The Universe Is Not Real - And Nothing Actually Exists

[Music] foreign [Music] how does the world around us work and what is real these questions are not only Central to Scientific and philosophical discourse but have been circulating since the dawn of human consciousness is there a physical reality that is independent of us does objective reality exist at all or is the structure of everything including Space and Time created by the perceptions of those observing it when we think about reality we often assume that what we see here an experience is an accurate reflection of the world around us however two different fields of study neuroscience and philosophy offer different perspectives on the nature of reality and how we perceive it Neuroscience tells us that our brain creates our reality it takes in input from our senses and creates a model of the world we experience this model is what we call reality our brains use this model to make predictions about what will happen next based on past experiences and sensory input but how accurate is this model of reality is it possible that our brains are creating a distorted version of the world around us research suggests that our perceptions are not always reliable and that our brains can be easily tricked optical illusions for example demonstrate how our brains can be deceived by simple visual stimuli I'll show you later in the video on the other hand philosophy tells us that reality is something that exists independent of our minds it exists outside our brains and can be known through reason and observation according to this view the reality is objective and exists whether or not we are there to perceive it however this raises the question of how we can know anything about reality if we rely on our senses to perceive the world and our senses are fallible how can we be sure that what we perceive is accurate this is a central problem in philosophy known as the problem of knowledge one possible resolution to this problem is to rely on reason and logic to understand reality by using reason and observation we can arrive at conclusions about the nature of reality that are not dependent on our subjective perceptions but even this approach is not foolproof our reasoning abilities can be flawed and our observations can be influenced by our preconceptions and biases so where does this leave us in our understanding of reality it seems that neither Neuroscience nor philosophy offers a complete picture of how we perceive the world around us The Truth May lie somewhere in between a combination of our sensory input cognitive processes and reasoning abilities this business about the distinction between things in themselves and things as they appear has troubled philosophers for years but what does it have to do with modern physics specifically the story of quantum theory in fact such questions have dogged the theory almost from the moment of its Inception in the 1920s ever since it was discovered that Atomic and subatomic particles exhibit both localized particle-like properties and delocalized wave-like properties physicists have become raveled in a debate about what we can and can't know about the true nature of physical reality palmonides one of the greatest of the pre-socratic thinkers talked about the nature of reality in which he argues that the world we see is an illusion the real nature of the world is unavailable to our senses but accessible to us through reason furthermore this real world is unchanging unified and timeless palmonida's argument began with the idea that we cannot have a rational concept of nothingness since nothing this can't exist he held there was no empty space without empty space to move into he maintained motion was impossible he continued in this way until he refuted the ideas of change difference and ending he then turned to the world we interact with explaining it as mere appearances his proposition that our senses are useless when looking for truth has proven enduring that the physical reality is not real but what does that mean for us keep watching to find out [Music] [Music] quantum mechanics was born out of the intense quest for a description of the infinitesimal to find smaller and smaller measurements of physical reality it was Niels Beau who eventually perfected the theory when he described the atom as consisting of a positively charged Atomic nucleus with negatively charged electrons orbiting around it like a mini solar system things became completely baffling when the world that had always been hidden from us the world of the infinitesimal gradually began to reveal itself the microscopic World proved to be fundamentally different from the world as it was normally perceived and described by physical laws this world obeyed different laws and nothing was certain anymore however all the calculations of quantum mechanics are so amazingly accurate that there must be a reality behind it but one that is hidden from our direct perception at the heart of this inquiry lies the concept of reductionism the idea that complex phenomena can be reduced to their fundamental components in the case of the cosmos this involves identifying the smallest most basic units of matter and energy that make up everything we observe in chemistry we learned the smallest amount of water is a water molecule and any container of water consists of a staggering number of identical water molecules modern physics tells us that these building blocks come in the form of subatomic particles such as electrons quarks and neutrinos these particles are believed to be the fundamental constituents of matter and all the matter we see around us is made up of various combinations of these particles but the story doesn't end there the fundamental building blocks of the cosmos go beyond just particles extending to the very fabric of space and time itself according to Einstein's theory of general relativity space and time are not separate entities but rather intertwined forming a unified four-dimensional fabric known as space-time in this framework the universe is not just made up of particles moving through space but rather a dynamic interplay between Mata and the curvature of space-time itself this leads to phenomena such as gravity which is the result of the warping of space-time by Massive objects but over the years scientists have come up with different thoughts about what is the actual building block of the cosmos the most popular one that gained attraction is information where reality is made of information at first glance this may seem like an abstract concept but recent advancement in the field of information Theory have shown that information is a fundamental part of the universe information can be defined as a measure of the uncertainty in a system in other words it tells us how much we don't know about a particular system this can include everything from the position and momentum of particles to the properties of black holes in the framework of quantum mechanics information plays a central role famous observer effect tells us that the act of measuring a Quantum system can fundamentally alter its state this implies that the active measurement or the acquisition of information is an integral part of the quantum world moreover recent theories such as the holographic principle suggest that