In my opinion, the entanglement of the elementary particles and the fine-tuning of the constants of nature in the universe lead to the concept of ‘Interdependence and the totality of the phenomena’. The basic question is quite simple: can a phenomenon exist on its own? If the answer is ‘no’, in what way and to what extent are the phenomena of the universe interrelated? The observations in physics and astrophysics seem to indicate that totality is in fact the “essence” of reality. If the phenomena do not exist ‘in themselves’, what should we conclude from this with regard to our world of experience?
It seems as if there is a ‘cosmic information of consciousness’ present in the universe.
Perhaps the ultimate question is whether logic and mathematics exist without us.
Answer
I tend to agree with your decision, but I don’t quite understand the reasoning by which you arrive at it.
It is true that everything depends on everything. Studying phenomena in isolation can lead to fairly accurate results if the external dependencies are negligibly small for the system we are studying. This is called the reductionist approach to science, as opposed to a more holistic approach. But this reductionism does not necessarily mean that physicists regard the world as composed of separate islands.
Terms such as ‘reality’ and ‘essence’ are rather philosophical concepts that a physicist sometimes uses, but usually without absolute connotation. We look for a description of the phenomena that fits well with what we observe and measure, and are then satisfied with that. In any case, it remains the case that the world we study is also the world that we have produced ourselves, and it seems to me then quite obvious that it is illusory to want to have the absolute last word.
Answered by
prof. Christopher Waelkens
Astronomy
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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