What is reality? It’s such a fundamental question, it seems almost silly to ask it. And yet, when our brightest minds drill into it, the answers are surprisingly fuzzy. Textbook definitions of physics, i.e. “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” or “atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter”— break down. When we look for matter, we find probability. When we look for gravity, we also find time. Simply put, as one theoretical physicist recently told me, we still don’t know “what the hell is going on.”
While confusion reins, luck is on our side. We’re lucky to live in a time when scientists are actively exploring these questions; newly available technologies are accelerating our discoveries; and the proliferation of cat videos create business models for platforms such as YouTube that enable us to quickly share knowledge.
In that spirit, below are five of my favorite “quick takes” on the nature of reality, each with a different answer to this deceptively simple question.
Take 1: Reality, or the physical world as we experience it, is produced by our consciousness. And thus misses a lot of what actually exists around us. As explained by Professor Donald Hoffman, Cognitive psychologist at UC Irvine.
Take 2: Relatedly: our three-dimensional reality (plus time) is actually one of 10 or 11 dimensions, most of which we don’t perceive. As explained by Juan Maldacena, theoretical physicist and Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.
Take 3: Our reality is simply one of many copies of reality. Each branch of which contains full, conscious copies of each one of us (hello many-me’s! 👋). As explained by Sean Carroll, Theoretical Physicist at Cal Tech.
Take 4: Our reality is an ancestor simulation created by a super-intelligent species. As explained by Nick Bostrom, Swedish philosopher and AI thought-leader at the University of Oxford.
Take 5: Reality is a holographic projection of a thin, distant, two-dimensional surface. As explained by theoretical physicists Jim Gates, Leonard Susskind, and others.
Which theory do you find most credible? Or do you have a different take entirely?
// As published on Medium
Leave a Reply