What is Reality? A new documentary tries to tackle that question

I have been very interested in ways in which physics and spirituality are connected. Here's a new documentary called What is Reality from Top Documentary Films I wanted to share.

Heres' the synopsis:

here is a strange and mysterious world that surrounds us, a world largely hidden from our senses. The quest to explain the true nature of reality is one of the great scientific detective stories. Clues have been pieced together from deep within the atom, from the event horizon of black holes, and from the far reaches of the cosmos. It may be that that we are part of a cosmic hologram, projected from the edge of the universe. Or that we exist in an infinity of parallel worlds. Your reality may never look quite the same again.

Link to Video

Nice. I enjoy this fringe science stuff. Reminds me of a thread a while ago: Scientists Discover "Universe is Giant 3D Hologram"
Thanks for sharing. S+F.

reply to post by flyingviolet


Thanks for the heads up fv, I love this stuff too.
Here's another link to watch it Full Doc
I'll watch it tonight and comment thereafter.

In the spirit of sharing good docs, ya might dig this one too:Human Earth

Peace,
spec

I watched this last week on bbc 1. Very good documentry but it can be a little hard to understand. I watched it twice

I saw this aired on BBC last week.
It delves into the weirdness of the quantum world without all the heavy mathematics. Some far out theories are highlighted, of which there is many more.
I get the feeling that the more the quantum world reveals to us, the more it seems that anything and everything is possible.

Good stuff!

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

My interest in different dimensions stems from Biblical studies, believe it or not.

It started with reading about Jesus appearing in a room, after the doors were shut tight by the disciples because they feared the Jews (John 20.19). What wasn't there, Christ or the wall? This dimension seems to be a shadow of another.

And, again in John 3 when Christ basically puts a question to Nicodemus because he is a master of Israel but doesn't know there are spirits among us that cannot be seen by just anyone.

There are many references to the heavenly dimension, and I believe there could possibly be more than two dimensions.

I think it is exciting that man is searching for a definite path to that dimension. I believe man will be a part of the reunion of the dimensions.

if atoms are in more than one place at one time, then what is there to say that things made up of atoms are in more than one place at the same time, then parrallel universe theory could therefore be true.
it does seem a bit far fetched although we already understand that the quantum world does not abide by the laws of physics so maybe thats true of the real world too.

reply to post by flyingviolet


Great link, I just watched the video. I found it amusing that the physicists said that the best way to understand reality was with math. I disagree, the greatest proof of reality is our sentience and they don't even consider it. Why would a holographic universe exist if there was no being capable of experiencing it? Mathematics, as well as language and experience are merely different ways of observing reality and understanding it. I would expect physicists to view it through a math perspective. Philosophers see truth through a different view and artists yet another way.

In the end what the physicist have discovered is that they cannot explain the existence of anything without assuming that there is truth beyond us that we can not observe. The explanation of a holographic universe really says nothing more than that sentience, our experience is the only thing we can know to be real.

D.R.E.A.M - Desguised Reality Engaging Astral Manipulation!

If reality was real why is it when im sleep i still do feel
If Reality is wide awakeness
Then Dreams are just closed but still awake and sheilded from the fakeness.
If Dreams are made in mindspace in this universal time place
The when Im dead i say I'll keep on dreaming
Living in a better state.

Originally posted by AQuestion
reply to post by flyingviolet

 

Why would a holographic universe exist if there was no being capable of experiencing it?

In the end what the physicist have discovered is that they cannot explain the existence of anything without assuming that there is truth beyond us that we can not observe. The explanation of a holographic universe really says nothing more than that sentience, our experience is the only thing we can know to be real.

A bit presumptuous to think that there cannot be a holographic universe if we cannot experience it As you can see the universe is a pretty incredible place, you don't want to rule out possibilities because you can't detect something with our fallible 5 senses. Don't think of the physicists in such a negative way, they have to assume there is something more because even with the best science they have we cannot fully explain what reality is. That's pretty awesome when you think about it. You're obviously curious about the subject, which is great, but you don't want to pigeonhole yourself into believing just one viewpoint and dismissing others. Whenever it is that we find out what reality is, and what lies beyond, it's going to be so mindblowingly incomprehensible that we will be in awe. That's what drives the physicists, writers, artists, etc to keep asking questions and trying to find out the truth.

reply to post by KnowledgeIsPowre


I see it the opposite way. They rule out God as an answer, that is presumptuous, especially considering what they do believe. The simplest answer is often true and unlimited parallel universes with no rhyme nor reason nor proof is where science finds itself and it is unwilling to consider the God hypothesis. I question their refusal to consider the nature of sentience as being more than a mechanical reaction. They refuse to even look at it while maintaining that the only "real" things are objects that they have proven cannot exist.

