תיאוריות רב-יקומים

טינה אלימה קנאית כלפי למידה מדעית יוונית עתיקה הגיעה לקרשנדו אלים תחת שלטונו של סיריל, בישוף אלכסנדריה. ב”ההיסטוריה של שקיעתה ונפילתה של האימפריה הרומית” של אדוארד גיבון, תחילת ימי העידן האפלים החלה עם רצח האפוטרופוס של הספרייה הגדולה של אלכסנדריה, היפטיה. בשנת 415 הקדוש אוגוסטינוס הכריז שהמתמטיקה האפלטונית של היפטיה היא עבודתו של השטן, וזיהמה את המדע המערבי עד ימינו. לבסוף, לאחר כמעט אלף שנים של מחקר אפלטוני אקדמי, האקדמיה של אפלטון גורשה מהאימפריה הרומית כמוסד כפירה על ידי הקיסר יוסטיניאנוס הראשון, ב-529.

קוזימו מדיצ’י הקים מחדש את האקדמיה של אפלטון במהלך המאה ה-15 ליד פירנצה ומינה את מרסיליו פיצ’ינו לראשה. הוצאת אוניברסיטת הרווארד מייעצת ש’התיאולוגיה האפלטונית’ של פיקינו שמרה על האתוס של הרנסנס האיטלקי הגדול. לאור זאת, הגאונות המכנית של ליאונרדו דה וינצ’י בהחלט לא הייתה מרכזית ברנסנס כלל. המסורת האפלטונית של הפילוסופיה היוונית הזהירה בבירור שלא להשתמש בתפיסה חושית, בפרט בראיה, כדי להבין את הידע של כל הדברים. ליאונרדו השתמש בעין כמקור כל הידע, ואחריו דקארט וסר פרנסיס בייקון, מה שהפך אותם לאנשים מרכזיים בביסוס העידן התעשייתי המכני. אלברט איינשטיין ירש את מורשתם המדעית בכך שהפך את החזון לבסיסי במכניקת הקוונטים.

המושג של אהבה אפלטונית אטומיסטית המתאר מדע אטומי כדי למנוע מהרוע ההרסני של חומר לא מעוצב לצאת מהאטום הפיזיקלי, שאליו רמז פיקינו, לא הצליח להביא לתקומת המדע האפלטוני למטרות אתיות. ריבוע ה-E=Mc של איינשטיין שלט במדע של המאה ה-20 והביא להופעתו הראשונה של כאוס גרעיני מהאטום הפיזי. הננוטכנולוגיה של המאה ה-21, במקום לפתח את טכנולוגיית ההישרדות העל-אנושית האפלטונית, האיצה את החוק המוביל של איינשטיין בכל המדע, לעבר מה שאיינשטיין הכריז כהכחדה בלתי נמנעת. ההתקדמות האקספוננציאלית של הזמן הקשורה למה שמכונה כיום מידע הולוגרפי-קוונטי ביולוגי, הייתה מעבר להבנתו של איינשטיין. פרק הזמן של אינשטיין בן מיליארדי השנים עד שבני האדם חייבים להיכחד הצטמצמו עם הופעת התכנון הפוטנציאלי של נשק גרעיני ננוטכנולוגיה, שניתן היה לשאת אותו, ללא זיהוי בתוך ארנק קטן.

תרחיש בלהות זה הוא תוצאה של חשיבה מדעית סכיזופרנית מערבית. הספר לפני ואחרי סוקרטס, מאת FM Cornford, הוא קריאת תכנית הליבה מאז 1932, לחינוך מתקדם של מנהלים ממשלתיים בכירים, תוך שמירה על מבנה הדמוקרטיה המערבית ברחבי העולם. בעמוד 65 הספר קובע כי, ‘אפטון ואריסטו הם מהאבות הגדולים ביותר של הכנסייה’, וזו אמירה שטות, שכן המחקר המתמטי של אפלטון נחשב על ידי הכנסייה כיצירה של השטן. סר סי סי סנואי הזהיר שאם לא נאחד את המדע בחזרה עם המסורת האפלטונית של מדעי הרוח היווניים, אז הציוויליזציה חייבת להתמוטט בגלל השקפת העולם איינשטיין. “מדע למטרות אתיות” של אפלטון נבנה על לוגיקה פרקטלית מתמטית המשתרעת עד אינסוף. אתיקה מתמטית כזו קשורה כמובן לתהליך החיים. זה עומד בסתירה ישירה לתפיסת העולם של המדע המיינסטרים, שבה כל החיים חייבים להיכחד. ההיגיון של אפלטון היה נכון, מכיוון שהננוטכנולוגיה חשפה שמולקולת הרגש של קנדיס פרט אכן מתפתחת כביטוי פרקטלי אינסופי.

זיהום דתי של מדע המדינה מנע מהאתיקה להפוך לחלק מהפיסיקה האטומית. אלכסנדר המילטון הגדיר את החירות כמובטחת באמצעות עיצוב הממשל, אשר בתורו התבסס על עקרונות הפיזיקה והגיאומטריה. עקרונות הפיזיקה היו שייכים לעבודתו שפורסמה של סר אייזק ניוטון והעקרונות הגיאומטריים היו שייכים לאוקלידס. אף אחד מבסיסי ההיגיון הללו לא התרחב עד אינסוף. עם זאת, “ניירות הכפירה” של ניוטון, שהתגלו במאה שעברה, השלימו את התיאור המכני של היקום עם פילוסופיה עמוקה יותר שהשתמשה במתמטיקה אפלטונית אינסופית השייכת ל”מדע למטרות אתיות” האינסופי של אפלטון. כאשר ג’ורדנו ברונו לימד על אהבה אפלטונית אטומיסטית באוניברסיטת אוקספורד, הוא חזר לאיטליה כדי להיכלא, לעינוי ולשרוף בחיים על ידי הכנסייה על כך. אין פלא שאיזק ניוטון לא פרסם את רעיונותיו של בן זמנו, ברונו, שנחשב כיום גם לאחד מאבות המדע המודרני.

מושגי אהבה אפלטוניים אטומיסטים השתייכו ל”מדע למטרות אתיות” האפלטוני וגם ל”מדע האהבה האוניברסלית”, שניהם נלמדו באוניברסיטאות ביוון במהלך המאה ה-3 לפני הספירה. המבנים המתמטיים שלהם התבססו על הגיאומטריות הקדושות שפותחו במצרים העתיקה מתוך תיאוריות מיתולוגיות של הבריאה, שאיינשטיין כינה כמתמטיקה-מיתולוגית אינטואיטיבית. ספריית המדע של ניו יורק בשנת 1957 פרסמה ספר בשם בבילוני מיתוס ומדע מודרני. הספר קשר את תורת היחסות של אלברט איינשטיין עם המיתולוגיה-מתמטיקה הבבלית. ההבדל בין התיאוריות האטומיות החובקות את האהבה האפלטונית שמקורה במיתולוגיה-מתמטיקה המצרית העתיקה לבין המתמטיקה-מיתולוגית הגיאומטרית הקדושה מבבל, הוא חשוב.

