Essay Abstract

Hawking has referred to the initial singularity, from which our universe's space-time manifold emerges, as the 'God-point', and pointedly quipped that no God can be found there. This may sound like a purely metaphysical question, on which no physics can shed light, and on which no scientific commentary can be made. This essay discusses a way in which complexity may be able to do so. Recent advances in our understanding of the physics of complexity biology have made it possible to identify a previously unsuspected way, in which subjective awareness couples to organisms: it does so at the critical instabilities that organisms choose to make the loci of control of their regulatory systems. Cogent arguments have been given why instabilities are preferred loci of control, and why the essentially non-linear physics of their mathematical singularities give rise to information states that support self-awareness. These states also reduce quantum wave-packets. What has not hitherto been noted is that conditions at the source of the inflationary process are very similar. The spontaneous breakdown of Grand Unified Symmetry involves an instability of considerable complexity. This essay suggests reasons why that initial singularity, from which space-time was created, is sufficiently complex to support a self-conscious awareness. Maybe our universe really is more like a 'great thought' than a 'great machine', as Jeans once suggested. Undoubtedly, these ideas could fruitfully be examined in much greater detail.

Author Bio

With a 1st Class Honours Degree from Cambridge, and a PhD in theoretical physics from M.I.T. under Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg and H.E. Stanley, Alex Hankey joined Maharishi University of Management (then MIU) Dept. of Physics in 1973. His work at MERU in 1975, setting up the Christmas conference with two Nobel laureates and a Fields Medallist is retold in the 2017 book by Rhoda Orme-Johnson. Having worked for that organisation for 30 years, he returned to research in 2002. His new theories of consciousness, Ayurveda and natural medicine are all based on his length study of Indian wisdom.

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Greetings Alex,

I am happy that my outreach to Brian also got you to submit an essay in this year's contest. From your background and the abstract; this one looks very interesting. I will have to swing back once I've caught up with the reading already in my bin. I wish you luck!

All the best,

Jonathan

Dear Dr Alex Hankey,

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.

All objects, be they solid, liquid, or vaporous have always had a visible surface. This is because the real Universe consists only of one single unified VISIBLE infinite surface occurring eternally in one single infinite dimension that am always illuminated mostly by finite non-surface light.

Joe Fisher, Realist

Dear Alex Hankey,

thank you for your essay, which I found very interesting and original - sadly I lack the scientific tools to better evaluate it, due my formation in philosophy.

> To summarise, the essentially non-linear physics of critical instabilities in complexity biology can give rise to information states that support self-awareness - the essence of our subjectivity.

The link that you establish between physics and the meditative states (of every tradition) is really interesting, and I find it close to my interests and studies. I didn't understood very well why a perfectly self-observing, internal, information loop is needed by the non-linearities of the system, but probably I should read the studies by Hankey that you quoted in the essay.

Thank you for sharing such an original work and good luck!

Francesco

Dear Alex;

Very refreshing, coming from a physicist. In complex systems the inflexion point (the phase transition point) is the point where emergence is born. A physicist (Kauffman) embraced this idea. Life, in all its manifestations, embodies the phenomenon of Complexity; and epigenetics is the most beautiful expression of it.

When the interaction of known entities, following known rules of interaction, generates a new entity that cannot be explain in terms of the originators, and follows new rules of interaction no related to the to the ones in its genesis, we call that a "Emerging Entity". This new entity belongs to a new category (it cannot be classified as a subcategory of any of the entities of its genesis). In my studies of categories, I call this type of new categories "Epicategories". The evolution of the universe is full of them; that is why is hard to establish single origin as the foundation of everything. Thus, evolving is a smooth derivation of things from other things, but generating epicategories (a kind of epiphenomenon) is not evolution, it is creation itself.

Singularities do not exist; there are only phase transition points; where new categories are created. Physics is used to study the period of the universe between two phase transition points, assuming that the first one was the Big Bang and the second the Big Crunch. That is why they say they do not need God.

Thank God, in 1931, when Kurt Godel demonstrated his Incompleteness Theorem, He destroyed the deterministic dogma and with it the TOE program. What Godel tells us is that the origin of the observable universe cannot be explained with theories based on the observed; but the other way around is not negated: Having a Essential Stuff with a minimum set of properties that allow it to generate basic structures and entities, that in turn generate the underlying phenomena that make possible the interactions that make up the fundamental observable properties of the universe.

I prefer using the term "Phase Transition Point" instead of singularity, because singularity has already the meaning impossibility of establishing a relational structure within it; so it cannot be complex.

I am glad you brought Consciousness to the discussion. It is from it that we start our search, and most searchers ignore it, or avoid it. They confuse Consciousness with mind. I do not need to go into ti; you did it very well.

Thank you very much for this essay.

Truly yours;

Diogenes

    For the record, Stuart Kauffman is a biologist and complex systems theorist, not a physicist. Perhaps you are mixing him up with quantum theorist Lou Kauffman.

    While there are some very nice ideas here, I find some ideas confusing, in particular the distinction between linear and nonlinear. All systems are linear in the limit of low amplitudes, and become significantly nonlinear at higher amplitudes. What is different in the critical region is that there is more nonlinearity there, and enough that complexity comes in, and also the universality of which you speak. It should be possible to integrate this approach with my own (also posted in this competition).

    Re 'self-observing system', does this just mean that you have a loop, so it is like pointing a videocamera at a screen that is displaying the picture being videoed?

    I'd recommend that you post your 2015 paper in some archive where people can view it without having to pay for it, as it contains a lot more details than in this essay. Elsevier allow you to post preprints in this way. I'd also recommend when you do this that you include links to such references that are available on the web, as you can't get them from the list in this essay.

      Alex, since there was an enquiry in my own discussion as to suitable sources I've uploaded the 'Final preprint' of your paper that you sent me once to PhilPapers where it joins your earlier paper on the subject, so that people will be able to access it freely. It is at https://philpapers.org/rec/HANACB-4. If you want to change anything (e.g. add keywords), you can do this via 'edit this record'.

      Dear Fellow Essayists

      This will be my final plea for fair treatment.,

      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.

      All objects, be they solid, liquid, or vaporous have always had a visible surface. This is because the real Universe consists only of one single unified VISIBLE infinite surface occurring eternally in one single infinite dimension that am always illuminated mostly by finite non-surface light.

      Only the truth can set you free.

      Joe Fisher, Realist

      9 days later

      Respected Prof Alex Hankey

      You have very nicely started with "Hawking"...... This may sound like a purely metaphysical question, on which no physics can shed light, and on which no scientific commentary can be made....... is exactly correct. After learning that you understood well of Indian system of Auyrveda and consciousness.... Hats off to you...Best wishes to your essay...

      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

      15 days later

      Dear Alex

      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