Is our Physical Reality an Illusion?

[kyle_baron]

<font color="yellow"><br />That discussion of whether a black hole might be a portal to another dimension somehow makes me think of two mice discussing whether the mousetrap might be some kind of teleportation mechanism. <br /><br />If you enter a black hole, you will die. You'll die long before you even enter the event horizon.</font><br /><br />Excellent analogy. LOL! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>

 

[thamior]

Its hard to say wether our physical reality is an illusion... I'm not really sure about any of it so I imagine all i could ever offer you is only more questions that have answers that are so far away that they are almost nonexistant. I do believe that space can be torn and is torn all the time. I mean...isn't that basically what a black hole is? an irrepairable hole in the fabric of space-time? Think about it... A singularity is a point in space where density is infinite. A singualrity is at the center of a black hole (if I'm not mistaken). An infinitely deep dent in fabric is a "hole." Wether this "hole" leads to other dimensions, alternate universes, or certain death, i certainly can't say, But I'm positive that it leads to one of these. I mean...if it doesn't lead to one of these where could it possibly lead?? Another point in time maybe...It's possible i suppose. <br /><br /> But back to the topic...Is reality an illusion?? I certainly don't think its all an illusion..There are so many things that can't be seen by any methods and it can't all be illusion, though some of the things that we call "substantial" or "physical" may very well be just that...an illusion...tricks being played on us by some higher being. These are my scientific thoughts on the subject, but I'm a Christian so I also have religious beliefs. In the bible it says that God created the heavens and the Earth. I believe that our mortal lives om Earth are Illusion but when we die we have begun the true Life that we will live for the rest of eternity, wether it be in Heaven or Hell. And considering that the bible tells us that God is good and not evil, I am also led to believe that he would not decieve us...That there actually is a heaven and that we may only reach it through his son Jesus Christ. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>--What is the truth but a wisp of truly un-attainable information.  There is no absolute truth anyways, only false perceptions and misgivings.--     </p> </div>

 

[kyle_baron]

Amen Brother. As far as the singularity goes, a singularity as a point in space, never made sence to me. I like SlipString's view: "The core of a blackhole is not a singularity, but a ball of compactified individual strings, a few tens of meters across." This means there is no matter at the center of a blackhole, because it's been all squeezed out. This would be a good example of E=mc^2. Where mass is converted to energy, which also has it's own gravitational field. My hat's off to SlipString, who recently joined SDC. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

<font color="yellow">Thamior - But back to the topic...Is reality an illusion?? </font><br /><br />Even though this is a fairly old thread, recently revived a couple of posts ago, "I'll bite." <br />(I usually don't contribute to Thread Resurrections as it is against my religion to disturb the previously deceased.)<br /><br /><i>Is reality an illusion?</i><br /><br />My answer is "Yes." But, I have to qualify that answer.<br /><br />What is "reality?"<br /><br />We can define reality as that which encompasses everything we can perceive. However, the study of all natural things tells us that there are forces and phenomenon that are outside of our perception. Furthermore, there are some things that can not be directly measured but can only be indirectly measured because of their nature. There are very real possibilities that other universes or dimensions exist that operate under completely different rulesets. Rules which have no direct analogue to those within our own perceived universe but somehow, through some interaction, may be able to be indirectly observed affecting change within our own universe.<br /><br />Consider a rock. The entirety of the perceptable qualities of that rock exist in our Universe. However, the totality of the very essence of all of the qualities that result in our concept of "rock" do not, necessarily, exist within our observable Universe. It may be impossible to directly observe all of the characteristics, laws and interactions that make up our definition of "rock" yet there it sits, oblivious to our bewilderment. Subtle and immutable forces may be at work which traverse the boundaries of our observable Universe into territories of unknown dimensions and quasi-realities. A rock can pose a multitude of unanswered or unanswerable questions.<br /><br />If parts of our experience pass beyond the boundary of what is directly "observable" then you could say that all which we perceive in our Universe is not only what is just possible for us <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[weeman]

If anyone enjoys this subject, I would recommend reading "The Holographic Universe".<br /><br />The only thing that I often wonder that might pertain to this subject, is whether each living thing perceives the Universe in the same way. For example, if I love the taste of peanut butter, and someone else absolutely despises it, how can we be 100% positive that we are even tasting the same thing? <br /><br />It's kind of a far fetched question, but one of the things that I have pondered in the past <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[search]

String theory is very elegant but also very hard to prove except on the paper for the time being.<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />I ask you another question: Are we living all the same illusion?