הגיאומטריות הקדושות המצריות עוסקות במניעת חזרה לכאוס, בעוד שהמיתולוגיות הבבליות עוסקות בסגידה לכאוס בתור אלת המלחמה, אישתר. הגילוי האחרון של נוירון המראה מוכיח שחמלה מתפתחת כביטוי פרקטלי אינסופי. צ’ארלס דרווין ביסס את תורת האבולוציה שלו על המדיניות הכלכלית של תומס מלתוס עבור חברת הודו המזרחית, ארגון חסר רחמים שאילץ את ממשלת סין לקבל משלוחים עצומים של אופיום בתשלום עבור מטילי כסף ספרדיים. דרווין קבע שהמפתח לתיאוריה שלו הוא החוק השני של התרמודינמיקה, החוק שאיינשטיין הכריז מאוחר יותר חייב לשלוט בכל המדעים. מאוחר יותר כתב דארווין את “Descent of Man”, שבו ציין שחמלה היא דחף כה חזק בתוך האנושות, עד שבוודאי יש לה תפקיד חשוב בתיאוריה האבולוציונית האנושית.

ננוטכנולוגיה מראה שאנרגיות ביולוגיות קוונטיות מסתבכות עם האנרגיות המכניות הקוונטיות של איינשטיין כדי לפתח את התודעה. טכנולוגיית ההישרדות האנושית יכולה להיות מונחית על ידי כימיה אפלטונית פולרן חדשה, המקיימת מדע רפואי שבו אהבה אפלטונית חובקת את המתמטיקה המצרית-יוונית של חמלה אינסופית. כפי שכתב באקמינסטר פולר, הבחירה הזו היא כעת אחת של “אוטופיה או נשכחות”.

© פרופסור רוברט פופ,

יועץ לנשיא אוקיאניה ואוסטרליה של המכון לפיזיקה תיאורטית ומתמטיקה מתקדמת (IFM) איינשטיין-גלילי

אין להכחיש שמצב העולם נעשה סוער יותר ויותר בגלל שינויי אקלים, ירידה בתנאים הכלכליים העולמיים ומיליטריזציה עולמית.

בקהילה הרוחנית, השינויים הקיצוניים הללו מיוחסים לתופעה על טבעית או שמימית הנקראת “שינוי הפרדיגמה” או “השינוי”.

מדענים בולטים רבים אומרים שאנו עומדים בפני ההכחדה ההמונית השישית של כדור הארץ. ישנן דעות שונות מדוע הגענו ל”נקודת המפנה” המעורפלת הזו.

כמה תיאוריות מקובלות מקובלות הנוגעות לביטוי של The Shift כוללות:

• השינויים הרדיקליים שאנו חווים הם חלק ממחזור השינויים הטבעי של כדור הארץ

• השינוי הוא תוצאה של התעללות של האנושות בכדור הארץ

• אנו עומדים בפני אירוע יום הדין המקראי

• כל מערכת השמש “מתחממת”

• נוכחותו של כוכב לכת נוכל במערכת השמש שלנו בשם ניבירו

כל התיאוריות הללו אפשריות (סביר להניח שאחת או שתיים מהן סבירות). ייתכן גם שהביטוי של השינוי הוא תופעה רב-גורמית ומקורה רב-סיבתי.

ישנה אמונה רחבה נוספת המוחזקת על ידי רוחניים, הישרדות וקונספיריסטים משמעותיים להופעת השינוי שנקראת המטריקס.

יש אנשים שאומרים שהשינוי נועד לעזור לאנושות לברוח מ”המטריקס”. מסיבה זו, ייתכן שההתגלות של ה- Shift היא ברכה במסווה.

המטריקס המסתורי מתואר בדרך כלל כסביבה וירטואלית או הולוגרפית מדומה.

אומרים שבני אדם הם עבדים של המטריקס. המטריקס טוענים (על ידי תומכי תיאוריית המטריקס) כנשלטת על ידי כוחות מרושעים של עולם אחר (בינה מלאכותית חיה או מין חייזר מתקדם).

אנשים בקהילה הרוחנית מתייחסים לעתים קרובות לאירוע נבואי הקשור לשינוי המכונה ‘העלייה’.

אלה שעברו “התעוררות רוחנית” מגיעים לרוב למסקנה שדרך ההרס העצמי שלנו היא זרז שנועד לסייע לאנושות לעלות מתוך המטריקס האפל (כאב וסבל אנושיים).

ההתעלות מוסברת על ידי מי שנמצאים בחוגים רוחניים כתהליך אלכימי שנועד לסייע לבני אדם להתפתח לרמה גבוהה יותר של קיום. במילים אחרות, האנושות נחשבת כעולה מהמציאות התלת-ממדית (פיזיות) למצב ממדי גבוה יותר.

אם נקבל את תיאוריית המטריקס, כהסבר הגיוני ל-The Shift, אז אולי נוכל לשקול תיאוריה פחות מוכרת לבריחה מהמטריקס.

אולי אנחנו לא צריכים לחשוב במונחים של “לעלות החוצה” מהמטריקס. עלייה מהמטריקס עלולה להחזיר אותנו בלי משים למטריקס.

כמה מדענים וחוקרים משערים שאנחנו נלכדים בלולאת זמן של מטריקס. תיאוריה זו מציעה שאנו שחקנים או שחקנים ב”סרט”. האפוקליפסה (The End Game) תהיה אז הפרק האחרון בסרט המטריצה ​​הזה. כשהסרט יסתיים, היינו חוזרים לתחילתו של סרט הסרט ומתחילים מחדש עם מקורות האנושות על הפלנטה הזו. אם זה נכון, אז ההתעלות היא חלק מקו העלילה שאנחנו משחקים.

בני אדם מבלים זמן מופרז בחיפוש אחר סימנים לחיים תבוניים ב”חלל החיצון”. אנחנו מכוונים טלסקופים רבי עוצמה לעבר השמים האפלים ושולחים חלליות יקרות בחיפוש אחר צורות חיים של חייזרים. הדתות הגדולות מדברות גם על הרוח האנושית “עולה לגן עדן” ומקומות אחרים של אושר בחיים שלאחר המוות.

מה אם אנחנו טועים? מה אם אנחנו מפנים את עינינו לכיוון הלא נכון? אולי אנחנו מסתכלים בכיוון הלא נכון במונחים של בריחה מהאילוצים הפיזיים של מציאות תלת מימדית.

למאסטרים רוחניים יש פתגם ישן: “כדי לצאת, אתה חייב להיכנס פנימה”. לרוב האנשים, המילים האזוטריות הללו ייראו משמעותיות רק למיסטיקנים ולמחפשי ידע גבוה יותר. עם זאת, המשמעות המעשית של המילים החידתיות הללו היא בעלת חשיבות רבה למין האנושי כולו.

יש תיאוריה פחות ידועה על פריצה מהמטריקס. זה נקרא “התעלות”.

מספר מילונים מקוונים מגדירים התעלות כ”פעולת ההתעלות, או ההתעלות, או הפעולה של מעבר על משהו”.

