The reality is not as obvious and simple as we like to think.
Some of the things that we accept as true and take at face value are notoriously wrong.
Scientists and philosophers have made every effort to change our common perceptions of it. The 10 examples below will show you what I mean.
1. Big Freeze.
Big Freeze is the theory of the final state that our universe is heading toward. The universe has a limited supply of energy. According to this theory, when that energy finally runs out, the universe will devolve into a frozen state.
The thermal energy produced by the motion of the particles will gradually wear out, which means that eventually, this particle motion will slow down and, presumably, one day, everything will stop.
2. Solipsism.
Solipsism is a philosophical theory, which asserts that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. At first, it seems silly, but if you think about it, it really is impossible to verify anything but your own consciousness.
To check this out, take a moment to recall all the dreams that you have experienced in your life. Is it not possible that everything around you is nothing but an incredibly intricate dream? But, you may say, there are people and things around us that we cannot doubt because we can hear, see, smell, taste, and feel them, right?
Yes, and no. People who take LSD, for example, say that they can touch the most convincing hallucinations, but we do not claim that their visions are a “reality”. Your dreams can simulate sensations as well. After all, what you perceive is just a product of the information processing that takes place in different sections of your brain.
As a result, which parts of existence can we not doubt? Probably none. Each of us can only be sure of their own thoughts.
3. Idealism
George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything exists as an idea in someone’s mind. Berkley discovered that some of his peers considered his theory to be stupid. The story goes that one of his opponents kicked a stone with his eyes closed and said, “I disprove it thus!”
The idea was that if the stone really only existed in his imagination, he could not have kicked it with his eyes closed. The way Berkeley refuted this is hard to understand, especially in these days. He argued that there was an omnipotent and omnipresent God who was able to see everything simultaneously.
4. Plato and the Logos.
Everybody has heard of Plato. He is one of the world’s most famous philosophers. Like all philosophers, he had a few things to say about the nature of reality. He argued that beyond our perceived reality, there lies a world of “perfect” forms.
Everything that we see is just a shade, an imitation of how things truly are. To learn more about these ideas, read about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which is a sort of the ‘Matrix‘ in its ancient version.
Plato argued that by studying philosophy, we have a chance of catching a glimpse of how things truly are and discovering the perfect forms of everything we perceive.
In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything is made of a single substance. This means (according to him) that everything – from stars in the sky to the dust under your bed – consists of the same basic material, but in a different form. With the discovery of atoms and molecules, it has been proven true to an extent.
5. Presentism.
Time is something that we perceive as a reality. Of course, we usually divide it into the past, present and future. Presentism argues that the past and the future are imagined concepts while only the present is real.
In other words, today’s breakfast and every word of this article will cease to exist after you finish reading it until you open it to read it again. The future is just as imaginary because the time cannot exist before and after it happened, as claimed by St. Augustine.
6. Eternalism.
Eternalism is the exact opposite of presentism. This is a philosophical theory that says that time is multi-layered. All layers of the time exist simultaneously, but the measurement is determined by the observer. What they see depends on which point they are looking at.
Thus, dinosaurs, Queen Victoria and Justin Bieber all exist simultaneously but can only be observed from a specific location. If one takes this view of reality, then the future is hopeless and the deterministic free will is illusory.
7. The Brain in a Jar
The “brain in a jar” thought experiment is a question discussed by thinkers and scientists who, like most people, believe that one’s understanding of reality depends solely on their subjective feelings.
So, what is the essence of this thought experiment? Imagine that you are just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. How would you know? And can you truly deny the possibility that this is your reality?
This is a modern interpretation of Descartes’ evil demon problem. This thought experiment leads to the same conclusion: we cannot confirm the actual existence of anything except our consciousness.
If this seems to sound reminiscent of the movie “The Matrix“, it is only because this idea was part of the very basis of the story. Unfortunately, in reality, we have no red pills…
8. The Multiverse Theory
Anyone who has not spent the last ten years on a desert island has heard of “the multiverse” or parallel universes at least once. As many of us have seen, parallel words, in theory, are worlds very similar to ours, with little (or in some cases, large) changes or differences. The multiverse theory speculates that there could exist an infinite number of these alternate realities.
