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Space and Consciousness

Essay by Val Paulsen

I remember wondering, as a child, how big the world was. I imagined myself moving outward in a straight line, farther and farther, until I reached the end of everything. There I encountered an impenetrable wall that reached in all directions as far as my mind's eye could see. In an instant, I realized there must be something on the other side of the wall. That there would always be something on the other side, no matter how far away the "end of everything" might be.

Some years later, I repeated that mental journey, and something extraordinary happened. The effort required is always great, and often I cannot reach out far enough. But when I do, the awful, terrifying truth is always there, daring me to gaze upon it.

If you do not know what I am talking about, perhaps you are lucky. In my whole life, I have met just one person who knew. We drifted apart, for some forgotten reason, decades ago. Now, this thing inside me needs to be spoken of again.

To understand, you must think without words. But I must use words here to tell you what to think. It is about infinity, and space, but those ideas are mere abstractions. You must think visually. Clear your mind of words, and concentrate outside of yourself. Think about the distance around you receding without end in all directions. Focus visually on the idea that everything goes on forever - put all the power of your concentration into it - and try to see beyond the entire universe. If you succeed, you will see that the universe cannot possibly exist because even infinity must be contained by something, but it is not! For a brief moment, you will see that the three dimensional world you live in everyday must surely be a deception. If you are not sure what I am talking about, you have not seen it yet. Keep trying - you will know when it happens.

You might dismiss this by saying the human mind cannot comprehend infinity. But the human mind invented the concept of infinity! I am asking you, for now, to forget about mathematical definitions of infinity, or about theories of the universe curving back on itself in a fourth dimension, or any theory that seeks to explain this away, and move on to the next part.

The flip side of the infinitely large is the infinitely small. Early theorists proposed that matter was made of indestructible particles that were too small to see. By the early 20th century, that idea had given way to the modern atom, with its nucleus and orbiting electrons. Although the electron was believed to be a "dimensionless point", the nucleus was known to have a definite size. With the invention of atom smashers, it was soon learned that the nucleus was made of smaller pieces, now known as protons and neutrons. For a while, they were believed to be elementary, but eventually internal components were revealed. Those components, known as quarks, are now thought to have an even smaller internal structure. And so it goes.

Probably most people are not too disturbed by the notion that nothing is really solid, because everyday experience refutes the idea so convincingly. For instance, two things never occupy the same space. Or if they do, we give it a special name and dismiss it. For instance, light can pass through solid matter. We call it "transparency". Gravity can do the same thing. Einstein said gravity was just a curvature of "space-time". A magnetic field can penetrate any solid as long as it is not ferromagnetic nor a superconductor. You are probably thinking that these things do not count because they involve "energy", not matter. But matter itself is nothing but magnetic, electric, and other types of energy fields in a condensed form, as expressed by Einstein's famous equation:

Energy = (mass) x (speed of light) x (speed of light)

To understand this more graphically, you can do a simple experiment. In recent years, a new type of permanent magnet composed of neodymium, iron, and boron has become commercially available. It is immensely powerful compared to older magnets like Alnico (shown at right). Large specimens can be purchased inexpensively as surplus, or for magnet therapy. If you can obtain two of these magnets at least several centimeters in size, try holding one in each hand and then bring them near each other. Be careful, the forces produced can cause physical injury! Then try it again with a two centimeter thick aluminum plate between your hands. Even more dramatic would be a piece of titanium armor plate. The experiment is most impressive when the magnets are positioned to repel each other. The visceral experience of the magnetic force effortlessly penetrating a bullet-proof metal plate is astounding. Not only is it action at a distance, it is action through a solid object! Try it again with your eyes closed, and note that the metal plate can not be detected unless you touch it.

About half a century ago, a classic experiment was carried out that demonstrated the ability of the human visual system to reprogram itself. Volunteers were fitted with special glasses that inverted everything they saw. At first, they could only stumble about in confusion, but after using the glasses continuously for a few days, their visual system corrected for the inverted scene and everything looked normal!

I will not suggest trying this yourself, but there is a much simpler experiment that you can do. All that is required is a large mirror. Position yourself in front of the mirror so that your reflection appears at least a meter away. Relax and focus your attention on your face. Now gently touch the lower part of your face with your fingertips, while concentrating on your reflected image. Make sure you cannot see your hands directly, but only in the mirror. Slide your fingers on your face to create a continuous sensation of touch. You will feel your face on the other side of the mirror! You might have to practice this over a period of a few days, before it works. But once you learn how, you should be able to do it anytime. Unlike the experiment with glasses, this one is subjective. Only you will know when it succeeds. But it demonstrates that the perception of physical reality can be easily reprogrammed.

The human brain can be likened to a massively parallel analog computer. The development of the neural net chip has resulted in a resurgence of electronic analog computing, which was popular before the introduction of the microprocessor. Although the possibility of a conscious digital computer remains controversial, it is at least hypothetically possible for an electronic analog computer to simulate the brain, and by extension, the thought process.

Imagine that such a computer was connected to other computers that were programmed to simulate the behavior of the natural world. In a way, this would be just like a human brain that was asleep and dreaming vividly. Now let us go further and imagine that the computer was actually conscious, and that it could "see" its virtual reality world the same way we see ours. Say that the computer mind was highly intelligent, and that there were no connections between the outside "real" world and the computer. Would it be possible for the artificial intelligence to figure out that the world it lived in was really just information programmed into a machine?

This is a popular science fiction theme that dates back at least fifty years, and has been popularized in television shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek. The general consensus is that there would be no way for the machine intelligence to ever know that its world was not real, let alone the true nature of the computer in which it resided. It would "see" three dimensional space, and would assume that the objects in its universe were actually separated by physical distance. It might even invent the concept of infinity, and ponder its impossibility. How could it ever prove that the "space" it perceived, and even its own self-awareness, was just an illusion produced by computer algorithms?

If you got this far, you probably know what I am getting at. The paradox of unending space. The lack of anything solid at the core of matter. The ability of force fields to penetrate material objects. The adaptability of the senses. The logical possibility of artificial consciousness.

I submit that the three dimensional space in which we live does not exist! The distance that we perceive separating objects is an illusion. The evidence suggests that it is a sensation or emotion, like the familiar color of green leaves, the sound of a musical note, the feeling of warmth, or the thirst for water. In other words, what we experience as volume extending away from ourselves is just a mental projection.

The objective reality of the universe is probably impossible for the human mind to comprehend. I am not saying there is not some property of the universe that accounts for the perception of spatial dimensions. I think there is. But it seems to be beyond our ability to perceive it directly, just as we can only visualize time as a series of places.

You might ask, if this is true, are there any practical consequences? I do not know. What do you think?

Still not convinced? Here is perhaps the strongest evidence of all: quantum entanglement.

Please  e-mail your comments!    [Paulsen]