Boltzmann Brain: A Thermodynamics Paradox
“This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact, it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!” — Douglas Adams
Imagine a hypothetical scenario in which you find yourself lost in a reverie, reminiscing on an awkward moment from your childhood. Perhaps it was a foolish attempt to impress your crush or something stupid. As you indulge in this mental excursion, suddenly you got awaken and discovered that you are floating in a wondrous and enigmatic location.
No matter where your gaze falls, not a single sight is familiar to you. Lost in a surreal world, you feel as disoriented as Rip Van Winkle, completely unaware of how reality has transformed so suddenly. Perhaps you might be thinking, “Is this a figment of my imagination? Where did things go wrong?” — grappling with the bewildering situation at hand.
At first glance, this scenario may appear to be lifted from pages of a strange and fantastical tale like SCP foundation or a pulp science-fiction magazine. However, there is a rationale behind such situation.
Statistical Mechanics tells us that — all improbable, but possible events can occur if there is enough time.
Consider a more sensible hypothetical scenario in which 10 fair coins are tossed. Although it may seem implausible, it is indeed possible for 10 out of 10 coins to land on heads. I agree that the probability of such an occurrence is exceedingly low, but given enough trial, it is inevitable that this unlikely outcome will eventually happen.
Thinking from a similar line, our universe also comprises of countless elementary particles, and all structures in it are kind of formed out of those elementary particles only. If an adequate amount of time is given, even the most improbable structures can emerge through random chance.
Now, in its core, the human brain is composed of fundamental elements that adhere to the fundamental laws of Physics. As such, if given enough time, it is possible for similar arrangements of these particles to arise randomly in the vast expanse of the space.
If particles were to spontaneously arrange themselves in a manner that mirrored the configuration of the human brain, the resulting structure would harbor similar emotions, memories, and knowledge to that of the original brain only.
Effectively, it would be a clone of original brain, existing in an independent and distinct space and time.
This hypothetical brain is commonly known as the Boltzmann Brain.
Now, the possibility of a cloned brain existing in a different temporal frame and experiencing similar events to the original brain is a conundrum. For example, both brains would hold the assumption that the current age of the universe is the same, despite their unique temporal positioning.
This raises a philosophical dilemma. Which brain is perceiving the true reality. It is conceivable that both brains are experiencing their own individual realities.
Does that mean objective reality really doesn’t exist? If so, then we will have to rethink all our assumptions about the natural world, because the fundamental laws of Physics are based on the assumption that natural laws are human independent and objectively true.
“The BB (Boltzmann Brain) scenario relies on the fact that the laws of physics are Markovian (memoryless)… A photograph of a birthday party from twenty years ago is highly correlated with what happened at the party. Boltzmann fluctuations have no such correlations; just because a photo fluctuates into existence, it doesn’t follow that a birthday party must have fluctuated years earlier.” — From Why Boltzmann Brains Are Bad
It can be postulated that our comprehension of physics and the nature of reality may also be fallacious. After all, we rely on a brain composed of elementary particles to observe and describe the workings of nature. It is plausible that our perception of reality is deceptive and subject to errors, much like how a cloned brain may deceive itself into accepting a false reality.
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” — Albert Einstein
In summary, the Boltzmann brain concept serves as a reductio ad absurdum, highlighting the shortcomings in our current understanding of the fundamental principle of nature. The argument also emphasises the significance of including the nature of consciousness and the mind in our interpretations of reality. Ignoring these factors may lead to incomplete or flawed perceptions of the universe.
References:
1. Sean Carroll | Richard Feynman on Boltzmann Brains
2. Sean Carroll | Why Boltzmann Brains Are Bad
3. PBS Space Time | Are You a Boltzmann Brain
4. Mike McRae | A Physicist Explains Why Humans Probably Didn't Pop Into Existence Last Tuesday
5. ChatGPT | https://chat.openai.comThank you for taking the time to read this article. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Email: roy.sourov98@gmail.com
