate of mass-to-energy reconversion, at an energy-mass resolution, mandated by the equality of both sides of the top equation.. And this resolution is, for each graviton, most probably in a format of a minuscule big-bang.
    This is a lesser fantasy than the dark matter and energy fantasy. Such mass-energy gravitons may be omnipresent within each galaxies cluster, maintaining each cluster as a primordial Newtonian body and being the fuel-driver of expansion.
    DH
    ==============================
    EOTOE, Some Implications (II)

    This equation describes the presently expanding universe:
    E=Total[m(1 + D)] D = distance travelled by mass since singularity
    This equation describes the future contracting universe:
    E=Total[m(1 + D)] D = reduced contracting expansion distance

    Implications:
    The base units of mass - may be designated gravitons but MUST have mass - are not temporal, they never disappear.
    In the present expanding universe they are in motion as mD away from the singularity point.
    Those of them that hit a whatever mass format and move it become inert. This will go on until all or nearly all of them cease moving forward, i.e. until D ceases growing.
    When D ceases growing gravitation will overcome the inertial motion away from the singularity point and will start pulling them back towards it. It is then that D will start diminishing, to maintain the equation’s equality…

    And MORE, MUCH MORE:
    The rational commonsensical, and therefore scientifically probable, implication is that Space is imbued with these massed gravitons that are continuously left behind during Expansion… also as micro clusters sized between gravitons and neutrinos…
    DH
    =========================
    EOTOE, Some Implications (III)

    Classically:
    Energy = dynamic quality, the capacity of acting or being active, a fundamental entity of nature that is transferred between componentsts of a system in the production of physical change within the system and usually regarded as the capacity for doing work.
    Mass = Mass is the quantity of inertia possessed by an object or the proportion between force and acceleration referred to in Newton’s Second Law of Motion.
    Per EOTOE :
    E=Total[m(1 + D)] D = distance travelled by mass since singularity
    Energy is mass in motion.

    The mass of the universe is either in motion or in the form of inert massed gravitons, with which the universe is imbued.
    m of the EOTOE equation is only the energetic m, the m which is in motion.
    The inert gravitons do not play a role in the E,m,D relationship. At the (present) universe expansion phase mass reconverts to energy at a constant rate, leaving behind inert gravitons. Inert gravitons become energetically active when they are reset in motion, i.e. when acted upon by energy, such as by gravity during the universe re-contraction phase.
    DH
    ==========================
    EOTOE, Some Implications (IV)

    This equation describes the future contracting universe:
    E=Total[m(1 + D)] D = reduced expansion distance travelled by mass in the preceding expansion phase

    Elaboration and conjectured implications:
    D is the distance travelled by mass in all spatial directions emanating from the Big-Bang singularity point. During contraction it decreases, accompanied with increasing m effected by the constant E.
    A commonsensible conjecture is that contraction is initiated following the Big-Bang event, steadily re-forming the Universe Singularity simultaneously with the inflation and expansion, i.e. that universal expansion and contraction are going on simultaneously.
    Additional conjectured implications are that the Universe is a product of A Universal Black Hole with a Singularity consisting of mass gravitons, and that gravitation is a weak force due to the graviton’s size.
    DH
    ================================
    EOTOE, Some Implications (v)

    The Gravitons Nature-Origin Puzzle

    My model for the EOTOE has been evolutionary biology. Since life must be just another mass format, and due to the oneness of the universe, it is commonsensical that natural selection is ubiquitous and that life, self-replication, is its extension. And it is commonsensical, too, that evolutions, broken symmetry scenarios, are ubiquitous in all processes in all disciplines and that these evolutions are the “quantum mechanics” of the processes.
    However, there is yet an origin of origins puzzle.
    Whereas the genesis of genes, life’s primal organisms, is rationally commonsensical, thus highly probably, the “naturally-selected” RNA nucleotides - the existence, origin and nature of the rationally commonsensical conjectured massed graviton are yet much farther from probable than the nucleotides life’s genesis. The gravitons are more enigmatic because science has not yet accumulated the extent and variegated considerations and examinations required to approach the comprehension of the origin of origins of the universe.

    PS: From
    http://universe-life.com/2011/12/13/21st-century-science-whence-and-whither/
    notwithstanding…
    “The origin-reason and the purpose-fate of life are mechanistic, ethically and practically valueless. Life is the cheapest commodity on Earth. Human life is just one of many nature’s routes for the natural survival of RNAs, the base primal Earth organisms.
    It is up to humans themselves to elect the purpose and format of their life as individuals and as group-members.”
    DH
    ==============================
    EOTOE, Some Implications (VI)

    Yet something about the gravitons

    Yet one possible conjecture about the gravitons is that they, too, must have a dual mass-energy nature…
    From singularity it is a rationally commonsensical conjecture that they are a mass format, the smallest elementary mass particles.
    Nevertheless from the Big-Bang it is a rationally commonsensical conjecture that the gravitons must be both mass and energy, i.e. inert mass in motion, even at singularity. This is rationally commonsensical since otherwise the Big would not Bang…

    This raises the origin of origins puzzle to an unknown power…

    Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)
    http://universe-life.com/

    PS: Wondering what/why black-hole scientists think/conjecture re this…

    Posted by Dov Henis, 13/01/2012 10:05am (22 days ago)

  • way over my head but freaked by instantaneous happening-please explain...moved hundreds of miles away, mentioned a casual acquaintance I had not seen or thought about in 6 years to a colleague, walked out of office and encountered that person w/in 5 minutes of talking about them--freaky??? And intriqued to the point of researching it tonite???/

    Posted by Anonymous, 13/12/2008 3:44pm (3 years ago)

  • We cannot come up with a true theory of everything, whilst we exclude anything. Surely quantum theory, Yin/Yang theory and Buddhist philosophy would support the idea that non-locality is simultaneously causal and acausal. It is only the reductionist functioning of mind which requires there to be one answer and, thereby, collapses the waveform into a "particle" thought. Those, such as healers, who consider they can have a causal influence in non-locality might suggest that it cannot happen at the level of thought processing. Healing and intention in this context would take place in a more expanded state where a connection is established without a collapsed thought form. Hence the chicken and the egg are simultaneously present, although one undoubtedly gives rise to the other.

    Posted by lizwelch, 20/06/2008 3:44pm (4 years ago)

  • Interesting, but I think it has to be handled with caution. The normal view of non-locality is that is impossible to transmit energy or matter in this way. Consequently, it is impossible to transmit information, which is usually seen as being instantiated in energy or matter. The only things that are influenced are quantum properties such as the spin of an electron or the polarisation of a photon. Is it possible to hang synchronicity etc on that? It's hard to say, but it would most likely depend on whatever quantum systems exist in the brain plus the underlying structure of spacetime.

    Posted by jackjunius, 19/06/2008 3:43pm (4 years ago)

  • Thank you Jules for your articulate and well referenced piece. I wanted to add that entanglement seems to be the preferred theory, to explain psi phenomena, of Dean Radin in his book "Entangled Minds". These theories seem broadly in tune with Bohm's concept of soma significance where meaning is fundamental to the structure of the universe - like mass for example. This suggests that meaning or significance can act as an organising principle for unfolding events. I wonder if they will ever find the consciousness boson....

    Posted by rupert charles, 17/06/2008 3:43pm (4 years ago)

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