התעלות היא בעצם פעולת ההתעלות מעל המטריקס. יש ללמוד להתקדם מעבר ל”אשליה של המציאות”.

התעלות שונה מהתעלות במובן זה שתהליך ההתעלות מאפשר לעלות לרמות הגבוהות יותר בתוך המטריקס. תהליך ההתעלות מאפשר לאדם לצאת מהמטריקס לגמרי.

אלו שמלמדים את אמנות ההתעלות מדריכים את התלמיד ללכת עמוק יותר בתוך עצמם כדי למצוא את דרכם החוצה מהמטריקס. במקום לנסות להגיע לרמות גבוהות יותר, עלינו לרצות להתעמק ברבדים העמוקים יותר של העצמי הפנימי.

ישנן תרגולים רוחניים רבים שניתן להשתמש בהם כדי להשיג זאת, כולל צורות שונות של מדיטציה.

היקום מתרחב לא רק כלפי חוץ, אלא גם כלפי פנים. תחומים פיזיים (כמו זה) שכיחים פחות ממערכות “לא פיזיות”. יתכן שיצורים לא פיזיים יצטרכו להשתמש בגופים פיזיים ובכלי רכב כדי ליצור איתנו אינטראקציה במישור הזה. אנחנו למעשה בחוץ… מסתכלים החוצה… בחיפוש אחר צורות חיים זרות, כאשר אנחנו צריכים להפנות מאמצים לחקר “החלל הפנימי”.

יש תיאוריה מעט ידועה בשם השערת ההתעלות. תיאוריה זו, שהונחה על ידי ג’ון סמארט מ-Accelerating Studies Foundation, מציעה שתרבויות מתקדמות (רוחנית או טכנולוגית) לא התרחבו לחלל החיצון. מוצע שהסיבה שלא יצרנו מגע מלא עם מינים אינטליגנטיים אחרים היא בגלל שהם למדו לעשות שימוש בפיזיקה קוונטית כדי לעבות את המציאות.

אפילו עכשיו, מדענים לומדים לעשות שימוש בטכנולוגיה קוונטית על מנת לדחוס כמויות אדירות של מידע על תאים זעירים. עם הופעתה של טכנולוגיית מציאות מדומה מתוחכמת, ברור שנוכל (בסופו של דבר) להשתמש בטכנולוגיית ננו כדי ליצור סביבות הדמיה משכנעות. בכך נוכל לברוח מהמטריקס על ידי יצירת מטריקס משלנו. תיאורטית נוכל לפתוח פורטלים ממדיים כדי ליצור עולמות בתוך עולמות ולהיעלם בתוכם. אולי נוכל לגלות שיטה להקרין את התודעה שלנו לתוך מציאות “מדומה” לבחירתנו.

פילוסופים ומדענים רבים מבינים שהחיים הם חוויה שמתרחשת כולה בתוך תודעתנו (המציאות האישית), רעיון זה הופך לאפשרות ממשית. קל מאוד לראות שהגוף הפיזי שלנו הוא בעצם חליפות חושיות המשמשות כלי רכב וממשק עם המציאות החיצונית (החיצונית). חמשת החושים (הידועים) שלנו, אוספים מידע מהסביבה החיצונית שלנו ומעבירים גירויים למוח, שמתפרש על ידי המוח כגרסה שלנו למציאות.

כאשר אנו מבינים לחלוטין כי תפיסת הזמן והמרחב שלנו היא אמונה מוגבלת שנכפתה עלינו על ידי המטריקס האפלה, נוכל לגשת וליישם טכנולוגיות הזמינות לישויות המתגוררות במצבי מציאות לא פיזיים. אחד העקרונות העיקריים שעלינו להבין הוא שגודל הוא מדידה סובייקטיבית. יקום שלם יכול להיכנס בקלות לתוך החלקיק הקטן ביותר.

השערת ההתעלות היא מושג מרתק שיכול להוביל את המין האנושי ל”אינבולוציה” מדהימה, בניגוד לסתם עוד שלב ב”אבולוציה” של המין שלנו.

The writer probes on the effects of bureaucracy in the life of a clerk, Don Ramon Villaamil, in Benito Perez Galdos’ Miau which was written and published in 1888. It is anchored on the sociological theories of Max Weber’s concept and functions of bureaucracy (Gerth and Mills, 1961) and its disintegrating effect on the main character and its repercussions in the multi-dimensional life of the protagonist. In understanding further the novel, the student writer uses Hippolyte Taine’s three-pronged approach to the contextual study of a work of art, based on the aspects of what he called race, geographical and social milieu, and historical moment (wikipedia.com).

Hence, to fully understand the bureaucracy mirrored in the novel, the writer traces first the historical, political and biographical life of the author and Spain in the nineteenth century. How all these artefacts affected the writer to record vignettes of hard truths in the society is remarkably interesting to investigate.

The Spanish novelist and dramatist Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) is best known for his masterly treatment of the vast panorama of Spanish society in a series of historical and contemporary novels.

Benito Pérez Galdós was born on May 10, 1843, in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Due to a rigid upbringing he developed into a shy, quick-witted boy, interested in music, drama, and painting. He learned English from an American woman whose illegitimate daughter, Sisita, was his first cousin and childhood love. One of Galdós’s most enduring remembrances concerned his affection for Sisita and the brusque intervention of his mother, who sent him away to Madrid in 1862 to study law.

In Madrid, Galdós felt irresistibly drawn to the turmoil of city life and soon abandoned his university courses for cafés, opera, theater, and long strolls through the streets. Intent upon understanding all classes and types of Spanish society, he frequented outlying districts, open-air markets, taverns, and tenement houses. By 1865 he had begun newspaper work. His articles on parliamentary sessions in Las Cortes made that newspaper famous.

Although Galdós was a perspicacious journalist, his ultimate aim was to give Spaniards not only a coherent picture of their daily lives but also a vision of a new Spain, reborn spiritually, culturally, and economically. He believed the novel best suited this purpose. In 1867 Galdós went to Paris, rediscovered the novels of Honoré de Balzac, and once back in Spain finished his first novel, La sombra (1870), and began a second, La Fontana de ore (1867-1868).

Henceforth, except for his advocacy of liberal politics, Galdós lived immersed in literary activity. He wrote almost a hundred novels and plays, which may be classified into three groups. The first group includes his 46 Episodios nacionales, historical novels beginning with Trafalgar (1873) and ending with Canovás (1912). They retell in story form stirring episodes of 19th-century Spanish history and embody Galdós’s conviction that the key to Spain’s present and future betterment resides in a critical examination of the past.

The second group includes Galdós’s realistic social novels, which divide into two subgroups. The first comprises the Novelas de la primera época (1867-1878). Among them are Doña Perfecta (1876) and Gloria (1876-1877), which boldly depict Spain’s provincial hypocrisy and religious fanaticism. The second is made up of the 24 Novelas españolas contemporáneas, (1880-1915), which mark the maturity of Galdós’s art. In such works as La de Bringas (1884), his four-volume masterpiece Fortunata y Jacinta (1886-1887), and Misericordia (1897), Galdós harmonized his passion for reform with the art of creating the illusion of reality. While treating many problems of Spanish life, he did not sacrifice character freedom to any social or moral teaching. Today, as then, his novels offer a compelling imagen de la vida.

