Essay Abstract

The universe creates and perceives its own information. Creation and perception are fundamental.

Author Bio

Lorraine is a former computer analyst and programmer. She lives with her husband, three ducks, and a wild flowering garden beloved by birds, bees and other insects. Lorraine is interested in animals, flowers, plants, insects and other living things, and the nature of reality.

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Dear Lorraine Ford,

Reliable evidence exists that proves that the surface of the earth was formed millions of years before man and his utterly complex finite informational systems ever appeared on that surface. It logically follows that Nature must have permanently devised the only single physical construct of earth allowable.

Joe Fisher, Realist

    Hi Lorraine,

    I think you will find yourself in fundamental agreement with Brian Josephson, and should check out his essay at your earliest convenience. I got to see his lecture at FFP15, this past November, and already at that time thought that you and he would find a lot to agree on - if you ever had the opportunity for a conversation. I think he would also be gratified to know there are people like you who think life should not be excluded from the picture in Physics.

    All the Best,

    Jonathan

      Dear Joe,

      I think I agree with you. Thanks for reading my essay.

      Lorraine

      Hi Jonathan,

      Thanks for reading my essay. I will check out Brian Josephson's essay.

      Lorraine

      Note to readers of my essay:

      Thanks in advance for reading, and for any comments you might make about my essay.

      Due to my commitments, I'm sorry that I will not be able to reply to comments, or to read and review any other essays.

      Lorraine

      Dear Lorraine,

      I really appreciated your interesting essay. You conclude that:

      > The creation of information and the perception of information are fundamental aspects of the universe that are not themselves information. Information is what is created and what is perceived. Only information can be symbolically represented.

      I found some interesting points in common with my essay about absolute relativism. My text indeed could be partially read as a consequence of your quote.

      Well written and enjoyable, I wish you luck!

      Francesco

      Lorraine Ford, it's possible that you like to look at the sky and it seems to you an empty endless space in which large and small bodies move. However, this impression is deceptive. According to the principle of the identity of space and matter of Descartes, space is matter that moves. When Copernicus began to assert that the Earth revolves around the Sun, he had, according to Descartes, to add that along with the Earth around the Sun, the entire circumsolar space rotates. Space is what the whole world is built of. Space is the source of information. Look at my essay in which I showed how radically the physics can change if it follows this principle. Leave your autograph there.

      Sincerely, Dizhechko Boris Semyonovich.

      9 days later

      Dear Lorraine Ford

      Wonderful deduction..."The universe creates and perceives its own information. Creation and perception are fundamental.".... in very few words....!

      By the way...

      Here in my essay energy to mass conversion is proposed................ yours is very nice essay best wishes .... I highly appreciate hope your essay and hope for reciprocity ....You may please spend some of the valuable time on Dynamic Universe Model also and give your some of the valuable & esteemed guidance

      Some of the Main foundational points of Dynamic Universe Model :

      -No Isotropy

      -No Homogeneity

      -No Space-time continuum

      -Non-uniform density of matter, universe is lumpy

      -No singularities

      -No collisions between bodies

      -No blackholes

      -No warm holes

      -No Bigbang

      -No repulsion between distant Galaxies

      -Non-empty Universe

      -No imaginary or negative time axis

      -No imaginary X, Y, Z axes

      -No differential and Integral Equations mathematically

      -No General Relativity and Model does not reduce to GR on any condition

      -No Creation of matter like Bigbang or steady-state models

      -No many mini Bigbangs

      -No Missing Mass / Dark matter

      -No Dark energy

      -No Bigbang generated CMB detected

      -No Multi-verses

      Here:

      -Accelerating Expanding universe with 33% Blue shifted Galaxies

      -Newton's Gravitation law works everywhere in the same way

      -All bodies dynamically moving

      -All bodies move in dynamic Equilibrium

      -Closed universe model no light or bodies will go away from universe

      -Single Universe no baby universes

      -Time is linear as observed on earth, moving forward only

      -Independent x,y,z coordinate axes and Time axis no interdependencies between axes..

      -UGF (Universal Gravitational Force) calculated on every point-mass

      -Tensors (Linear) used for giving UNIQUE solutions for each time step

      -Uses everyday physics as achievable by engineering

      -21000 linear equations are used in an Excel sheet

      -Computerized calculations uses 16 decimal digit accuracy

      -Data mining and data warehousing techniques are used for data extraction from large amounts of data.

      - Many predictions of Dynamic Universe Model came true....Have a look at

      http://vaksdynamicuniversemodel.blogspot.in/p/blog-page_15.html

      I request you to please have a look at my essay also, and give some of your esteemed criticism for your information........