The essence of the hologram explanation is that nothing makes sense on a physical level. Even the alternate universe theory is somewhat ludicrous as they do not say what in that alternate universe makes this one work. It is the wedgie science theory. Every time they could not explain something they would conclude there was another alternate universe without any proof whatsoever. There is a great PBS documentary on the history of string theory and the belief in alternate universes; however, I cannot remember the name of the show. Sorry, if it comes to me I will post it.

In the video they mention Higgs Boson, I recommend people look it up and read about it.

I just finished watching the video. Great find!

I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions, since a few points were rather confusing to me:

Quarks: I don't think the video really explained this well. First, they showed protons being smashed and the results were some new and interesting particles. Are quarks a subgroup of these new particles? I didn't get the "top quark" thing that was missing and then found years later. How would you define a quark? And the top quark? I didn't get that top, bottom, side quark stuff.

Black holes: I didn't really understand why they believe information can't be lost. Can someone better define information? And why do they believe that the information is stored at the event horizon? How would it be stored there exactly? What would prevent it from being sucked in?

Parallel universes: I get this theory. If true, do you think our subconscious minds attract which outcome we experience?

How about the proton light splitting? What exactly happens? I didn't understand this. A scientist shines a proton light through two slits and gets three rays of light? Can you describe this for me a little bit better?

I have no math or science training, but I really do try (and struggle) to understand as much as I can.

Thanks for your patience...

reply to post by AQuestion


I havent watched it yet, I was still downloading. I was basically just trying to say don't be so dismissive of any possibility since we really know so little. I agree that the dismissal of God is foolish. After I watch it ill be able to respond better

Originally posted by KnowledgeIsPowre
reply to post by AQuestion

 

I havent watched it yet, I was still downloading. I was basically just trying to say don't be so dismissive of any possibility since we really know so little. I agree that the dismissal of God is foolish. After I watch it ill be able to respond better

Please take your time, it adds so much to conversation in this world of twitter. I did not hate your answer, I just wanted to mention their lack of consideration when they believe this is all not reality. Reality begins and ends with sentience or nothing matters. It really doesn't, who cares what exists if there is no sentience to be aware of it?

Thanks for the replies and those of you who posted other links. I'll check those out. It's interesting how we all intertwine new information with what we already know..always searching for answers and trying to connect the dots. I did see the pbs series on string theory called The Elegant Universe. It was fascinating and made my head hurt at the same time.

I had to watch this doc in bits too. My brain could only process a little at a time. I could go on and on and talk about this movie but I'll just say a few things. I've wondered about déjà vu, how can I experience and remember some event that never happened? I wonder if when I have déjà vu I am experiencing a parallel reality. I think that all the choices we make, from the littlest like choosing what to have for breakfast to choosing to have a child, all have an effect on our reality and future. It's almost like among the millions of choices we have everyday there would have to be parallel universes to accommodate our choices to make our reality. (I'm trying to explain my train of thought the best I can).

The other thought I'd like to share is how it is possible for us to be in two places at one time. Spiritually speaking that makes a bit of sense to me. We are here on earth physically but our energy or spirit could possibly somewhere else...I'll relate that thought to miracles. In order for the miraculous to happen (things that go against natural laws, physical laws, etc.) there would have to be some grand design with "rules" we don't quite understand in the universe to make it possible. Does that make sense?

Anyway, new findings may help explain the unexplainable and open up new possibilities in many areas. It's amazing how much we don't know and how hard we try to figure it all out. I wish I could talk about this subject more but with 3 little ones running around it is hard. I'm the nerd mom who has no one to talk to about these deep thoughts, lol.

I have two more recommendations. I believe that science and spirituality can come together. Sir John Houghton a British physicist explains this much better than I could on Bill Moyers: On Faith and Reason with Sir John Houghton. After seeing this little episode I bought his book Does God Play Dice?. Interesting read (made my head hurt too)

Thanks again!

reply to post by flyingviolet


I appreciate the discussion of Sir John. There are many figures of speech and idioms utilized in The Scriptures. I have become more concerned with the principles taught therein.

Another good one for offering reconciliation between science and spirituality is astrophysicist Gerald Schroeder.

As an individual, I have a need to make connections between the physical and spiritual aspects of myself and the world around me. Mankind, as one body, appears to do the same thing because it really does matter.

