The Tao of It and Bit by Cristinel Stoica

Christi - One of the best descriptions I've seen yet for Wheeler's delayed choice. Although I imagine our views may diverge substantially (for example on the global consistency principle), I still gave you top marks for an Outstanding essay. Well done.

I would imagine that the concept of subtime would provide an intriguing explanation of the delayed choice paradox.

I will look forward to following up on your other publications, and reading your PhD Thesis.

Kind regards, Paul

Cristi - One of the best descriptions I've seen yet for Wheeler's delayed choice. Although I imagine our views may diverge substantially (for example on the Global Consistency Principle), I still gave you top marks for an Outstanding essay. Well done.

I would imagine that the concept of subtime might provide an intriguing explanation of the delayed choice paradox.

Excellent job. I will look forward to following up on your other publications, and reading your PhD Thesis.

Kind regards, Paul

Cristi - thank you for the review of my essay and insightful remarks.

Actually, I would like to make a distinction between retrocausality, and true reversibility, where the state that is returned to is fundamentally indeterminable from having never left that state.

As you have seen from my essay (and my warning of diverse opinions ;-) I have dispensed entirely with the block universe: Minkowski space leads us to the false illusion that time can proceed independently of motion along the spatial dimensions. Instead, I consider time/space as extending only down the 1-dimensional path of the traversal of a photon from one atom to another, and reversed, in all ontological respects, when the photon reflects back to the original source. Thus, there is no net change in time/space at the microscopic level.

By the way, your PhD thesis is awesome.

Kind regards, Paul

Cristi - thank you for the review of my essay and insightful remarks.

Actually, I would like to make a distinction between retrocausality, and true reversibility, where the state that is returned to is fundamentally indiscernable from having never left that state.

As you have seen from my essay (and my warning of diverse opinions ;-) I have dispensed entirely with the block universe: Minkowski space leads us to the false illusion that time can proceed independently of change along the spatial dimensions. Instead, I consider time/space as extending only down the 1-dimensional path of the traversal of a photon from one atom to another, and reversed, in all ontological respects, when the photon reflects back to the original source. Thus, there is no net change in time/space at the microscopic level.

By the way, your PhD thesis is awesome.

Kind regards, Paul

TAO and eDuality are like brother and sister.

Excuse me again.

your « Hi, votes are vanishing again. »

For a long time I had noticed that the dice were loaded.

Dear Cristi,

I'm glad to see another fine submission from you after the unfortunate confusion at the end of the previous contest. I didn't have time to participate in this one myself, but I enjoyed reading your contribution. Take care,

Ben

Hi Cristinel,

Does anybody know where the votes are going?

I plummeted many positions from last night when I had 68 ratings to this morning's 66.

Think it has happened a few times?

I've sent FQXi a message.

Best wishes,

Antony

Thanks Cristi,

Best wishes,

Antony

Cristi,

Very nice work! I just rated it.

I found your essay while searching for something about Wheeler on Google. It led me to find FQXi website for the first time. Thank you!

Brian

Cristi

thank you for your kind comments on my essay! I read yours back in June and again, now. You have a wonderful, easy to read, informative and thought provoking essay, which I very much enjoyed.

It's funny that we both make entomological analogies describing quantum experiments. Even though I have a little issue with yours. I think it should have been more fitting to have not either flies or dragonflies for quantum spiders to catch but an unusual for the macro world hybrid: depending on the type of the web the spider sets up to catch this weird thing, it may turn out either as a fly or a dragonfly, exhibiting an unnerving duality -- but it still is the same insect!

Also, it was refreshing to read such a positive review of Wheeler's ideas. I saw various takes on his legacy, including the ones coming from the other end of the spectrum, where, far from a visionary, he was made to appear more like the 20th century physics troll. But I agree with you that we should be thankful for Wheeler's courage in presenting his provocative ideas, on which "the new generation of Einsteins grew up to change the face of modern physics".

I see you pose a provocative question yourself:

"If Wheeler was right that we decide the physical laws, by our very choices as observers of the universe, then, due to their important contributions to physics, he and his students are responsible for many preposterous features of our universe."

Somehow, intuitively, perhaps and on a completely different level, there may be truth to it. I believe that it is not so much our thoughts but our deep-most feelings to which the universe responds. But, at the moment, this lies outside of physics studies.

I do not quite share your idea that our universe is mathematical. Here I side with Leibniz who pointed out that only because one can always find a mathematical formula describing any random distribution, like in an ink blot, it does not prove that this distribution is governed by a 'mathematical law': "This means that there exists a law simpler than just listing all the facts, from which nevertheless all the facts can be derived." [I copied this Leibniz quote from one of the essays without keeping the reference, sorry] But this idea is very much in line with Wheeller's beautiful thought that a very simple principle may lie at the heart of reality, waiting to be discovered.

I very much liked that in the end you brought up the ancient TaiJi symbol (those ancients knew and understood more about the world than many modern people care to admit, don't you think?) In TaiJi two opposites, 0 and 1, meet, interact and combine to generate the myriad of things.

Well done :)

-Marina

Hi Cristi,

I waited until tonight to rate your essay, and raised your score a bit.

Good Luck in the finals!

Jonathan