What’s the point? In a parallel reality, you may be living in the opposite corner of the world or may have already died in a car crash. In another one, you might have never even been born because your parents never met. The probabilities are endless.
9. Fictional realism.
This is probably the most fascinating branch of the multiverse theory. Superman is real. Yes, some of you would probably choose a different story, for argument’s sake, Harry Potter might be real too.
This branch of the theory argues that given an infinite number of universes, everything must exist somewhere. So, all of our favorite fiction and fantasy may be descriptive of an alternate universe, one where all the right pieces came into place to make it happen.
10. Phenomenalism.
Everyone is interested in what happens to things when we aren’t looking at them. Scientists have carefully studied this problem and some of them came to a simple conclusion – they disappear. Well, not quite like this.
Phenomenalist philosophers believe that objects only exist as a phenomenon of consciousness. So, your laptop is only here while you are aware of it and believe in its existence, but when you turn away from it, it ceases to exist until you or someone else interacts with it. There is no existence without perception. This is the root of phenomenalism.
Which of these mind-blowing theories about the nature of reality appeal to you most of all? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
H/T listverse.com
art by Victoria Audouard
The Brain in a Jar:
Like the “Matrix”?
this author didn’t do his research. a few of these “theories,” have already been proven in the quantum science field, for example the last one, that’s already known as “The Observer Effect.” the fact that it’s proven is baffling to scientists as to why the public hasn’t cared more… or another example, the higgs-boson particle, could be tied into the plato part. should be re-written
ON ANOTHER NOTE.
REALLY YOU GUYS.
ITS NOT THAT COMPLICATED. THEY’RE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING.
KEEP TRYING TO EXPLAIN AWAY RATIONALIZE ETC YOURE JUST GETTING FURTHER & FURTHER AWAY
my self and many others try to explain life but we get turned away by saying sorry trouble feeding back. so it’s the truth we comment they don’t like. been having these problems all the time. did I say there is No freedom speech. we are like ants working to feed the governments pockets, if you step in and cause problems they will step on you and wait for the next ant,
Die it’s our absolute reality so how i ll spend my sad reality that every moments of it deserve to be an eternity for me and the spontaneity can resolve my endless desire to every moment of it ( joy ,sadness,…) and cherise it or just to live for something like your satisfaction of your body maybe or like an angel to try to forget your moment and live in the past and the dreams or just live like humain ,who is everything and nothing ,who is the ideal and the evil who really can find hapinness when they are no hurt between His-Self ,his body&soul ,his love&hate (Faith btwn onscious&unconscious ) ,his pardon&angriness ( respect for your feelings) ,his kindness&hurt (Honor for the most deserved dream to every humains to spend his life on it.
. . . THINK I AM GOING TO LOVE THIS WEBSITE – THERE IS ENOUGH HERE – TO KEEP ME BUSY ( SMILE ) FOR A MONTH OF SUNDAYS – AS IT WERE . . .
. . . PLEASE DO NOT MINE MY DOTS & DASHES – FOR SOME OF MY BEST WORK ON THE INTERNET ( SMILE ) HAS BEEN DONE THIS WAY – THANK YOU . . .
. . . WISH TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL WRITER & OWN A CHAIN OF BOOKSTORES ( 50/50 ) NATION WIDE ( AM SEEKING FUNDS – NEEDED TO FINANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MY WRITING CAREER ) SO THAT MY AIM & GOAL TO ESTABLISH A LITERARY CAREER ( BOOKS / MAGAZINE / NEWSLETTERS / BOOKSTORE CHAIN / ETC ) WILL BECOME A REALITY – LETS PRAY PLEASE . . .
The best theory here is fictional realism !! 😛
I agree to disagree with you. But hey that’s what makes the world go around people with different opinions.
Killer post. Very interesting ideas.