The third group is made up of Galdós’s plays. After writing novels for 20 years, Galdós turned to the theater. In 1891 he recast his novel Realidad into dialogue, staging it successfully the following year. He produced 22 plays, of which La loca de la casa (1893) and El abuelo (1904) are considered his best. The premiere of Electra (1901) unleashed a storm of controversy, earning Galdós the hatred of Spain’s clergy and conservative class. Galdós was an authentic revolutionary of the Spanish theater. Reacting against José Echegaray’s outmoded romantic melodrama, he confronted audiences with a frank portrayal of social conflicts. His plays anticipated the innovations of modern Spanish drama.

In 1897 Galdós was elected to the Spanish Academy, and by 1912 he had become totally blind. Beset by financial difficulties, he continued to write, although his health was failing. He died on Jan. 4, 1920, in Madrid.

From the Galdos’ biography, facts which are reflected in the novel Miau are his beautiful and vivid description of Madrid, the streets, the plazas, the churches, the house and even the places of entertainment such as the parks and theatres or opera houses that his women characters Senora Pura, Abelarda and Milagros Villaamil are fond of frequenting to show their social status. Likewise, the insolent and abusive Victor Cadalso has a semblance with that of radical and revolting views of Galdos.

What is striking in the novel is the inclusion of many historical allusions and daily government bureaucratic system which affected our protagonist in the novel and the domino effect to his family. The history of nineteenth century Spain is sometimes considered by other writers as the century of madness due to the gross effects of bourgeoisie capitalism, political unrest, rise and fall of one government to another and constant civil war within Spain and her colonies in the Philippines and Cuba.

It is noteworthy to look at the tumultuous history of Spain during the nineteenth that will reflect also the divisive, despotic and unpeaceful milieu which our protagonist experienced at the hands of the selfish bureaucrats.

In 1866, a revolt led by Juan Prim was suppressed, but it was becoming increasingly clear that the people of Spain were upset with Isabella’s approach to governance. In 1868, the Glorious Revolution broke out when the progresista generals Francisco Serrano and Juan Prim revolted against her, and defeated her moderado generals at the Battle of Alcolea. Isabella was driven into exile in Paris.

Revolution and anarchy broke out in Spain in the two years that followed; it was only in 1870 that the Cortes declared that Spain would have a king again. As it turned out, this decision played an important role in European and world history, for a German prince’s candidacy to the Spanish throne and French opposition to him served as the immediate motive for the Franco-Prussian War. Amadeus of Savoy was selected, and he was duly crowned King of Spain early the following year.

Amadeus – a liberal who swore by the liberal constitution the Cortes promulgated – was faced immediately with the incredible task of bringing the disparate political ideologies of Spain to one table. He was plagued by internecine strife, not merely between Spaniards but within Spanish parties.

Following the Hidalgo affair, Amadeus famously declared the people of Spain to be ungovernable, and fled the country. In his absence, a government of radicals and Republicans was formed that declared Spain a republic.

The republic was immediately under siege from all quarters – the Carlists were the most immediate threat, launching a violent insurrection after their poor showing in the 1872 elections. There were calls for socialist revolution from the International Workingmen’s Association, revolts and unrest in the autonomous regions of Navarre and Catalonia, and pressure from the Roman Catholic Church against the fledgling republic.

Although the former queen, Isabella II was still alive, she recognized that she was too divisive as a leader, and abdicated in 1870 in favor of her son, Alfonso, who was duly crowned Alfonso XII of Spain. After the tumult of the First Spanish Republic, Spaniards were willing to accept a return to stability under Bourbon rule. The Republican armies in Spain – which were resisting a Carlist insurrection – pronounced their allegiance to Alfonso in the winter of 1874-1875, led by Brigadier General Martinez Campos. The Republic was dissolved and Antonio Canovas del Castillo, a trusted advisor to the king, was named Prime Minister on New Year’s Eve, 1874. The Carlist insurrection was put down vigorously by the new king, who took an active role in the war and rapidly gained the support of most of his countrymen.

A system of turnos was established in Spain in which the liberals, led by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and the conservatives, led by Antonio Canovas del Castillo, alternated in control of the government. A modicum of stability and economic progress was restored to Spain during Alfonso XII’s rule. His death in 1885, followed by the assassination of Canovas del Castillo in 1897, destabilized the government.

Cuba rebelled against Spain in the Ten Years’ War beginning in 1868, resulting in the abolition of slavery in Spain’s colonies in the New World. American interests in the island, coupled with concerns for the people of Cuba, aggravated relations between the two countries. The explosion of the USS Maine launched the Spanish-American War in 1898, in which Spain fared disastrously. Cuba gained its independence and Spain lost its remaining New World colony, Puerto Rico, which together with Guam and the Philippines it ceded to the United States for 20 million dollars. In 1899, Spain sold its remaining Pacific islands-the Northern Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands and Palau-to Germany and Spanish colonial possessions were reduced to Spanish Morocco, Spanish Sahara and Spanish Guinea, all in Africa.

The “disaster” of 1898 created the Generation of ’98, a group of statesmen and intellectuals who demanded change from the new government. Anarchist and fascist movements were on the rise in Spain in the early twentieth century. A revolt in 1909 in Catalonia was bloodily suppressed.

Spain’s neutrality in World War I allowed it to become a supplier of material for both sides to its great advantage, prompting an economic boom in Spain. The outbreak of Spanish influenza in Spain and elsewhere, along with a major economic slowdown in the post-war period, hit Spain particularly hard, and the country went into debt. A major worker’s strike was suppressed in 1919.

Mistreatment of the Moorish population in Spanish Morocco led to an uprising and the loss of this North African possession except for the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in 1921. (See Abd el-Krim, Annual). In order to avoid accountability, King Alfonso XIII decided to support the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera, ending the period of constitutional monarchy in Spain.

In joint action with France, the Moroccan territory was recovered (1925-1927), but in 1930 bankruptcy and massive unpopularity left the king no option but to force Primo de Rivera to resign. Disgusted with the king’s involvement in his dictatorship, the urban population voted for republican parties in the municipal elections of April 1931. The king fled the country without abdicating and a republic was established.

Though the novel ends with the suicide of Villaamil, his will for Spain for better administration and other advocacies are written as M.I.A.U. that stands for Morality, Income Tax, Additional Duties and Unification of the debt (Cohen, 1963: 145). It summarizes his personal wish for the total moral reformation of the government official and rank and file workers; instituting payment of personal income tax by workers; additional tariffs for the products of foreign traders and paying the national debt by consolidating all the provincial needs and paying them only once a year.

To analyze the sociological concept of bureaucracy in the novel, the student writer uses the Weberian Model which concepts are summarized thus: The last century saw the perfection of the bureaucracy — a form of organization that has been enormously successful and is the result of thousands of years of trial and error evolution. Max Weber outlined the key characteristics of a bureaucracy:

1. specification of jobs with detailed rights, obligations, responsibilities, scope of authority
2. system of supervision and subordination
3. unity of command
4. extensive use of written documents
5. training in job requirements and skills
6. application of consistent and complete rules (company manual)
7. assign work and hire personnel based on competence and experience

In Miau, principles seem obvious and commonplace. However, they are all inventions — the government offices did not always have these features rather the opposite.