I believe there are three parts to us; flesh, spirit and soul because I believe we are made in His image (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). I have often wondered if the flesh and spirit are the parts of us here on earth, while our soul remains somewhere else. And, if that be the case, does our soul communicate with our spirit; and how does that effect our flesh?

Thank you for a great discussion because I am a nerd mom, whose son has flown the coop.

reply to post by Soke33


Hi!, I am new to ATS and would like to share this link:

www.scribd.com...

I was deeply touched by It's content and still am whenever I read it. I believe It has very valuable information regarding you and me and why we are here and it got me thinking alot to say the least.
I don't know how well known this link is but I am suprised I haven't seen it anywhere here on ATS.

reply to post by Saitoh



Yes, I have seen that.

My opinion is that the person is a little off and that the forum where it originated is a good place for it.

Originally posted by MRuss
I just finished watching the video. Great find!

I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions, since a few points were rather confusing to me:

Quarks: I don't think the video really explained this well. First, they showed protons being smashed and the results were some new and interesting particles. Are quarks a subgroup of these new particles? I didn't get the "top quark" thing that was missing and then found years later. How would you define a quark? And the top quark? I didn't get that top, bottom, side quark stuff.

Black holes: I didn't really understand why they believe information can't be lost. Can someone better define information? And why do they believe that the information is stored at the event horizon? How would it be stored there exactly? What would prevent it from being sucked in?

Parallel universes: I get this theory. If true, do you think our subconscious minds attract which outcome we experience?

How about the proton light splitting? What exactly happens? I didn't understand this. A scientist shines a proton light through two slits and gets three rays of light? Can you describe this for me a little bit better?

I have no math or science training, but I really do try (and struggle) to understand as much as I can.

Thanks for your patience...

There are a million ways to answer your questions and I don't think math is going to help. I will try by using plain language. I have to start with just some basics. Science used to believe that atoms were basically solid, when they finally saw them they found they were mostly empty space. They then came to believe that the very miniscule center was solid with little peaces of solidity (protons and neutrons) acting like planets around the sun.

After further investigation and much better tools they discovered that atoms, protons and neutrons were made up of smaller pieces. What they were trying to find were the "elemental" particles or the solid part. They assumed that quarks were the solid subatomic parts, they assumed there would be six types (in order for them to stay together) but they now know this is not true. This is why in the video one of the scientists says that they couldn't prove the elemental parts existed at all. They needed to find evidence of the six parts and only found five. The most important part, or top quark, didn't show up. Instead they found a whole bunch of reactions that they could not explain with existing laws of physics.

As for information. Remember they are basically math geeks. Hawkins told them that reality (matter) could cease to exist, just like it never was. If you believe all the universe is a math problem then everything is basically numbers and formulas, if these numbers and formulas are true then theoretically they cannot cease being true or existing. Sort of you can't undue the truth.

Your questions are good; but, few people outside of quantum physics understand the answers or questions well enough to explain it to non-quantum physicists. I am sure there are those who can explain it better than I. In the end the specifics become less important. What science has learned is that nothing that works on a atomic level and larger, works in any way that makes sense on a sub-atomic level. In the video they asked one scientist what would it mean if they never found the top quark and he said they have to because they have no answers left if they do not.

The biggest problem that science currently faces is the fact that sub-atomic particles do weird stuff. Unconnected particles respond to each other over great distances with no apparent connection. They also cannot figure out what keeps atoms together because the lack sufficient gravity, basically, sub-atomic particles defy the law of gravity.

Higgs Boson is a theoretical particle that is supposed to explain all of this. It is called the God particle in science. Interesting huh? It is the particle that cannot exist and yet without nothing makes sense. The large Haldrom collider is supposed to help us find it. People working on it have said that if they find it then our whole view of physics will change and if they don't then our whole view of physics will change. It is the tooth fairly explanation, the world can only exist as we perceive it if there is a tooth fairy and if we find the tooth fairy then world cannot exist as we perceive it.

You said you did not have a background in science or math so I tried to explain it using common language. I in no manner, way, shape or form was attempting to talk down, I was just trying to talk conversationally. These are really simple concepts but they violate what the common person knows and understands. We believe the world to be solid, that tables are solid and they are not. Science knows that and doesn't understand it. There is a line in the bible that God makes nonsense of the beliefs of man.

The holographic thing, because they cannot prove matter (a three dimensional world) they are saying the world may be two dimensional creating an illusion of three. A flat world, string theory. The belief that the universe is flat giving the illusion of depth. That one is a little bit tougher to explain because it violates all the laws of physics. Hope this helped you begin to understand what they are attempting to explain. Be well.