Dear James Lee Hoover,

A beautiful essay, one of your best, and one of the best in this contest. A pleasure to read, while also an insightful overview. So many undecidable issues derive from no data and no means to decide. As you say:

"It would be foolhardy to think that such great mysteries, the greatest truths in life, have easily deciphered answers."

I also love the del Toro quote:

"...all we can truly do is echo the order of the universe."

Your essay ranges over the entire universe, including life and mind, with too many good points to cover in a comment. It perfectly addresses the essay topic.

You give Newton in the 17th century, and Einstein in 1900's credit for gravity theory, but I believe that Maxwell-Heaviside theory ~1885 is most important. Heaviside's equations actually lead to Einstein's field equations when iterated, and derive from Einstein when the field equations are linearized.

As you note about lack of data, the dimensionality of the world is underdetermined by relativity, and my essay looks at how to decide issues in this case. Deciding on the nature of time and space.

One essentially makes a metaphysical commitment to an ontology in such cases, and hopes that the data shows up to support it.

Btw, I question whether Einstein's 'visualized thought experiments' were more problem than solution.

My warmest regards for a job well done. Your essay should be one of the top ones.

Edwin Eugene Klingman

    Edwin,

    I have taken to printing out essays that I read, making it easier to really digest them. I have always valued your opinion and am gratified with your comments re my effort. You never really know if you have hit the mark on each contest effort until community members really take the effort to read them closely and comment objectively. Thanks for your interest.

    Jim Hoover

    Dizhechko,

    I have printed out your essay and will check it out.

    Thanks,

    Jim

    Dear James,

    You have presented a magnificent analytical, deep philosophical essay with important findings for Science and all of Humanity. You make a very important conclusion: "Many tomorrowrows will hopefully remove the blinders of ignorance concerning the underlying quantum world, for example, and unlock more wisdom."

    Let us hope that fundamental science will overcome the modern crisis of understanding in the philosophical basis of knowledge and provide Humanity with a more adequate picture of the world, common for mathematicians, physicists, cosmologists, poets, based on the ideas of the "LifeWorld" (EHusserl). I believe that with joint efforts and with deep wisdom, we can together save life on planet Earth and develop steadily together with Nature. Today, as never before, the philosophical precepts of Albert Einstein and John Wheeler are relevant for theorists of basic science:

    聽"At the present time, a physicists has to deal with philosophic problems to a much greater degree than physicists of the previous generations. Physicists forced to that the difficulties of their own science. "

    "Philosophy is too important to be left to the philosophers."

    I, like many other researchers, have great doubt about the "picture of the world" built on the hypothesis of the "Big bang". Obviously, it is necessary, along with the Empirical standard of justification, to introduce the Ontological standard for the basification of scientific theories claiming to be called "fundamental".... We will hope ...

    Very Best

    Vladimir

      Dear James Lee Hoover,

      Thank you for your nice comments on my essay. I just gone through both of your well argued essays. You are retired from Airoplane making company, I retired from steel plant. Why should we fear? No more need. We should be courageous! One should be bold in expressing one's ideas!

      Dont criticize any one, but express our thinking freely...............

      Best regards

      =snp

      4 days later

      Dear Jim,

      Thank you, glad you liked my work.

      It's great that you always want to find the root of the problem:

      "The modern human narrative is about breaking boundaries, those thought to bar us from movingbeyond. One of the barriers held our most modern form of humans to confinement to this planet".

      "I do find the Bohmian mechanics explanation more satisfying than the standard Copenhagen interpretation. The pilot wave view seems to open the door to related concepts in realms of physics like neuro-physics as well".

      "It is our own human multi-layered neural networks and their connection with naturewe must understand to seek truths and solve problems".

      Your work deserves the highest praise. On the last day of the discussion, my rating will be given to you.

      The events of recent months with COVID-19 have dramatically changed the world. The world will no longer be the same, because priorities have changed and values are being revised. Now, first of all, practical solutions are needed.

      I decided to help doctors, biologists and chemists in the fight against COVID-19.

      First of all, I formulated the primary task - to connect the universal laws of quantum mechanics with the properties of the connections of the coronavirus COVID-19 with human cells.

      To do this, it is necessary to solve the problem of calculating the splitting levels for any spectral lines that are associated with the orbital pilot waves of molecular bonds.

      But it turned out that in the universal formulas for calculating spectral lines (5), when they were converted into a convenient form, an error crept in my essay.

      I fixed the error and replaced the file of my essay. It is good that this could be done before April 24th.

      I ask everyone to excuse me for not being attentive.