      Dynamic Universe Model says that the energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation passing grazingly near any gravitating mass changes its in frequency and finally will convert into neutrinos (mass). We all know that there is no experiment or quest in this direction. Energy conversion happens from mass to energy with the famous E=mC2, the other side of this conversion was not thought off. This is a new fundamental prediction by Dynamic Universe Model, a foundational quest in the area of Astrophysics and Cosmology.

      In accordance with Dynamic Universe Model frequency shift happens on both the sides of spectrum when any electromagnetic radiation passes grazingly near gravitating mass. With this new verification, we will open a new frontier that will unlock a way for formation of the basis for continual Nucleosynthesis (continuous formation of elements) in our Universe. Amount of frequency shift will depend on relative velocity difference. All the papers of author can be downloaded from "http://vaksdynamicuniversemodel.blogspot.in/ "

      I request you to please post your reply in my essay also, so that I can get an intimation that you replied

      Best

      =snp

      14 days later

      This is my comment on Brian Josephson's essay, which I posted on his essay page:

      Lorraine Ford wrote on Feb. 20, 2018 @ 21:30 GMT

      Dear Professor Josephson,

      I agree that meaning is fundamental, though I would argue that it is subjective meaning (corresponding to subjective information) that is fundamental to the way the universe works.

      In the Notes [10] you say: "...Yardley writes ... : "There is a symbolic man, in mind, which is the idea of man, which had to be present somewhere hidden (imaginary, an idea) before man could appear". This assertion recalls analogous facts such as the fact that, for example, the idea of a computer had to be present in someone's mind before computers could come into existence."

      This is an example of how your essay seems to assume absolute, objective meanings for signs and symbols, i.e. the essay seems to assume the existence of a Platonic realm. But a Platonic realm is never mentioned in the essay except in the References section (the book chapter What can music tell us about the nature of the mind? A Platonic Model, Josephson, B.D. and T. Carpenter (1996a), in Stuart R. Hameroff, Alfred W. Kaszniak & Alwyn C. Scott (eds.), Toward a Science of Consciousness, MIT).

      I would have liked you to mention the Platonic realm assumption upfront, because a Platonic realm is an assumption that the universe itself is a poor, incomplete thing that needs something external like a God or a Platonic realm to bring it to life. I believe that this type of view is an insidiously damaging and inherently disrespectful way to view our universe, a view that has real consequences for the way we treat the Earth and it's living things.

      Best wishes,

      Lorraine Ford

      Dear Lorraine

      If you are looking for another essay to read and rate in the final days of the contest, will you consider mine please? I read all essays from those who comment on my page, and if I cant rate an essay highly, then I don't rate them at all. Infact I haven't issued a rating lower that ten. So you have nothing to lose by having me read your essay, and everything to gain.

      Beyond my essay's introduction, I place a microscope on the subjects of universal complexity and natural forces. I do so within context that clock operation is driven by Quantum Mechanical forces (atomic and photonic), while clocks also serve measure of General Relativity's effects (spacetime, time dilation). In this respect clocks can be said to possess a split personality, giving them the distinction that they are simultaneously a study in QM, while GR is a study of clocks. The situation stands whereby we have two fundamental theories of the world, but just one world. And we have a singular device which serves study of both those fundamental theories. Two fundamental theories, but one device? Please join me and my essay in questioning this circumstance?

      My essay goes on to identify natural forces in their universal roles, how they motivate the building of and maintaining complex universal structures and processes. When we look at how star fusion processes sit within a "narrow range of sensitivity" that stars are neither led to explode nor collapse under gravity. We think how lucky we are that the universe is just so. We can also count our lucky stars that the fusion process that marks the birth of a star, also leads to an eruption of photons from its surface. And again, how lucky we are! for if they didn't then gas accumulation wouldn't be halted and the star would again be led to collapse.

      Could a natural organisation principle have been responsible for fine tuning universal systems? Faced with how lucky we appear to have been, shouldn't we consider this possibility?

      For our luck surely didnt run out there, for these photons stream down on earth, liquifying oceans which drive geochemical processes that we "life" are reliant upon. The Earth is made up of elements that possess the chemical potentials that life is entirely dependent upon. Those chemical potentials are not expressed in the absence of water solvency. So again, how amazingly fortunate we are that these chemical potentials exist in the first instance, and additionally within an environment of abundant water solvency such as Earth, able to express these potentials.