 

[thamior]

personally i prefer the theory about the singularity. <br /><br />"Are we living all the same illusion?"<br /><br />This is a great question and there really isn't a way to answer it I don't think...I mean there is no way for us to study it or observe anything at all...sometimes I wonder if we are all living in our own little illusion and I think that if this were true, even you and the other people on this website are just little programs in my reality..Maybe in someone elses reality I'm just a little program that makes a small dent in that timeline... I certainly don't have an answer to your question. <br /> <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>--What is the truth but a wisp of truly un-attainable information.  There is no absolute truth anyways, only false perceptions and misgivings.--     </p> </div>

 

[kyle_baron]

<font color="yellow"><br />String theory is very elegant but also very hard to prove except on the paper for the time being. </font><br /><br />True, but me thinks, that the people here at SDC who vehemently reject String Theory, either don't understand it enough, or they are impatient. I mean really, it's only been 39 years, since they've used the theory to fully describe the strong force's numerous properties in one fell swoop! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> I believe String Theory will either live or die, when the Large Hadron Collider goes on line at Cern, LATER THIS YEAR. Questions like: Do particles have Supersymetric Partners? And the Extra Dimensions of String Theory, may or may not be answered.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>

 

[search]

I am not a rejecter I can assure you and I am extremely excited about the 7TeV LHC. It is so much powerfull than anything else before. Can you imagine a collision at 14TeV...<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[R1]

<font color="yellow">I agree with harmonicaman: In my opinion, no. The black hole is a place where static "m" and "E" (mass and energy) is collapsed together in a solid state of rest. <br /><br />Time and space ("c") is forced to infinitely curve around this solid area of mass, so there is no time or space available to create a dimensional portal -- the "m" does not possess the capability to do anything by itself, the presence of "c" is necessary for any interactions to occur. <br /></font><br /><br />however, when theres no time available, you would probably have to wait till the end of the universe to witness a black hole evaporating, though, wouldn't you? (there was something said about a black hole evaporating in a post above)<br /> <br />so for practical purposes, no, I don't think the black hole will evaporate, <br />or,<br /><br /> more specifically, I don't think a<br />singularity can completely evaporate without you having to wait almost an infinite amount of time to allow it time to do such thing<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

I still wonder what ever happened to harmonicaman.<br />Maybe he typed with his toes? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[ianke]

Hi john1R,<br /><br />According to the theory of hawking radiation, even a black hole of 1 solar mass would take 1*10^67 years to evaporate. It isn't forever but it is a really long time.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[R1]

ha! <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> what happened to harmonicaman <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br />Ianke, thanks for the numbers<br />that's a small black hole too.<br /><br />what would it evaporate into? or does it mean just vanish, disappear?<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[ianke]

Hi John1R,<br /><br />Re:"what would it evaporate into? or does it mean just vanish, disappear? "<br /><br />I really do not know all of the details of Hawking radiation, but I assume they mean radiate back into the universe? Check me on this everyone.<br /><br />What is interesting is that black holes may come in sizes all the way down to 1 electron mass. What we normally talk about is Black Holes caused by supernovae and they need 3 solar masses to occur. However, in the case of the very early conditions of the cosmos, enough energy was there to make BHs of any number of sizes. As long as you have sufficiant energy crushing the mass, it will theoretically fall in on itself. Cool isn't it!<br /><br />see Wiki:<br />"Black hole electron"<br /><br />Also Google:<br />"Is there a black hole minimum mass?" by Tomohiro Harada<br /><br />there are a plathora of articles on the minimum size issue for BHs but these two I played with their calculations and I managed to get a grasp on the logic behind them.<br /><br />Also, they believe the new colider should be able to achieve these minimum BHs. This will remain to be seen because I was under the understanding that even it could not reach such eV power ranges. There is a lot of theorizing on should they or not if they can. (that is another issue)<br /><br />If you have the time, check into it. The subject matter is interesting and the equation are not too brain racking.<img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /><br /><br /><br />Ianke<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[R1]

hi Ianke, I'm now in the process of reading it<br />thank you much.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[ianke]

This could actually make a good thread in Science&astronomy<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[R1]

yes, I'm starting to get lots of ideas and questions too.<br /><br />thanks Ianke.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>