The narrator of the novel, third person omniscient sees bureaucracies as inefficient, slow and generally bad. When don Ramon Villaamil was following up his possible reinstatement, he was totally disappointed to hear false promises that he will get back the position. For Villaamil was already in his retirement when he became a “cesante” or “suspendido” The sudden change in the government suspended all workers which are not their allies, based on favoritism. There would have been no problem had he served for two more months. He can live with his pension to sustain the pretentious and spendthrift lifestyle of his wife Dona Pura, his daughter Abelarda and his sister-in-law who all love to go to the opera house even if they were already begging because Villaamil was already penniless. In Weber’s time, they were seen as marvellously efficient machines that reliably accomplished their goals. And in fact, bureaucracies did become enormously successful, easily outcompeting other organization forms such as family businesses and adhocracies. They also did much to introduce concepts of fairness and equality of opportunity into society, having a profound effect on the social structure of nations.

However, bureaucracies are better for some tasks than others. In particular, bureaucracies are not obviously good in the Spanish government. Officials abuse their authorities. Worst, unqualified officials or even clerks were promoted not on the merits of their work but with the great persons they know in the ministry. There are many instances in the novel when this immoral promotion was practiced…

Then that thankless wretch, that ungrateful scoundrel, who was a clerk in Office when I was Financial Inspector, fourth class, that shameless rogue Who by sheer audacity has got himself promoted over my head and become No less than a governor, that man has the indelicacy to hand me two and a half Pesetas (Cohen, 1963: 15)

He was already asking for assistance from his former clerks when he was suspended. And he concluded in saying that there’s nothing left in the world but selfishness and ingratitude. He added another clerk who was promoted and got increase every year..

“Take that clodhopper Montes, for example, who owes his career to me, Because I proposed his promotion in the central Auditory. Do you know He doesn’t even greet me in the street? He gives himself such airs that not Even the minister…And he’s going ahead all the time. They have just raised him t to fourteen thousand. He gets a rise every year. Nothing stops him. That’s what You gain by flattering and crawling. He does not understand the least thing About administration. All he can do is talk about shooting with the director And about the dogs…”

Almost finding fault because of his misery, Don Villaamil could not do anything but to ask favour to their friends to follow up possible vacant post where he can work again. This was one of the weaknesses of Weberian Model of bureaucracy, he thought that the bureaucracy in his country, Germany, and her flourishing industry can be likened to all other organizations. Weber concluded that all these new large-scale organizations were similar. Each was a bureaucracy. Obviously, Villaamil regarded bureaucracyas a dirty word, suggesting red tape, inefficiency, and officiousness. Bureaucracies can develop these features, especially if authority is highly centralized. The final result for his possible reinstatement which he patiently waited would have to come from one high office down to the provincial office. The red tape was indeed vicious that tremendously affected Villaamil. That of hatred to bureaucrats, the hypocrite clerks, the unworthy workers and the injustice of the government when he said to Victor, his son-in-law:

“Yes, yes. There’s no beating you for bare-faced effrontery. Because you’ve got no shame'(livid with fury and swallowing his Bitterness) ‘you get everything you want. The world is at your feet Promotion at all costs, and devil take the hindmost!” (Cohen, 1963: 73)

With all the bitterness, Villaamil said that he would bear his misfortunes patiently and it never occurred to him that the government will not give his post back again.

Weber’s purpose, however, was to define the essential features of new organizations and to indicate why these organizations worked so much better than traditional ones. Let us examine the features that Weber found in bureaucracies.

Above all, Weber emphasized that bureaucratic organizations were an attempt to subdue human affairs to the rule of reason-to make it possible to conduct the business of the organization “according to calculable rules.” For people who developed modern organizations, the purpose was to find rational solutions to the new problems of size Weber saw bureaucracy as the rational product of social engineering, just as the machines of the Industrial Revolution were the rational products of mechanical engineering. He wrote:

The decisive reason for the advance of bureaucratic organization has always been its purely technical superiority over any former organization. The fully developed bureaucratic mechanism compares with other organizations exactly as does the machine with non-mechanical modes of production( Coser, 1969)

For Weber the term bureaucracy was inseparable from the term rationality. And we may speak of his concept as a “rational bureaucracy” But what were the features developed to make bureaucracies rational? Namely, they are: (1) functional specialization (2) clear lines of hierarchical authority, (3) expert training of managers, and (4) decision making based on rules and tactics developed to guarantee consistent and effective pursuit of organizational goals.

Weber noted additional features of rational bureaucracies that are simple extensions of the four just outlined, To ensure expert management, appointment and promotion are based on merit rather than favoritism, and those appointed treat their positions as full-time, primary careers.

Quite the reverse in the novel, while Villaamil is the most upright, honest, brilliant and obedient to the government, that he even worked in the Philippines when he was still new in the civil service at the age of twenty four but has to return to the mainland because he was suffering from dysentery. In complete contrast, his son-in-law, who married his favourite daughter Luisa, was always promoted even if had questionable transactions in the government. All the allegations against him were dismissed because of his charm and connection. According to the office gossip He is the favourite of the aunt of a high in the government, in short, the woman has a great influence in the government. It is called the petticoat influence. Without the influential woman going to the office, Victor, as a secret lover of the matron, secured his promotion despite his alleged plunder and malversation of government funds.

Similarly, even other officials where Villaamil was working, all the unquestionable officials with their integrity and capacity were easily promoted, while the honest men like him are suspended.

To ensure order in decision making, bureaucracy is conducted primarily through written rules records, and communications. This is vividly described in the novel several times. Rank and file and officials as well are always on their desks for their business transactions, hence, creating the red tape. But, when the officials are out, expectedly, the office workers are not at all working. They are seen talking, eating and even jesting each other. One time when Villaamil visited the office, he saw that the office workers were just talking during office hours. The lame Guillen would even draw caricatures that even Villaamil was satirically attacked with a disgusting description of his poverty. But when Pandora, his friend, the official, arrives the office, hypocritically, workers return to work.

Weber’s idea of functional specialization applies both to persons within an organization and to relations between larger units or divisions of the organization. In the government of Villaamil, work was broken down into many special tasks, and employees were assigned to one or a few such tasks, including the tasks involved in coordinating the work of others. (Such coordination is called administration or management.) Weber argued that such specialization is essential to a rational bureaucracy and that the specific boundaries separating one functional division from another must be fixed by explicit rules, regulations, and procedures. Villaamil never saw it when he was already suspended. But things seemed right when he was still in the post. His honest and contented attitude in work would only allow him to work and work without giving himself in rumour-mongering. As a matter of fact, Villaamil’s proposal with an acronym of MIAU, according to him, was painstakingly conceptualized and studied for ten years. But not for other characters. They were his complete opposite.