I believe “Eternalism” is a fact. I base this upon my belief in God and His apparent omniscience, which is defined as being His infallible foreknowledge. In our universe, we can only know about an incident after time has passed that includes the incident, unless we have some specific control over the incident. The same must apply to God also. His foreknowledge cannot be infallible unless He specifically controls all time or has somehow already experienced all time. If God’s foreknowledge is based upon present conditions, then we are not free to do as we wish. If we have no free will, then we cannot be held responsible for our actions. However, if God’s foreknowledge is based upon time related events that have already occurred for Him, then He can be omniscient and we can have free will. Apparently, even though all the events of our life have already occurred, we are not consciously aware of them until we experience them in our allotted time or in other words, until they are actualized for us. This apparently is God’s controlled way of teaching us both the good and bad of being free-will creatures or in our case, human individuals or persons. If this is true, and I think it is, then we must realize that any God with that much disciplinary control would not actualize a project until every free-will person involved would be taught, one way or another, to be a good person for goodness sake alone. Knowledgeable people realize that evil or manifest selfishness is self-destructive and manifest good or unselfishness is self-perpetuating. Therefore, it is apparently God’s will that we all become unreservedly unselfish as individuals. It is obvious that some are quicker to learn than others, but nevertheless, I am sure that just discipline will cause everyone to see the merits of being unselfish. That, in my opinion, is the whole purpose of our existence.
On “eternalism:” Even if the future is already existing, say, in the mind of God, it doesn’t necessarily contradict the notion of free will. Free will means being able to choose by your own accord. Knowing what you will choose does not mean that your choices are not what you intend to choose.
Proof: If you look at the past, you already know the choices you have made. And yet your present self’s knowledge of that doesn’t mean that your past self couldn’t make his choices by his own accord. Knowing that you went to McDonald’s for lunch doesn’t mean you didn’t intend to go there.
Also, we can predict certain choices based on certain people’s characteristics, say, that a Bieber fan would buy his next album if she had the chance. And yet knowing this doesn’t mean that this Belieber didn’t have free will. In fact, her will to support Justin Bieber is what enabled us to predict her future choices. (whoever said Justin Bieber and philosophy are incompatible?)
I believe “Eternalism” is a fact. I base this upon my belief in God and His apparent omniscience, which is defined as being His infallible foreknowledge. In our universe, we can only know about an incident after time has passed that includes the incident, unless we have some specific control over the incident. The same must apply to God also.
His foreknowledge cannot be infallible unless He specifically controls all time or has somehow already experienced all time. If God’s foreknowledge is based upon present conditions, then we are not free to do as we wish. If we have no free will, then we cannot be held responsible for our actions. However, if God’s foreknowledge is based upon time related events that have already occurred for Him, then He can be omniscient and we can have free will.
Apparently, even though all the events of our life have already occurred, we are not consciously aware of them until we experience them in our allotted time or in other words, until they are actualized for us. This apparently is God’s controlled way of teaching us both the good and bad of being free-will creatures or in our case, human individuals or persons. If this is true, and I think it is, then we must realize that any God with that much disciplinary control would not actualize a project until every free-will person involved would be taught, one way or another, to be a good person for goodness sake alone.
Knowledgeable people realize that evil or manifest selfishness is self-destructive and manifest good or unselfishness is self-perpetuating. Therefore, it is apparently God’s will that we all become unreservedly unselfish as individuals. It is obvious that some are quicker to learn than others, but nevertheless, I am sure that just discipline will cause everyone to see the merits of being unselfish. That, in my opinion, is the whole purpose of our existence.
I did not read any comments, that would take way too long. Anybody reading this should REALLY read the works of Philip K. Dick. all of them. and then just for kicks, pick up a copy of the necronomicon or any other collected works of H.P Lovecraft. You will find there is much more to him than he who sleeps dead but dreaming. Only after that, remember what was written in this article.
We do not possess enough imagination to sense what we are missing – Jean Toomer. Referenced by Dr. Rick Strassman in his book, “DMT- The Spirit Molecule”, I think this quote sums up exceptionally well the feeling I have about these theories, having read and further explored some of the findings in Dr. Strassman´s research experiments with Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), one of the most powerful hallucinogenics known to man. I believe that it is hard for me to comprehend the full implication of many of these theories under the influence of my every-day, limited brain-chemistry.