information may be the very fabric of space-time itself this idea posits that the information in a three-dimensional space can be encoded onto a two-dimensional surface much like a hologram this implies that the universe may be fundamentally holographic with information serving as the basic building blocks of reality it's because information occurs at the macro level and also occurs at the subatomic level some scientists now argue that information is the only candidate for such a building block that can explain its own existence as information generates additional information that needs to be compressed thus generating more information in the process space-time and matter are all the same they exist one by one out of the same building blocks information is located not only on the surface bounding a specific space but within the space itself as well giving rise to the fact that entangled Quantum information is not only responsible for the emerging of space-time but also leads directly to the arising of ordinary matter dark matter and dark energy moreover recent advancements in Quantum Computing have shown that information can be encoded in the state of individual particles which can then be manipulated to perform complex calculations this suggests that the universe is a kind of quantum computer with each particle acting as a bit of information that can be processed to generate new information but we'll talk about that later in the video [Music] [Music] fix your eyes on the black dot on the left side of this image while looking at the black dot try to monitor the object moving on the right side of the image too try to answer this question in what direction is the object on the Right Moving is it drifting diagonally or is it moving up and down remember focus on the black dot on the left it appears as though the object on the right is moving diagonally up to the right and then back down to the left actually it's not it's moving up and down in a straight vertical line trace it with your finger to verify this is a visual illusion the alternating black white patch inside the object suggests diagonal motion and confuses our senses like all misperceptions it teaches us that our experience of reality is not perfect but this particular illusion has recently reinforced scientists understanding of the nature of our consciousness it's really important to understand we're not seeing reality we're seeing a story that's being created for us most of the time the story our brains generate matches the real physical world but not always our brains also unconsciously Bend our perception of reality to meet our desires or expectations and fills the gaps using our past experiences if the universe produced brains why can't the universe itself be a giant super brain everything that we call real is composed of measurements so tiny that it would be difficult to call them real in themselves our senses are merely biochemical measuring instruments that turn imperceable matter into perceptible things that we can know and understand they don't reveal reality to us so much has helped us to survive the real information emitted from the universe is interpreted in the brain rather than directly perceived the brain holds a mask in front of reality a mask that we can understand meanwhile the real world of information lies concealed one of the more unsettling discoveries in the past is that the universe is not locally real in this context real means that objects have definite properties independent of observation like an apple can be read even when no one is looking local means that objects can be influenced only by their surroundings and that any influence cannot travel faster than the speed of light investigations at the frontiers of quantum physics have found that these things cannot both be true instead the evidence shows that objects are not influenced solely by their surroundings and they may also lack definite properties prior to measurement three theoretical physicists John clauser Anton zeelinger and Allen aspect were jointly awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics for a 1972 experiment and many subsequent experiments showing that the local realism view of the universe is likely to be false their work made clear what quantum mechanics really means the scientists findings show that the Universe cannot be locally real as particles lack definite spin up or spin down properties prior to their observation or measurement therefore the simple Act of observing a particle changes its state contradicting the rules of local realism in other words the universe is real but only when you're looking at it the Nobel prize-winning experiment also demonstrated that two particles regardless of distance apart can remain entangled in the quantum Realm this contradicts local realism and Einstein's theory of relativity because as per their assumptions influences cannot travel faster than the speed of light in theory two particles could be at separate end of the observable universe and continue to be entangled a concept known as non-locality likewise the universe cannot be local yet Quantum proves long-distance interactions are possible that being said we still don't know which of those properties is actually false or even if both are all we know is they can't simultaneously be true [Music] our Consciousness filters and interprets sensory information based on our past experiences biases and beliefs thus reality can be seen as a subjective construct created by our individual consciousness the origin of the modern concept of Consciousness is often attributed to Locke's essay concerning human understanding published in 1690 lock-defying Consciousness as the perception of what passes in a man's own mind Locke's definition of Consciousness implies that it is a kind of internal Observer that allows us to perceive and reflect on our own thoughts feelings and experiences however this raises the question of how Consciousness arises in the first place what gives rise to this internal Observer and how does it relate to the physical processes of the brain William James is usually credited with popularizing the idea that human consciousness flows like a stream in his principles of psychology of 1890 according to James the stream of thought is governed by five characteristics every thought tends to be part of a personal consciousness within each personal Consciousness thought is always changing within each personal Consciousness thought is sensibly continuous it always appears to deal with objects independent of itself it is interested in some parts of these objects to the exclusion of others James believed that Consciousness was not just a collection of isolated mental events but rather a dynamic process that is constantly in flux he used the metaphor of a stream to describe the continuous flow of Consciousness with each momentary experience being a part of the overall current of Consciousness according to James Consciousness is not just a passive Observer of the world but an active participant in shaping our experience he believed that we have a stream of thought that carries us through the day with our thoughts feelings and perceptions continually interacting with one another one theory that has gained Traction in recent years is the idea that Consciousness arises