One principle in quantum physics sets out that everything in the universe is, at bottom, information and that information is never lost. Information may be cut up, scrambled, blurred or whatever, but it is not "lost."
IOW, in the example of a building that is demolished by an explosion, theoretically all the information that comprised the building still exists and, if it could be gathered, the building---unlike Humpty Dumpty---could put back to together again.
This point became the crux of the debate on Stephen Hawking's "The Information Paradox."
But here's a point on a different note.
This principle of quantum physics---that information is never lost---is a principle also evidenced in man's nonscientific conclusions.
To see this, we have to look to conclusions / principles humans have reached in developing various belief systems.
In one major belief system, Christianity, there is a story of a valley of "dry bones" which gather their former information and reform into living human bodies. This is very similar to the example given by quantum physicists (the demolished building being reassembled).
In the context of a belief system, the occurence (or future occurence) of this event is what we commonly call a "leap of faith." However, logically the first step in a "leap of faith" must involve a measure of acceptance of the conclusion that such an event is possible.
Although here the belief system contains no observable or articuable basis for the conclusion that human bodies, being made of information, theoretically can be reassembled, arguably the possibility of such an event is proven by quantum physics.
If information is never lost, then the information in the valley of dry bones was not lost and, theoretically, could be reassembled. This is true whether the story was intended literally or as an example of a discerned principle about the universe.
Thus, in developing their nonscientific explanations of the universe, the ancients reached the same conclusion as quantum physics. Huh?
I am fascinated with the times that scientific knowledge (based on observation and extrapolations from observation) and unscientific knowledge (based on intuition, imagination and (some claim) some type of revelation) correlate.
Philosophically, when scientific knowledge posits a theory that, fundamentally, is the same as that posited by a myth, legend, belief system developed apart from and without the help of science, is that corroboration?
What does it say about our ability to discover facts / truth? Does it indicate that there are multiple valid ways to discover facts / truth?
If a theoretical conclusion is posited by both science and nonscience, is it more likely to be valid? Or does this fact speak more to something basic about how humans think?
If a theoretical conclusion is not posited by both science and nonscience, does that fact indicate anything about the validity of the scientific or nonscientific theory or conclusion? Is corroboration a one-way street?
How did the ancients discover and accept such a principle of quantum physics?
Friday, January 4, 2008
Quantum Physics and "Them Dry Bones"
Labels:
analysis,
discovery,
information paradox,
legend,
myth,
nonscientific,
philosophy,
physics,
quantum physics,
religion,
scientific,
theoretical,
universe
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