Consider…..”What God is is is itself” We have free will as Nil posted earlier
I went through this post minutely. This is very interesting and informative. Great post.
I have a comment about your perception of Fictional realism.
You say that if there are an infinite number of universes, every universe will exist. This is obviously false.
If you start counting 0,2,4,6,8,10… you will have infinite numbers, but you will still never have 1.
He who knows doesn’t speak
He who speaks doesn’t know
I don’t know
But when I click the little x you will all be gone
Or maybe I’m wrong
It happens all the time
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. —Arthur C. Clark
I can disprove some of these although since I am not a renowned theorist of any sort my beliefs and understanding of each of these theories would not be taken seriously. So I’ll just have to use the theory against itself. For example theories 6, 8 and 9 deal with some sort of multiverse or parallel universes.
#9 for example states that given a infinite number of universes everything must exist somewhere. Really? How about a universe where other universes don’t exist? In this theory this place must be reality but it also can’t be a reality. This theory would create a paradox and thus have reason for disproval in my opinion. I know my opinion means !@#$.
#6 States, “All time exists simultaneously, but the measurement is determined by the observer”. Ok sounds cool and maybe this is just me but if a certain time can only be measured by a certain observer then whats the point? In other words, take yourself living in the present for example. At the same time in some other universe dinosaurs exist. However, if you can only determine, measure and observe your time, this is the only time that exist for you. Metallica put it best by saying, “Nothing else matters”. Everything else such as other times existing would be considered speculation at best. Meh…
I’m choosing not to talk much about #8. I only have one thing to say, it suffers from the same problem as #9.
The only reason why such theories exist is because someone thought well if one universe can exist (ours) maybe another one can as well, or not. I say lets understand our own first and then move from there.
Chaotic Fractal Universe: The God of Emergent Complexity
Consider the idea of fractals applied to intelligent design. This is all rash speculation, but I’m getting a bit tired of NOT finding this idea anywhere, and disappointed that apparently nobody is thinking it.
The idea is that a God/Omnipotent Being or my own title for this (Divine Creator) set initial conditions and the most basic of physical rules (think as close to basic bitwise operations performed on the smallest subatomic particle states). maybe even simpler still, this being just looked at a perfect point in the future and iterated backwards until the initial conditions became clear. This being would be capable of looking at the universe at any point in time simply by applying the chaotic fractal formula (whatever he came up with at the beginning of time that is) and iterating until he got there.
If the above were true, it would only make sense (at least to us humans, who perpetually seek a pupose to life) that this God had a motivation for doing all of this. I look at the strongest prevailing complexity in the Universe known to man…which is…wait for it…MAN! Then I look at how we got here, and where we are heading in time. Compare this to our knowledge of how the Universe formed and add in a splash of any animal, idea, physical rule, stellar formation, etc… and consider why those things persist. They persist because they have, for a time, been successful at persisting. Things that are successful at persisting can only sustain for a time. When a thing dies that has persisted for a time, no other thing quite like it will ever exist; however, if the thing is capable of reproducing itself in anyway OR conditions surrouding its creation maintain a certain stability, another of its kind (but not exactly like it) will take its place (in a way). This new form is either better or worse at persisting than the former, and the longer it persists, the greater the chance of it passing on its traits to another of its kind. If the thing does not reproduce, but its surrounding conditions could produce another of its kind, we shall call the things and its surroundings a life. After all, a seed cannot grow without the earth beneath it(this is largely disprovable, but the gist is that it requires certain conditions to be met that are not up to its parent). When conditions change, things who’s changes from generation to generation are the most robust over time tend to persist as a kind. Lets look at kinds. I will give that life is a kind. Planets are a kind, stars are a kind, humans are a kind, animals are a kind and galaxies are a kind. Each of these things has the potential to reproduce or be reproduced, and if we look at the evolution of each of these kinds we see that over time(I’m talking a LOT of time) through generations, they gradually became more complex and more robust (better at persisting). There is a name for this: Emergent Complexity. Finally, back to my point: Emergent Complexity is THE MOST IMPORTANT PHENOMENA in the Universe. It will always happen, and is unstoppable. A kind or two may cease to exist here and there, but this process will always exist somewhere in some form. To rate things involved in this process, I personally look at a thing’s complexity. While my personal observation of complexity is undoubtedly flawed, I’m sure there is an effective metric that would demonstrate human beings as being the most complex kind (known to human beings at least). If I hazard another wild guess, I’d say that the Universe can hold a certain number of kinds liken to or more complex than us. If this is the case, is it NOT evident that a GOD that set initial conditions for a Universe such as ours to form, was doing so just for this purpose? I believe that whatever you call it (Divine Creator, for me), had the most powerful motivation that could possibly exist. Clearly, this being created a Universe that would produce another of its kind.
