Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality is an entertaining look at the physics behind various possible conceptual parallel universes. I listened to it as an audiobook and Greene does the narration himself. His voice doesn't have the sonorous quality of say, a Carl Sagan, but it's not annoying either. There's no brand new material in the book but he nicely summarizes some of the current developments in string theory and cosmology. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Nick Bostrom's work and the possibility/probability that we are all living in a sim universe. I also liked the chapter on the holographic universe but after listening to it twice I can't actually say that I understood it. ...
The book makes me think it likely that there are parallel universes in space as well as time and that we are living in what can only be called a multiverse (hideous word). It's the stuff of science fiction of course from Iain Banks to Philip Pullman, but Greene is pretty convincing and I for one don't have the math to contradict him.
37 comments:
We can't actually be living in a sim universe, though, can we?
The book sounds about my speed. I am actually quite interested in this stuff lately. Oddly, this comes from prolonged exposure to Finnegans Wake.
As to the socks cartoon, it works both ways. I found a free coffee card sitting on my bookcase this morning and have no idea how it got there. Much obliged, alternate universe!
Seana
Well I guess our consciousness is being simulated so in that sense we are alive. cogito ergo sum and all that jazz.
Yeah its a pretty lively book and he explains things well. Like I say the only thing I couldnt get my head around was the holographic principle even though Greene things its really important.
I expect if you let it simmer a bit it will come to you.
Speaking of cogito ergo sum, it would be nice if the simulators would download a Latin conversion app into my brain. How hard could it be?
Seana -
Google translate is the "best" conversion app out there for Latin.
Note the word best in quotes, though.
-Brian O
Actually, that's good to know, Brian. But I was thinking more of an upgrade directly to my simulated brain.
Imagine the tech support a simulated universe would require. There would be much cackling and rubbing together of hands today in Bangalore, I bet.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Seana
Latin doesnt come up that much in life though does it? I wouldnt mind Spanish though or something really interesting like Mandarin.
Brian
I think for getting the gist it works pretty well doesnt it? I mean obviously there are howlers but in general its impressive.
Peter
Its interesting that Greene talks about precisely this issue. He wonders if the supercomputers we have, say, calculating the digits of pi will suddenly stop working or get a repeat of sixes or something. The supercomputers of the simulators would be powerful but not infinitely powerful.
The opening chapters are comprehensible without being condescending. I shall investigate further.
Yep, with Spanish you wouldn't need a dictionary for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1VE56pc3Rk
Never mind; this one's better. More evocative of its time, you might say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erYkDVf7SRU
Peter
If we're talking Spanish television,
this is more my cup of tea.
Yeah, I can see having a modern language app as well, but what I meant was having an app that helped me understand the structure of what I was actually saying instead of fumbling around all the time.
The man's bloody brilliant at making this stuff accessible.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Seana
Well thats the good thing about English. Its so anarchic it doesnt really matter.
Peter
If you can understand the holographic universe chapter you're a better man than me.
I'm not there yet, but the simple expedient of juxtaposing a finite number of particle connections and a potentially infinite universe makes the concept of parallel universes instantly accessible. That's sheer pedagogical genius, and it restores meaning to the debased concept of infinity.
Also, I'm now tentatively a Lemaître and Gamow fan.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
I liked all the baseball analogies.
Peter, I'm sure that sentence makes sense, but its content eludes me.
Adrian, yes, you can speak English without knowing its roots, but it would be nicer to know what you're saying really means. I know you already know Latin, so it might be hard to put yourself back in that earlier state.
Seana, imagine the universe is a baseball.
No, don’t. Here’s what I meant in the perplexing sentence. The concept of parallel universes is counter-intuitive. We can’t get our heads around it, as the superannuated hippies say.
Most of can, however, accept the possibility that the universe is infinite. Greene then suggests that the subatomic particles that make up matter can link up in a finite, if unimaginably vast, number of ways.
It’s a pretty simple step from there to accepting that if particles can only link up in a certain number of ways to form a world, such as ours, and if the universe is infinite, sooner or later the way the particles link up to form our world will have to be repeated.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Well, you almost lost me at baseball.
But seriously, I don't have much trouble imagining that there are parallel universes or that this one is infinite. What I do have trouble imagining is whether it really makes any difference to me. That's why I'm always on the look out for glitches and bleed throughs. If there aren't any, then it really doesn't make any difference to me what else is out there.
Provincial, I know.
Seana, I shall keep my eyes open about the possibility of these universes moving into position where one can recognize something going in another. Greene does hint early on at the possibility of universes merging when they come into contact.
I just hope that my dopperlangers in alternate universes have had good enough sense to quit their jobs.
I hear you, Peter, but I think our dopplegangers are probably likely to come in and replace us in order to get ours. I am pretty sure that in all the other universes, I am unhireable.
Peter
Its essentially that Nietzschean notion of endless return isn't it? Except that Nietzsche thought we would be consciously repeating the same patterns, when of course it won't actually be us us.
It's fertile ground for imagination, since the theories allow for near-duplicate as well as duplicate universes. Since I have already mentioned jobs, perhaps it is best that I refrain from committing any further cosmic speculations to writing.
Actually had an invigorating experience at work today. One of our summer interns is wrapping up her stay with us by interviewing staff members about their assessment of the paper's and the industry's prospects. It felt good to be able to unburden myself. The fear, lickspittle yea-saying, and speak-no-evil cheerleading that have characterized this place for years are psychic poison.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I don't know my Nietzsche, but I think these theories require a bit more surrender of self than he might have been capable of.
Let's hope that intern wasn't the editor in chief's granddaughter, is all I'm saying. I mean, in an alternate universe, she would be.
Naw, the e-in-chief is too young to have granddaughters in college.
Well, don't say I didn't warn you.
Well, I wasn't back-stabbing; I don't find that sort of thing satisfying or useful. The only people I mentioned by name were to praise them. It was more a general assessment of the profession as I see it, and of the general attitude toward such matters here.
Sorry, Peter. You are doomed.
I'll just blame it on some schmuck from a parallel universe.
Good idea. Even though that person would actually be, well, you.
Do you mean "you" or "`you'"?
I'm guessing once you get to this universe--Joyce would probably say youniverse--it all pretty much amounts to the same thing.t
Post a Comment