The Beginning of Infinity
Explanations that transform the W.O.R.L.D.
Someone suggested I read this book and I figured what better way to kick-start 2017.
I have always had a tender curiosity towards INFINITY …something that cannot be measured, but defined and comprehended in some way.
Can’t recall exactly when & where I came across this equation, but it is quite interesting for a curious mind — KNOWLEDGE = POWER.
I am an experiential learner and you’ll discover most of what I share is based on what I have experienced thus far in my life.
Experience + Theory = Knowledge
Ever wondered how scientists claim to know a lot about planets & stars several light years away.
Expiricists believe that we derive our knowledge from our sensory experience. It’s like our brain is a blank canvas and our experiences are painted on the canvas. Does that mean we are not the creators of knowledge, but mere buckets of receivers.
In contrary there is more. e.g. our Earth looks stationary, but we all know it’s not and it revolves around the sun in it’s orbit.
Apparently the source of knowledge is Theory & Conjecture. Said differently conjectures are guesswork & speculation, which can be further tested with a bunch of observations and experiments.
Both Ideas & Genes replicate themselves
Did you know one of the most fundamental function our Brain and DNA is capable of is storage of information. If you believe in evolution, it is based on this basic nature of replicator — that which contributes to itself, shall be copied.
Just like how genes are passed on to the next generation and new organism inherits and continues to copy it, an Idea can also be replicator.
A good joke when shared with someone will find it’s way spreading. So we might be able to say that most long-lasting ideas such as scientific theories, language, religious beliefs are replicators.
One core difference between genes and ideas is that, genes can replicate when dormant and ideas can replicate when shared. That is why it is so important to share your idea with others, not matter how good or bad you think it is.
Memes can shape how Cultures become static vs. dynamic
Storytelling is natural to people and we all love sharing them. Some stories are true, some are made up, some modified to suit the audience. In any event the process of creating & sharing such stories underpins a culture. The long lived ideas within cultures are also know as memes.
In a Static Culture the meme hardly changes when it moves from one generation to another. Even it does, it is so small, that it goes un-noticed.
In a Dynamic Culture a modified version of the meme is allowed so long as it is supported by critical thinking and/or scientific experiments.
Incremental systems of knowledge gives birth to Universality
Pictograms can be used to represent words by basically combining two or more symbols. They had specific meaning.
One day someone invented a way of combining symbols into any meaning — the birth of Alphabet. The beauty of Alphabet is it can cover every word possible.
What just happened here, an incremental improvement caused a system to jump into Universality where new forms of knowledge be authored.
I + Optimists believe anything is possible, as we don’t know what we will discover in the immediate next future
Thomas Malthus an economist from 1789 suggested that our humanity would stop progressing in 19th century. Did we really?
He missed an assumption in his calculation that is fundamental in our human condition. We do not yet know what we have not yet discovered.
“The harm that can flow from any innovation that does not destroy the growth of knowledge is always finite; the good can be unlimited.”
In the cosmic sense, knowledge makes humanity significant
Borrowing from Stephen Hawkins, humans are chemical byproducts on the surface of a planet that’s in a orbit around a star on the outskirts of a galaxy.
Our earth’s biosphere was incapable of supporting us humans. But we created knowledge, science & technology and converted our earth into a hospitable living space.
In the context of stellar explosions, our knowledge is almost insignificant. But I reckon, one day we might be able to prevent or control stellar explosion and express our influence into the cosmic space.
“It is true that we are on a (somewhat) typical planet of a typical star in a typical galaxy. But we are far from typical of the matter in the universe.”
Our physical world is made up multiple universes with varying histories.
What do you know of ‘doppelganger’ or ‘double’ a common them in science fiction movies such as Star Trek. Whilst one might thing, this is impossible in real world, and it only exists in sci-fi, think again.
In quantum theory, the idea of a doppelganger is not fictitious, but real.
In quantum physics, our universe is a multiverse, an infinite number of universes, each of which is initially identical to all the others. Said slightly differently, there are an infinite number of universes, which are all initially perfectly identical.
Despite these multiple universes having similar identical starting points, they are subject to the same laws of physics, which can lead them to writing different histories.
Future findings are unforeseeable & Scientific discoveries are not final
Physics currently has two interpretations of the world.
Quantum theory explains the behaviour of particles on an atomic and subatomic scale.
Einstein’s general theory of relativity describes gravity.
Both these theories operate on vastly different scales, and they are radically incompatible at the moment.
The good thing is our human mind is continuously looking into what is next which leads us to conjecture and speculation. The future is bright, for every idea starts as a spark of speculation.
What is your next big conjecture and/or speculation?
Our progress as humanity depends on our ability to create knowledge. We derive knowledge from our experiences and quest for critical thought. I see no immediate limitations to our progress and contribution to the bank of knowledge we are crediting.
In 2017, we will see startups creating ‘data banks’ and people joining ‘data unions’. This will enable us to create + contribute boundlessly. This phenomenon can also be framed as the “beginning of infinity” where us humans become significant in the cosmic scheme of things.