Think about that… If you followed all that lol. I lack formatting skills.
As Im typing this, I wonder if there is really anyone actually reading this or maybe my consciousness is the only thing that real. But if there is than I’ve something to say about your opinion (#87 comment) and this is of course, my opinion.
You said that if everything must exist somewhere than the theory would create a paradox because there is “a universe where other universes don’t exist” but I think you take it too literally. The funny thing is that I was joking about that when I heard the theory, but it was a joke, of course. The theory just mean that in different universe, different stuff could exist either just slightly different or significantly different. For example, in a different universe I may decide not to write this and therefore its different than ours or maybe mankind can use magic because energy can be create on it own in a different universe and therefore Harry Potter is real. So your theory may sound right at first but its not what the original theory meant.
As for #6, I remember someone once said time can be considered a dimension just like our 3 space dimension that we know (I think Einstein said it). So consider time is a dimension, its possible to have different time exist simultaneously just like space dimension. Im not saying that Im agree with the idea that time is a dimension itself but rather a different point of view.
But its not like Im only disagree with you, I also disagree with some of the theory like 1 and 3. As for the 1st theory, its really disappointed me but not because of the idea itself. This is my opinion after all but according to the law of conservation of energy or at least thats what I think it was, energy cant be create or disappeared on their own, its just changing from 1 form to another. Thats the basis of principle of physics so the fact that energy’ll run out is against the law. The real problem is that changing the energy that is already used back to something we could use. Its not the idea itself that disappointed me because I used to think that way but its the lack of knowledge that disappointed me. #3 talk about idealism but I think their version is different than mine so Im not gonna talk much. But think about it, my laptop just run out of battery and Im pretty sure its not my idea or anyone that I know of (Ok maybe my mom can have that idea), I dont even notice it until its already off.
Thats just my own opinion base on what my consciousness tell me so think about it.
I wonder, if one of their fingers is severed, would the blood that flows out from where the cut finger was be just a pigment of imagination. How might they consider the cut off finger too.
first, keep pushing the envelope in every direction possible… but, with this kind of thinking could lead to….not so good thinking.
EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE….
youre really doing the things you do tho……
well, here’s my theory.
I EXISTS!
To comprehend the range of human ideas…its amazing.The basic behind them being non provable makes philosophy a charming field,but its really great to consider the wide possible range of possibilities.
I believe a mix of 2+3+ 10.
2 + 3 = consciousness that governs reality: yours and those who you care about.
10 = because of 2+3
All previous commentors, especially the one quoting Metallica, should do some of your own reading on such subjects; I would start with ‘The Dancing Wu Li Masters’ – a fairly simple read that will get you up to date (about 1990 or so) on the advancement and discoveries of quantum physics over the last millenia or so… then start commenting on theories. Otherwise, when you start making comments on how a multi-verse sounds stupid, you’ll know then that some of the things you “know”, also sound stupid.
I believe full heartedly in fictional realism. Rule 34.
I think that there is no way to really know what created everything or why, and even if we could know our brains would just shut down because it was to complicated or simple for us to continue our existence knowing. I just except that I’m here and it’s neat.