      My essay is attempt of something audacious. It questions the fundamental nature of the interaction between space and matter Guv = Tuv, and hypothesizes the equality between space curvature and atomic forces is due to common process. Space gives up a potential in exchange for atomic forces in a conversion process, which drives atomic activity. And furthermore, that Baryons only exist because this energy potential of space exists and is available for exploitation. Baryon characteristics and behaviours, complexity of structure and process might then be explained in terms of being evolved and optimised for this purpose and existence. Removing need for so many layers of extraordinary luck to eventuate our own existence. It attempts an interpretation of the above mentioned stellar processes within these terms, but also extends much further. It shines a light on molecular structure that binds matter together, as potentially being an evolved agency that enhances rigidity and therefor persistence of universal system. We then turn a questioning mind towards Earths unlikely geochemical processes, (for which we living things owe so much) and look at its central theme and propensity for molecular rock forming processes. The existence of chemical potentials and their diverse range of molecular bond formation activities? The abundance of water solvent on Earth, for which many geochemical rock forming processes could not be expressed without? The question of a watery Earth? is then implicated as being part of an evolved system that arose for purpose and reason, alongside the same reason and purpose that molecular bonds and chemistry processes arose.

      By identifying atomic forces as having their origin in space, we have identified how they perpetually act, and deliver work products. Forces drive clocks and clock activity is shown by GR to dilate. My essay details the principle of force dilation and applies it to a universal mystery. My essay raises the possibility, that nature in possession of a natural energy potential, will spontaneously generate a circumstance of Darwinian emergence. It did so on Earth, and perhaps it did so within a wider scope. We learnt how biology generates intricate structure and complexity, and now we learn how it might explain for intricate structure and complexity within universal physical systems.

      To steal a phrase from my essay "A world product of evolved optimization".

      Best of luck for the conclusion of the contest

      Kind regards

      Steven Andresen

      Darwinian Universal Fundamental Origin

      4 days later

      Dear Lorraine,

      Excellent deep analytical essays with very important conclusions that give directions for overcoming the crisis of understanding in the foundation of science:

      - «Time can only exist if there is a relationship or a connection between information change and time, i.e. if time itself is an information category. Any "perception" by the universe, that number information relating to a variable has changed, can only be likened to an algorithmic step in a computer program. The "perception" of a quantitative change of number is an algorithmic step whereby the universe has acquired an extra level of information about itself. A unit of time is seemingly the information category that is born when the universe perceives that some aspect of information (e.g. number information) has changed. The time category is another "level" of information, and it can seemingly only arise from quantum events, because quantum events are where new, changed, number information, is created. When seen from the above point of view, the time category seems to be an example of emergence or evolution of a new level of information.»

      - «Our universe is fundamentally creative, and it can only evolve by creating new categories of information.» My highest score.

      Yes, the Information Revolution challenges physicists to include "information" in the very core of the scientific picture of the world. I believe that in order to understand the phenomenon of "information" it is necessary to introduce in addition the new concept (noumenon) - "ontological (structural, cosmic) memory" as "soul of matter", its measure, the qualitative quantity of the absolute forms of existence of matter (absolute, ultimate) states.

      Physicists and poets should have a single picture of the Universum as an holistic generating process, filled with the meanings of the "LifeWorld" (E. Husserl). Look at my ontological ideas .

      Yours faithfully,

      Vladimir Rogozhin

      24 days later

      Hi Lorraine,

      I thought I should check out your own essay, and have now got round to doing it. The first point is that you are in effect taking a semiotic viewpoint, i.e. that information is not just information, but information for something (cf. also Bohm and Hiley's 'active information'). I would however say that the something is 'something in the universe' as opposed to the universe itself (related to your 'point of view'), and the fact that such things exist is related to their effective use of information. When you talk of numbers and algorithms you are probably referring to that aspect of process that is stable and can be reduced to clearly specifiable forms, but that is not all that such agencies can do.

      While I don't agree with what you write in its entirety, I think your essay does have important ideas in it and I'll be thinking about how one can progress from here.

        Brian,

        Thanks for reading my essay.

        Re "information is not just information, but information for something...'something in the universe' as opposed to the universe itself": Yes, I contend that it is parts of the universe (particles to living things), not the whole universe, that create and experience information: "The primary substance (particles), and the characteristics of the primary substance (they create and perceive information), are the most fundamental aspects of the universe: these aspects can never be explained as being derived from information".

        But I would disagree with the statement: "the fact that such things exist is related to their effective use of information". I might contend that the universe exists as small semi-independent parts, rather than an undivided whole, because the universe "perceived" that there is far more potential for creativity and experience in a universe of parts. (Of course, that would sound quite ridiculous to most people). These parts of the whole retain a strong tendency for coherence, where coherence seemingly must have existed before any information relationships were ever created.

        Re numbers and algorithms: I contend that numbers are information relationships, just like laws of nature are information relationships. But I would think that any complexity of algorithmic information requires a corresponding complexity of structure i.e. atoms, molecules and living things, rather than particles.

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