For Weber it was self-evident that coordinating the divisions of large organizations requires clear lines of authority organized in a hierarchy. That means there are clear “levels of graded authority.” All employees in the organization must know who their boss is, and each person should always respect the chain of command; that is, people should give orders only to their own subordinates and receive orders only through their own immediate superior In this way, the people at the top can be sure that directives arrive where they are meant to go and know where responsibilities lie. This idea in the novel was tainted with favouritism or nepotism. Their focus is directed to the official and not on their work, hence their patronage for them otherwise, they will not be promoted and will not get a raise in the salary. Victor did this several times by rubbing elbows with the officials by flattering them, or by hooking rich and influential women with his handsome looks.

Furthermore, hierarchical authority is required in bureaucracies so that highly trained experts can he properly used as managers. Rational bureaucracies can be operated, Weber argued, only by deploying managers at all levels that have been selected and trained for their specific jobs. Persons ticketed for top positions in bureaucracies are often rotated through many divisions of an organization to gain firsthand experience of the many problems that their future subordinates must face. Ironically, all this bureaucratic models that Weber conceptualized were not dutifully practiced by all the characters except by Villaamil himself and perhaps Pantoja and the young Cucurbita.

Finally, Weber stressed that rational bureaucracies must be managed in accordance with carefully developed rules and principles that can be learned and applied and that transactions and decisions must be recorded so that rules can he reviewed. Only with such rules and principles can the activities of hundreds of managers at different levels in the organization be predicted and coordinated. If we cannot predict what others will do, then we cannot count on them.

Weber’s concepts of bureaucracy are rational and functional but in reality and in practice, are all idealistic. The people in the system were taught to be machine that would do as they were told. The novel Miau just showed the complete opposite. Because they are all human in the bureaucracy, they are all susceptible to human weaknesses, frailties and disdain for rules.

And with all the irony of bureaucratic system in the novel, our protagonist was totally affected by “the inhuman machine-like character of this bureaucracy”(Soileau, 2006). The effects can be gleaned on economic, physical, psychological, moral and spiritual aftermath that affected and destroyed Señor Ramon De Villaamil.

First is economic. When Villaamil was suspended, he became more conscious of the lack of food to eat on the table, if not the absence of it. It resulted further to humiliating himself by begging to his former clerks and friends in the government. His suspension in the government meant the absence of salary, the absence of money. His only joy, his grandson Luis, was a young witness to his suffering. Meanwhile, his insensitive and hypocrite wife, Dona Pura, would make a way to find food on the table just for the day. According to Villaamil, she loved beautiful things that would make them look rich, beautiful curtains, beautiful study room, that Villaamil’s salary on the first day of the month is already spent on the day it is received. With this economic downfall, his daughter Abelarda and sister-in-law Milagros, together with his wife, called the three Miaus, for they resemble the face of a cat, or pussy-faced, according to Luis’ classmates, would still find time to watch at the theatre socializing with the true rich.

Second is physical. Many of Villaamil’s former colleagues noticed his age, his emaciated face and the sadness he emanated whenever he would visit the office. The suspension totally lost his appetite, aside from the fact there was really nothing to eat, has made his body thin. That according to Dona Pura, he must be smart and elegant if he wanted to get back his post. N the end of the novel, his weak body would always stumble on the rocks of the mountains, on the edges of the table in his house and could not even last to carry his grandson Luis. This terrible effect was felt by his unsuspecting body.

Third is psychological. In the dizzying maze of bureaucracy, his impatience for the reinstatement, his economic and physical crises, indeed, pushed him to psychological abnormality. Many times, he would blame to an unseen evil force, that he suspected, might be behind the reason why he was not reinstated. Several occasions would prove that he would dwell on pessimism and negativism: “Don’t come to me with optimism and tricks. I tell you again and again that I will never get back to work. I have no hope, none.”; likewise he said They won’t give me my job back until the afternoon of the day of judgment.”; Villaamil sank more and more into his pessimism, reaching the extreme of saying ‘We’ll see the sun come up in the west before you’ll see me go back to work.'”; “I didn’t have any illusions and that’s not the way”, said don Ramon, raising his hands almost to the ceiling, “I never had any hope. I never believed that they would give me my job and I will never believe it.”; and, God doesn’t help anyone but the crooks. Do you think I expect anything from the Ministry or from God? Everyone is the same… above and below farces, favoritism.'”. All these he uttered to others but mostly to himself (interior monologue). Since he had no more face to his outside world, even his inside world in the family, he totally lost all control to survive and live.

His lack of moral turpitude on what is good and right interspersed with his personal spiritual connection to God was totally lost in the last two chapters in the novel. It may have been a wry humor in the story but bites one in the conscience when the old, suspended, mad Villaamil was running away from the family and Mendizabal, his neighbour, who were searching for him. He was enjoying, like a child, the hide-and-seek that meant to save him from his final death.

But, it seems that, there is a Dostoyevskian belief in Villaamil that madness is a path to divine inspiration (Cohen, 1963:5). In his majestic figure in the cliff, like Jesus when he was tempted by the devil to throw himself to the depth, he found strength in his new freedom. He was totally detached from reality. He even made a motto for his death which was: “A foul death to the whole universe” ( which in Spanish the initials are MIAU-“Muerte. Infamante.Al Universo”). He enjoyed the idea of not thinking for money anymore; that he would free himself from the pretentious, hypocrite and materialistic Miaus and passed them onto Ponce, the future husband of Abelarda who inherited a great sum from an uncle who just died, that he would not care for the post anymore for better is to be with God. He comforted himself by looking and talking to the birds. Those birds were surviving without to worry on what they would eat and so would he.

And with that false belief if not wrong notion of spirituality (as Luis told him about the apparition that God would get his grandfather) he shot himself… and the shot echoed in the solitude of that dark and deserted place. Villaamil gave a terrible leap, his head plunged into the shifting earth, and he rolled straight down into the gulf. He retained the consciousness only for enough time to say: “well… it did…”

In conclusion, our protagonist, who may also be considered a tragic character, in the maze of bureaucracy where it has favored the people on the basis of favoritism, nepotism, “petticoat influence”, closeness, patronage of the officials, abuse can be seen, if not felt, by Villaamil, his family and his grandson. Villaamil must have been promoted based on his merits, qualifications, honesty and integrity on his work. This abuse, which led to his suspension, affected him economically, physically, psychologically, morally and spiritually and brutally put himself to death.

Bibliography

Cohen, J. M.(tr). (1966). Miau. Baltimore: Penguin Books Ltd.

Coser, Lewis A. and Bernard Rosenberg (eds). Sociological Theory: A Book of Readings.

London: The Macmillan Company.

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This article raises several questions regarding current ideas on non-locality, isomorphism, quantum mechanics, gravity and the acceleration of the universe, including the possibility that para-classical explanations might not be necessary in describing the laws of nature.

With admittedly little insight into the mathematical operations that underscore current interpretations of classical and quantum physical laws, this writer (having read numerous books on the subject) has yet ended up confused more than informed. Part of the reason has to do with the writing style of author-physicists who, admirably, seek to popularize complex topics. While some stick to concrete ideas and definitions others lapse into abstractions with no spatial, geometric or experiential foundation, i.e. concepts that don’t seem to coincide with the world we live in; for example multi-verses, time travel and the existence of extra dimensions. Often unable to bring their explanation down to earth, they rely on cart-before-the horse mathematical models to create reverse resolution.