The theory isn’t that the universe’s energy supply will “run out” – that would violate a basic law of physics. The notion is that the universe will expand to the point that the average amount of matter/energy per unit of volume will become negligible. The end result may not make much difference to us, but that’s no reason to slander physics 🙂
Multiverse theory suck’s simply because the universe is infinte by definition, and its imposible to have more than one infinite,hope this makes sense.Also paralel universes are imposible, even in an infinite universe there is no repetition. sorry for my english.
Does a tree make a sound when it falls if no one is there to hear it
Even if we do not use on a regular basis a metanarrative/ontological framework as described above to describe our own universe, that doesn’t mean we aren’t running into these ideas as they are expressed in movies or other obvious forms of media. Who hasn’t seen a philip k dick inspired movie?
My perception has not been changed… 🙂 but all the same, great read
There are so many ways to look at life. Changing the way you interpret things will shift your perception of the world around you. Every one of these theories can alter your perception, thereby changing your world. I think it’s cool.
Listen to the mockingbird sing his song,
who’s to say if he’s right or wrong?
The sands of time keep passing by,
should we even wonder why?
THE TRUTH IS BURIED DEEP IN THE SKY.
Fictional Realism!
Me and my friends have a HUGE free-form RP based on that.
The idea is “All universes exist, many of them make tweaky copies of themselves, and the story you know from a universe might not be the most ‘famous’ story in the universe itself.”
For example, in Universe #457, Khan looks like Montalban. In Universe #514, he looks like Cumberbatch. In Universe 4,519, he looks like Dukat the Cardassian… yeah…
Also, “Frog and Toad are Friends” is a reallllllly popular book in the mulitverses. (look it up.)
awesome
The only thing here that blew my mind was that someone said the energy in the universe would “run out.” Energy doesn’t run out; it merely changes form.
it’s look like the thought of Picasso’s imagination,fantastic.unbelievable action figure!
@han
The “universe running out of energy theory” is based on mostly thermodynamics and entropy. Feel free to do your own research and draw your own conclusions.
Love all 10 Views.
Want to research more? Watch all the episodes of: Morgan Freeman’s Through the Wormhole and Steven Hawkings Into the Universe.
@han
The easiest way to explain how/why it would “run out” is that one theory is dark matter and dark energy exist in extreme abundance and will slowly, unfortunately, cause the cosmos to slowly separate and the power of gravity cannot keep it all together. Dark Matter and Gravity slow the expansion, but Dark Energy accelerates it.
… when the galaxies/cosmos are separated, they will continue to drift or halt per se.
“the total mass–energy of the universe contains 4.9% ordinary matter, 26.8% dark matter and 68.3% dark energy”
If multiverses are a reality, wouldn’t that prove Gods existence? I mean, if there is an infinite amount of universes, at least one is bound to contain God, according to how this site puts the theory. That also means that there is one universe where everyone go when they die, and that is what us humans call heaven.
Not that I am a christian or anything, it just struck my mind one night when I laid in my bed and thought about the world and how we perceive it
My little sister once said “what if we are all dreaming and when we die we wake up and then everything is real…(I blamed The Matrix)
how old is your sister? she must be a wunderkind!
Some awesome theories here, but missing a few decent ones as well. The string theory for example, that every choice we could possibly make branches off into separate universes (or something like that its been a while since I had to really read into it), or the more ludicrous idea of the timecube theory that there are 4 different planes in which time exists at the same time.
It seems like most of the “theories” here are really saying the same thing, i.e. the solipsist point of view. And some of the commenters, perhaps even the article’s author, really need to look into what a scientific theory is (hint: it’s not just a belief system, or an idea, or what scientists would call a hypothesis).
Also, I totally agree with @han, there is no danger of energy “running out”; the basic physics principle of Conservation of Energy, which says roughly what han said (and has scads of evidence to back it up), ensures that; and Thermodynamics does nothing to change that fact. All that will likely happen is that most — perhaps all — of that energy might get “bound up” in a form that we can’t easily use to perform useful work. If you want to read about what entropy really is, try this article.
Nice list! I don’t know if this has been posted before, but you could have included Eternal return.
i like this