Immortal Consciousness (eBook)

What comes after physics

God, freedom and immortality of soul are

the tasks that

all preparations of

metaphysics, as their ultimate and only

purpose, aim

to solve.

Immanuel Kant, Critique of the power of judgement

Monday 2 June afternoon

"Next, we will not discuss a theory, but first collect unexplained phenomena. Within the framework of these phenomena, questions will come up. Some of these questions we can answer right away, some later, some not at all. We will develop ideas about what might be behind the inexplicable phenomena. Only then do we try to bring everything together in a theory in order to get certainty as to the extent to which our ideas are credible. - If we are looking for the last level of explanations, if we want to get behind what makes up the reality of the cosmos as such, if we want to explore what comes after physics, then we have to look beyond the area that belongs to experientialscience. But how can one catch a glimpse of what is apparently not experiencable? For this we need a trick, which I would like to introduce with a parable."

Professor Allman is starting a movie. The start picture shows the Greek philosopher Plato. A speaker in the background reads the original text. While he speaks, his statements are illustrated by moving scenes.

Plato: The cave allegory.

Description of the situation of the prisoners

(translated by Friedrich Schleiermacher).

Next, I said, compare our nature in terms of education and ignorance to the following state. See people as in an underground, cave-like dwelling, which has an entrance open to the light along the entire cave. In the latter, they have been tied up at the neck and thighs since childhood, so that they remain in the same spot and only look forward, but are unable to turn their heads because of the bondage. But they have light from a fire that burns behind them from above and from far away.

Between the fire and the prisoners there is a path, along which there is a wall, like the barriers that the jugglers erect in front of the spectators, over which they perform their tricks. - I see, he said. - See now along this wall, people carrying all kinds of utensils, and statues and other stone and wooden pictures, and all kinds of work; some, as if naturally, talk, others are silent. - A very strange picture, he said, you represent strange prisoners. - Very much like us, I replied. For first, do you think that such people have ever seen anything other than the shadows cast by the fire on the wall of the cave opposite them? - How should they, he said, when they are forced to keep their heads immobile all their lives! - And of the one before him, not this one? - What else? - Now if they could talk to each other, do you not think that they would also be in the habit of naming what they saw? - Necessary. - And how, if their dungeon also had an echo from over there, do you think, if one of the passers-by spoke, they would think they were talking something other than the shadow that just passed by? - No, by Zeus, he said. - In no way, then, can they take anything for real other than the shadows of those works of art? - That's impossible. -

At that moment, Professor Allman turns off the film and begins with questions: "How do the prisoners see their reality?"

Dr. Maupertius, the philosopher, knows the answer: "The prisoners hold their cave for the whole world. They only see the shadows of events in reality or they hear the echo. Yes, they consider these shadows and the echo to be the whole reality. They have no idea what's real outside the cave."

"And for what is the story a parable, Dr Maupertius?"

"I think it is a parable for our own situation. We think the world we see and experience is also reality. But this world is for us like the cave of prisoners. We do not realize that much of what penetrates our limited world is information coming from outside about the true reality.

"What if someone told the prisoners that they see only the shadows of reality and that many shadows do not come from their own cave but from the much larger world outside?

"I think the prisoners would not believe it at first. Maybe at some point they would start to think. And then you would try to find out which are their own shadows and which are from the outside! Little by little, they would learn about the world outside that is happening behind them. I should like to emphasise it: The condition is that someone must make the prisoners aware that such a world outside exists."

"Thank you, Dr Maupertius. You have highlighted the artifice necessary for us to learn about what lies outside or behind our own limited world! - We must be ready to acknowledge that this reality exists behind everything we know. And we must become aware that the signals from outside are crossing the border to us. Then we will learn to differentiate the observed phenomena according to those that take place inside and those that take place outside our limitation. The information that reaches us across the border will allow us to draw conclusions about the big picture."

Professor Geiger, the particle physicist, has tasted blood: "Tell me, Professor Allman, where do you think I'll find the limit?" he asks excitedly.

"Step lively, Professor Geiger! First we need two new terms! Tell me, Professor Geiger, as a physicist, how would you describe the field of science that is part of our experience?

"There is a term belonging to the theory of relativity called 'space-time'. However, one would have to say a few explanatory words about it first. I think the term 'space-time-universe' would be more appropriate at the moment! - Maybe RZU for short."

Professor Allman writes the new term on foil, paints an oval around it and projects the result in the middle of the room. Then he turns to Professor Geiger again: "If you now think of another term for the entire field, then I could complete the presentation.

"I propose the Continuum."

"And now we need a term for the area of the continuum that does not belong to the RZU."

"Vacuum" is the right word. However, I would like to emphasize that the term as we have defined it does not correspond to the physical concept of quantum vacuum, because the properties do not match.

"What properties we assign to the vacuum will be seen in the course of the course. I still like the term and so I will use it with pleasure, even though we may not be able to achieve complete agreement with the term quantum vacuum." Professor Allman completes his drawing.

Someone who has not yet come forward, the computer scientist Paul Aiken, asks a question: "Why is the space-time universeembedded in the continuum in your diagram, Professor Allman?

"I think we should define the 'Continuum' as 'the totality of all that exists'. That's why the RZU's scientific department, which is part of our experience, is apart of it."

"And what does the black crossed arrow mean?"

"The RZU is not isolated. Information penetrates from the vacuum into the RZU area. Information also goes in the opposite direction. The crossed arrow is meant to symbolize this flow of information."

"If I understand you correctly, we humans are located at the RZU and we should learn to distinguish how and where information enters or leaves the RZU from the vacuum.

"That's exactly how I imagine it!", Professor Allman is pleased to see Aiken's thinking.

Aiken remains skeptical. "But where exactly is this line?"

Professor Allman explains: "To answer your question, I must first discuss another double-slit experiment. This time I will explain the experiment with single light particles, i.e. photons instead of electrons. A metal plate with two narrow slits stands in the way of the photons. An observation screen is mounted behind it. The light source Q is a small laser, similar to a laser pointer used to explain presentations. The light from the laser can be regulated and attenuated to such an extent that only a single particle of light leaves the laser every second. The question of what happens when, for example, the full laser beam is directed at the double slit can be easily answered". Professor Allman projects the schematic image of the experiment (Figure 8) into the room. The middle and lower graphs remain covered for the time being.

"You can see it entered in the schematic above. The interference fringes occur as we know them from the double-gap experiment with the electrons. The wavy line to the right of the observation screen should represent the distribution of brightness. The crest of the wave means 'light strip' and the trough of the wave means 'dark strip'."

Aiken is curious: "What pattern is created when you cover one of the two columns?"

"If I cover a gap, the interference bands disappear. There is only one bright stripe left." For explanation, Professor Allman shows the rest of the graph and then continues with his presentation.

"Now comes the interesting question: What happens if you attenuate the laser to such an extent that only one single light particle leaves the source per second? Will there be interference?" Professor Allman pauses and looks questioningly into the course room. The participants have to think for a moment.

The physicist...