from the integrated information processing that occurs in the brain according to this Theory Consciousness is not something that emerges from specific brain regions but is instead an emergent property of the brain as a whole in other words Consciousness arises from the complex interactions between the billions of neurons in the brain with each neuron acting as a bit of information that contributes to the overall pattern of activity however this Theory still fails to explain whether all organisms possess Consciousness or not for example do humans and certain other animals possess consciousness while bacteria and plants do not postulates theories all laws can account for the emergence of consciousness leaving us with a perplexing mystery that defies our basic understanding of the natural world natural laws which govern the behavior of particles and the movement of energy do not seem to call for the existence of Consciousness and it certainly does not seem to offer us any evolutionary advantages but why does Consciousness exist there can only be two possible explanations the first is that there are forces at work that we haven't arised about yet that select the emergence of this enigmatic experience perhaps there are evolutionary pressures that favor the development of Consciousness or perhaps there are other as yet unknown factors at Play the second explanation is that Consciousness is a product that we create a function we serve as human beings we are the generators of the experience the creators of the qualia that make up our subjective experiences but for whom do we create this product and how do they receive it these questions remain shrouded in mystery leaving us with more questions than answers so here we are generating this product called Consciousness that we apparently don't have a use for that is an experience and hence must serve as an experience only logical next step is to surmise that this product serves someone else that everything we know and experience upturn including reality itself is a simulation created by some unseen and unknowable entity which leads us to the next chapter in this video [Music] imagine a world where the people the Stars overhead the ground beneath our feet even our bodies and Minds were an elaborate illusion what if the reality we experience every day is nothing but a hyper realistic simulation designed by an advanced civilization or a computer program this of course is a familiar concept from science fiction books and films including the 1999 Blockbuster movie The Matrix but many physicists and philosophers say it's possible that we really do live in a simulation according to Nick Bostrom who strongly accepts this theory if we are living in a simulation then the cosmos that we are observing is just a tiny piece of the totality of physical existence Bostrom seminal paper titled are you living in a computer simulation explains that future Generations might have mega computers that can run numerous and detailed simulation to their forebears that the vast majority of Minds like ours do not belong to the original race but rather to people simulated by the advanced descendants of an original race it is then possible to argue that if this were the case we would be rational to think that we are likely among the simulated Minds rather than among the original biological ones since then the idea has gained Traction in popular culture and the scientific community on musk the founder of SpaceX and Tesla famously stated that the probability of us living in a base reality is one in billions physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has also commented on the possibility stating that the chance of our universe being a simulation is better than 50 to 50. but the biggest question Still Remains if we live in a computer simulation who is the original programmer they may just be a teenager according to Chalmers hacking on a computer and running five universes in the background but it might be someone who is nonetheless omniscient or knowing and all-powerful about our world simulation Theory Builds on the argument philosophers have been having for centuries which is that we can never know if what we're seeing is real however others argue that the simulation argument is flawed they point out that there is no empirical evidence to support the idea that we are living in a simulation furthermore they argue that even if we were living in a simulation it would be impossible to prove since the rules of the simulation would be all we know but the question remains do we live in a simulation and if we do what are the implications if our reality is nothing more than a computer program then what is the nature of our existence are we simply digital constructs with no true free will or agency or are we something more can we ever know and perceive the real limited information of the world and not merely the illusory perceptions that the brain creates in order for us to have an awareness of our environment as Carl Sagan put it we are away for the universe to know itself from the very first moment humans had language enabling them to think and imagine things we were speculating on reality and our origin gradually we became more successful at it ultimate goal of the game is finally discovering our origin and giving it all meaning including the universe and its emitted information in the end the question of whether we live in a simulation or not is one that is both captivating and mysterious it challenges our understanding of the world and ourselves and forces us to confront the limitations of our own knowledge and perception while the simulation argument is a fascinating concept to ponder it is important to remember that we must approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism and humility as we continue to push the boundaries of technology and explore the frontiers of science we may one day be able to answer the question definitively but until then we must remain open to the possibilities of the unknown and continue to seek out new insights and perspectives on the world around us in the meantime we should focus on embracing the reality that we can measure and observe and resist the temptation to impose our own biases and preconceptions onto the world only by doing so can we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the universe and our place within it so let us keep asking questions keep exploring the mysteries of the world and keep striving to uncover the truth no matter where it may lead us another great question to ask is why is the universe finally tuned for life I have already made a video on that click the video up on your screen to watch it thanks for watching And subscribe foreign

Channel: Fexl

Views: 659,699

Keywords: physics, quantum mechanics, science, astrophysics, quantum physics, space, speed of light, universe not locally real, space physics, fexl, universe, Reality Is Not Real, do we live in a simulation, elon musk simulation, reality is fake, particle physics, a universe from nothing, creation, nothing, big bang, quantum vacuum, multiverse, origins, cosmology, theory, philosophy, religion, the big bang theory, big bang theory, before the big bang, the universe

Id: GQpgVWLqo_c

Length: 22min 30sec (1350 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 07 2023