While this method is reasonable the speculation typically goes well beyond that into areas that might never be confirmed or refuted. At times it seems in their zeal to uncover a theory of everything, these thinkers come up with so many “every-things” as to be left with nothing. In this opinion, science should dovetail at least loosely with common sense. In that context, a series of items is discussed in concrete terms about current theory and the nature of our world.

On Gravity…

The confusion-driven search for a theory of quantum gravity is feverish in scientific circles. Confusion results from the fact that on a large scale gravity is lawful with regard to the influence of one body on another (whereby the more massive body will draw the less massive one in via an inverse square law based on the respective mass and distance between the two). However this only applies to objects with mass equal to or beyond that of an atom. The subatomic (quantum) world acts differently, particularly regarding massless particles which move around seemingly on their own, independent of surrounding matter and in a way that makes it impossible to track their position and momentum sequentially.

At face value this conflict begs for resolution which is why physicists have sought a theory of gravity that encompasses both General Relativity and particle (quantum) physics. But is this confusion justified?

Do we need a theory of quantum gravity?

One could ask: if gravity is a function of mass and particles such as photons and electrons have no mass, why they should behave as if in a gravitational relationship? How can something that “weighs” nothing attract something else? In addition, “mass” reflects the congestion of particles or atoms within a body; for example uranium, with an high density of atoms has greater mass than a more sparsely congested liquid such as water. As the density of a body decreases (at some point down to a single particle such as a quark) it would have less mass. With only one particle there can be no congestion unless the particle itself has internal components that congeal. Even then, (assuming there exists a root form of matter which cannot be further broken down) there would have to be a point where gravity could not pertain due to zero mass. In other words, gravity is ultimately a spatial, mathematical composite that cannot exist without at least two components pressing on one another. As an aside, this is something to consider when discussing the mass of any singularity. More specifically, once anything is whittled down to a single body can its information/communicative content reach a point where its implicit redundancy adds up to zero congestion and zero mass, despite the antecedent “crunching” of diverse elements that ended up in a singularity?

In that context one could argue that Einstein’s model of gravity is sufficient; the search for a quantum/classical combine unnecessary.

Beyond that, since both gravity and massless particles travel at light speed wouldn’t gravitational influence on the particle be canceled out as a result of relativity? For example if you travel at 100 mph on a highway and a wind of 100 mph is facing you, your car would come to a stop – all things being equal, and exhibit neither momentum or regression. Along the same lines; gravity would require differentials in mass, acceleration etc. (something that is discussed below in term of Information Theory).

Furthermore, celestial bodies do not simply adhere to gravitational relationships. All are hurtling through space at enormous speeds. As a result it isn’t just gravity that is influencing their movements, but also momentum, centripetal and centrifugal force, inertia or “drafting” (as when a cyclist cuts down on friction by undercutting wind factors when riding directly behind a competitor) and the action/reaction principle as depicted in Newton’s third law of motion – the latter holds that as a body thrusts forward it does so into an atmosphere containing some matter (not all of space is a vacuum), which leads to a counter-reaction in the opposite direction. Conceivably any and all of these forces are influencing planetary and galactic movement. Is it possible that the acceleration of the universe, as well as dark matter could be explained as some juxtaposition of all these influences rather than through a single explanation such as superstring theory, brane theory or hologram theory?

Eine Gedanke…

One interesting thought experiment would be to imagine gravity’s influence if all bodies, notwithstanding mass and distance, were completely inert: that is, had no momentum, rotation, or any susceptibility to centripetal, centrifugal forces, drafting, or action-reaction mechanics. Presumably gravity could not exist in such a state because in an inert universe any sort of gravity-induced attraction/collapse would entail a change in momentum, i.e. movement. Thus, if lack of motion cancels out gravitation then one might assume motion is the most essential correlate, or even cause of gravity.

Non-locality…

At face value the notion that particles have no lawfully discernible locations or momenta and can act lawfully only when observed seems either weird or tautological, depending on one’s perspective. One explanation for this phenomenon (the anthropic principle) holds that the observer is implicitly connected to the physical world, thus can never truly be an observer. In other words he is as dependent a variable as the particle being observed; it is as if only God can truly be an observer. Other explanations refer to the particle being virtual, darting in and out of reality or parallel universes, thus being beyond the circumscribed physical laws peculiar to our universe. Both explanations raise the question of why, even if the observer changes the particle’s behavior, both wouldn’t be subject to physical laws.

This point has been made far more eloquently. For example Witten believed the act of observing stimulated particles because the observer’s vision could only occur by firing photons at the particles (Zimmerman-Jones, Robbins 2014) – leaving the observer in roughly the same position as someone bobbing for apples. Others, for example Bohr, argued against this idea, stating that the uncertain nature of particle behavior is built into the particle and nature itself; seemingly mysterious, then again, perhaps not.

Mind and Matter…

One way to address this issue is by discussing the layout of the human brain. Early Russian research, beginning with Pavlov, demonstrated the existence of a brain mechanism known as the second signal system. He demonstrated that the dual hemispheric makeup of the cerebral cortex leads us to categorize experience in two ways: one spatial/material and one associative i.e. symbolic/linguistic (Windholz 1990). The encoding of the former onto the latter – much like a card catalogue – enhances not only our communicative capacities but also our memory storage. For instance we don’t have to commit to visual memory all items in the sequence… ‘apple’, ‘orange’, ‘pear’, etc. because we can assign the label “fruit” to each and access all of them by cross reference. As a trite, but perhaps amusing aside it appears that by conceptual symbolic thought our brains are able to override the quantum (individual, piece by piece) model of nature favored by quantum physicists through nifty, integrative mental mechanisms.

Yet while this neural mechanism provides a mnemonic and communicative advantage it can also lead to a hyper-categorization of experience. That is why Eskimos label a dozen types of snow when in fact the composition of snow is always the same.

If, due to that neuropsychological mandate, we cannot break free of a dual signal system then we cannot conceive of an un-categorical phenomenon like quantum mechanics. Due to the human penchant for categorical drift we are forced to attribute the uncertainty of particle behavior to something. That “something” might have less to do with reality than with the evolution of the human brain (which, after all is designed to survive, not just discover).

In that context one could ask whether we even need labels to describe non-locality. Perhaps there is no such (material) “thing” as a photon. Its apparent capacity to operate as a wave or a particle might really pertain more to our cognitive dispositions than to the photon’s nature. Our brains are finite and until we can soundly, experimentally verify a theory (bearing in mind that neither an atom, electron or a photon has ever been observed) we might be looking at nature through a neuropsychological prism.

The Particle/Wave Duality…

Another issue in physics is the apparent dual nature of reality – more precisely of matter. In various contexts a particle can behave like a discrete entity with circumscribed location and motion, yet at other times exhibit a wave property (which ameliorates its positional features as it appears to draw out and scatter probabilistically). It is an interesting quality that adds to the confusion in scientific circles. Once again, however this might be explained with Occamesque simplicity.