      Now, on the basis of the corrected formulas, I have formed universal formulas by which intermolecular bonds are calculated, and now it is up to the experiments with COVID-19 and human cells.

      The idea of fighting COVID-19 is quite simple.

      Since all interactions of the elements of matter occur at strictly defined frequencies of real pilot wave resonators, there is a dispersion mechanism of interaction between resonators that are close in frequency. This mechanism allows you to either stimulate (catalyst) or suppress (inhibitor) strictly defined bonds between molecules.

      Such a dispersion interaction of the resonators is similar to a multi vibrator Yagi-Uda antenna Yagi-Uda antenna. The resonant frequency of the reflector is shifted down by 5% (with a low Q factor of the resonators) and leads to complete suppression of radiation in the direction from the vibrator towards the reflector. And several directors, shifted up in frequency by 5% relative to the main vibrator, repeatedly amplify the radiation in their direction, in fact, pumping energy out of the main vibrator, shunting it and reducing its wave resistance.

      Using the experience of constructing multi vibrator antennas, it was concluded that, in the optimal version of the antenna, many directors should have a monotonous reduction in size as they move away from the vibrator. Those. each sequentially removed director pumps out energy from a closer director, and they all optimally pump out energy from the vibrator.

      A set of spectral splitting lines for any line calculated according to Rydberg's formula in quantum mechanics plays the role of directors, amplifiers, and stabilizers of spectral lines.

      Nature is so arranged that to ensure its stability, the first pilot de Broglie waves of orbital electrons of intermolecular bonds necessarily form second pilot waves, which are elements of the electronic level of matter with a significantly longer wavelength (form lines according to Rydberg's formula) and which are able to transform through the phase of photons . This phenomenon is similar to the conversion of electron-positron pairs into photons, which can again form electron-positron pairs.

      Those each stable pilot wave must move at a certain speed or be indignant at a certain equivalent speed in accordance with the formula for the de Broglie wave of an electron. The second pilot waves provide the necessary perturbation of the first pilot wave. Without the action of the second wave, the original pilot wave cannot exist and is annihilating. The fourth pilot waves de Broglie of electron support the second pilot waves of electron and form splitting lines with frequencies ranging from 100 MHz (wavelength 3 meters) to 10 GHz (wavelength 30 mm).

      Thus, if the spectral lines of splitting of the fourth pilot waves are suppressed by irradiation with electromagnetic waves, then the first de Broglie pilot waves of the orbital electrons are suppressed, then the orbital electrons are forced to change their orbit, and the harmful connection of COVID-19 with human cells will break or collapse COVID-19.

      All these phenomena are a consequence of universal quantum laws and the fractal structure of matter and can be used in neurophysics close to you. Because the above physical mechanisms of interaction between pilot waves are the basis for self-organization of matter and the work of neuron connections.

      Warm regards,

      Vladimir

      Dear James, I thank you for reading my essay and finding the similarity of the concept of neocartesian generalization of modern physics presented in it with the concept of a Cartesian system with probabilistic axes for calculating the speed and time of neurophysiological processes in living organisms. I am inclined to believe from this that you put him a high rating. Check that this is so, as Descartes is worthy of his ideas to be continued and given high marks. For my part, I give high ratings to those who bother to read and understand the essence of the neocartesian generalization of modern physics, which is based on the identity of Descartes' space and matter. According to him, space is matter, and matter is space that moves, since it is matter. Ether in this convention is a synonym for matter and, conversely, matter is a synonym for ether. The ether, which is matter, creates infinite space and time. Here is the nominal one, we must think.

      Regards, Dizhechko Boris.

      6 days later

      dear sir. I must say your essay is more than a scientific piece. it's very philosophical and best of all very enriching to Human morality ethics and possibilities in the future like the kardashev scale. I imagine the 3U s definitely are us. I too think so. You may review that in my essay here -https://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/3525. all the best.

      I enjoyed the essay overall. Some nice phrases, e.g. "virtual waves imposing achievement boundaries for endeavoring scientists" from the intro.

      Interesting point emphasizing human intellectual tendencies in the pursuit of knowledge, like the focus on short-term gain over long-term enrichment. This has come out in a particularly ugly way in the context of climate change, like you describe.

      Not sure if I agree that dark matter/dark energy are unscientific. I do think that the way we're going about looking for them is not particularly clever, and possibly wrongheaded (if you didn't find anything, just build a slightly more sensitive machine and try again). Also, we should be more open-minded about alternatives given our failures thus far (like some kind of modification of gravity).

      Was delighted to learn about the cosmological lithium problem from your essay. Never heard of it before.

      Not sure I agree that machines can't think, although I admit this is a huge can of worms, and nobody really knows the answer/can convincingly argue their case yet.

      Throughout the essay, you weave together many facts about science and the world around us. At first I wasn't sure what you were doing, but the overall effect (on me, a person) is pretty enthralling. When you say all this stuff about where we come from and our place in the universe, it really does sound striking...maybe I take a lot of it for granted these days.

      But it really is amazing, if you stop to think about it. How are we able to understand anything at all about the vast, inscrutable cosmos? It's a miracle we've been able to do everything we've done.

        John,

        It's always good to see that someone reads your essay with some interest and with keen comments. I thinks it helps to promote the kind of analysis and thinking the foundation means to foster. Thanks, for reading and for your incisive remarks.

        Jim

        6 days later

        Dear James,

        A fine philosophical essay that I much enjoyed reading.

        A minor typo on page 4 re weight of local group. I suppose the mass is close to 4 or 5 trillion solar masses, not 1, as this is less than the Milky Way mass.

        I agree with Peter Jackson, Alan Kadin, and some others re quantum computers.I do not think they will eventuate in their current form. (Read Barry Gilbert's comments on them).

        I hope you will check out my essay, on the 3 Un's as well.

        All the best

        Lockie Cresswell

          Hi James,

          I wanted to add a comment re the missing antimatter you discuss. I wrote an essay on it back in 2003 which poses a solution. Of course I have done much more work on this topic since then and I believe I can also explain what is dark matter.

          Cheers

          Lockie

          Dear James,

          Writing for a general science readership in a way that is interesting and informative is the most difficult part of these fqxi essays. This essay embraces the general audience in a breezy and fluid style that even has time for some wordplay. An essay about what we don't know would seem as interesting as a blank screen, but you made us think about the how's and why's of our ignorance. Good work.

          Sincerely,

          Jeff Schmitz

          Hi James:

          Thanks for reading my essay.

          Enjoyed reading your nicely written essay. What I liked most in your essay that you emphasize the roles of understanding the cosmos and human mind are crucial to unravel the mysteries of the unknowns. You well describe the historical progress science has achieved but 96% of the universe still remains undiscovered. My essay focuses on reveling this 96% hidden universe via integrating the missing physics of spontaneity or consciousness or free will in nature.

          I have given high ratings to your essay.

          Best of luck

          Avtar Singh

          Hi Jim,

          This tab was already open for this morning's reading assignment. Now moved to the front or top of list.

          Jonathan

          First off;

          My favorite DM candidate is a graviton condensate. This can exhibit axion-like behavior without requiring additional particles. Your logical synthesis is not air-tight like some I've seen in this contest. But you raise some interesting points and you make the reader think.

          Regarding machines thinking; it is happening or is inevitable. The real question is; will they have the capacity to be subtle? Are we going to create R2-D2 and C3P0, or will we one day be enslaved by Terminators - because we got it wrong? There is no time left to wonder about whether machines can think, only about how well...

          Back in my College days; I had the nickname 'Warp drive,' or just 'Warp.' Now I could give lessons in the Math prep for that. The term warp factor arises in the work of Lisa Randall, with the Randall-Sundrum model, which features an infinite 5-d space. Theories based on the octonions or Mandelbrot Set tend more to resemble the DGP gravity model. But if reality is octonionic; a translational dymaxion is possible to construct.

          All the Best,

          Jonathan

          Hi Jim -

          Your essay is a delightful, almost poetic romp through the grassy fields of theoretical physics and human psychology.

          I do take issue with your breezy dismissal of the "3Us" - as I've discussed in my essay, I see them as a feature of reality, not a bug. Something our human minds are loathe to accept (being the control freaks that we are!).

          Best of luck - George Gantz... The Door That Has No Key: https://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/3494

          Jim,

          Thank you for essay. I also had found that UUU problems in mathematics ( Riemann problem and problem of nonexistence of odd perfect numbers) can suggest new (quantum) strategy of resolving.

          Best

          Michael Popov

          Dear James,

          I greatly appreciated your work and discussion. I am very glad that you are not thinking in abstract patterns.

          While the discussion lasted, I wrote an article: "Practical guidance on calculating resonant frequencies at four levels of diagnosis and inactivation of COVID-19 coronavirus", due to the high relevance of this topic. The work is based on the practical solution of problems in quantum mechanics, presented in the essay FQXi 2019-2020 "Universal quantum laws of the universe to solve the problems of unsolvability, computability and unpredictability".

          I hope that my modest results of work will provide you with information for thought.

          Warm Regards, `

          Vladimir