Consider the following hypothesis. A particle such as a photon or electron does not decay. Yet it has been established that all systems undergo entropy (decay) unless they are replenished periodically by outside energy sources. Even with that, entropy usually wins out due to the passage of time. That is because, among other things, those outside sources are finite and will themselves wind down. Thus, perhaps something inherent in the particle’s non-entropic quality can address the duality problem.

One can begin by asking why a photon does not decay. One possibility is that the underlying source of entropy is time itself.

An example comes to mind. If a person could remain at a certain age – say 15, in year 1967, and that year extended into perpetuity he would never age. In that case an outside energy source would be unnecessary; first because he wouldn’t need it, second because with no time lapse it would be impossible for “new” energy sources to be absorbed because a time lapse would be required even if just for one to open his mouth, bite down and ingest the new source of energy. Renewal, or counter-entropy implies a temporal sequence from depletion to energy restoration, which involves an event transition and a time lapse. Without a time lapse, there can be no entropy and no need or possibility to re-energize. In that context it might be time that ultimately determines entropy.

If a particle is traveling at light speed, it is moving neither forward nor backward in time. It becomes “constant” not only in terms of its unsurpassable speed but also as a chronological anchor point in the universe. Since it does not experience time lapses it cannot by definition be at one location at one point in time, then in another later on. While the “where” and “when” of human measurement depends on time passage massless particle do not recognize time passages. In the particle’s range of experience there is no such thing as time.

Similarly, with no time elapse, there can be no spatial transition. That means the particle is what it is and everything that it is temporo-spatially; neither here nor there. It’s dual nature is a simple manifestation of its para-chronological and para-spatial make-up. Theories superimposed on its behavior create closure, which satisfies the dual signaling system of the human brain, but might not reflect the non-spatial, non temporal realities of the subatomic world.

The Classical/Quantum Dichotomy…

It is understandable that physicists venture beyond parsimony at times in the attempt to unify classical and quantum physics. Perhaps because simple answers have been ruled more complex solutions are the only recourse. Yet our universe is undeniably systemic and as such it must be integrated on some level. The elegant stability of its various characteristics make that obvious. For example, just the right amount of matter overrides anti-matter to make existence (symmetry-breaking) possible. Another example is seen in the even distribution of matter and energy spread throughout the universe. Others can be seen in the spatial regulatory limits of the Planck length, Newton’s inverse square law and the regulatory trick played on us by light speed which is so functionally stubborn that any possible differences in speed that might occur as a result of two people viewing an object in motion from different perspectives must lead to a corrective change in time lapse (time dilation) in order to hold “c” constant. All such mechanisms offer clear indications of a universe with a disposition toward stability.

The pervasive existence of cosmic order suggests there might be a congruent and/or co-functional relationship between quantum and classical physics (an idea implied by David Bohm via the hidden variables theory of quantum mechanics (Riley, 2010). Ultimately both the classical (order-based) and quantum theories must agree, and perhaps even be dependent on one another. Still physicists continue to grapple with the apparent discrepancies so it is worthwhile to discuss this issue further.

Information and the Pre-material Universe…

One way to connect classical and quantum physics is through a concept that simultaneously refutes and confirms both theories. It is found in an essential component of Information Theory. This bears some preliminary discussion.

Many theoretical physicists have referenced “information” in their writing, particularly regarding the behavior of black holes (Barbon, 2009). Information in that context typically refers to matter and energy. For example, if an object is sucked into a black hole, the object will break up, as seen in various Star Trek movies. Yet since the law of energy conservation holds that the energy of the object cannot be annihilated, can only change its form the info-energetic components of the object cannot disappear. In effect, all of the information content must continue to exist in some form. One reason why Stephen Hawking believed that radiation would materialize and radiate beyond the black hole (and not be completely absorbed) was that the law of energy conservation, combined with beneath-the-surface energy fluctuations that characterize a quantum state means that some of the information content – the stuff that popped in and out of existence (virtual particles) had to continue to exist, and to retain the information content of the mass that was absorbed into the black hole. More simply put; you cannot get something from nothing, or nothing from something. That use of the term information as applied to matter and energy is useful but possibly incomplete.

An Abstract Universe…

This writer has discussed this topic in previous articles but the idea is worth repeating. Information equates not just with mass and energy but with existence in every sense of the word. While theoretical physics assumes matter and energy are essentially all there is – thus the word “physics”, there is a universal “something” that is not completely physical.

Information theory holds that “something” can only come into existence by being extracted from a prior state of monotony or uncertainty. The latter refers to a super blend without any internal distinctions, whether in the form of mass or force. The amount of information corresponds to the amount of uncertainty that is reduced. For example, if we type out the letters “tele”… and ask which word it refers to, answers would vary (uncertainty would be high). But if we add one letter at a time, each new letter (say initially the letter “p” it would reduce uncertainty by one bit. Now we have the letter sequence “telep.” Still this can entail several possibilities so uncertainty still prevails, as does redundancy. If, however we add the letter “h”, followed by the letters o… n… e. the word “telephone” emerges ( a kind of grammatical “creation)”. At that point maximal information has been attained, while uncertainty is reduced to zero. In an analogous process this gives the idea of nothing a slightly different meaning.

Within that model each reduction in uncertainty..(i.e. each distinction extracted from redundancy item) creates a viable message… a “something” that can apply not just to language but conceivably to any aspect of nature.

In a cosmic context, “nothing” would equate with complete/infinite redundancy. For example, with no distinctions between a photon and an electron, between, plasma and matter, between a fermion (matter-carrying particle) and a boson (a force-mediating particle) there could be no existence; neither perceptible to the human eye nor with any functional or communicative properties.

By that process, perhaps the entire universe – its essence, its functions, its communicative features originated, not quintessentially in a big bang but more functionally through information expansion in process that could be called cosmic resolution.

In some ways this is coincides with the anthropic principle but goes beyond that to a broader world mechanism which can be discussed through another experiment (sorry about the redundancy).

Universal Noise…

Imagine a universe with no distinctions among particles, forces, stars, planets, flora and fauna; only an infinite blend. In that state nothing could communicate with anything else. Changes, adaptations, messages, force and mass variations, as well as symmetry-breaking would all be impossible. This redundant world would not just be in a permanent state of entropy. It would not be a “world” at all because only with a transition from a state of uncertainty to information can existence originate.

A Proto-physical Explanation…

In that sense, a bridge between classical and quantum physics might lie in information dynamics. Without the uncertainty of the quantum world there could be no classical, lawful world. In that sense classical and quantum physics might be complementary rather than contradictory. In other words, just as one cannot get information without a prior state of uncertainty, one cannot get the lawful classical world without it being extracted from the uncertain quantum world.

Room for Dissent…

There are several problems with this argument (I told you I was fairly ignorant on this subject matter). One is that it explains the universe in abstract, rather than material terms. In this model Information theory replaces physics as a prime frame of reference. Second, it transcends both the quantum and classical models by postulating a ‘derivation’ theory of the cosmos whereby one cannot have order without an initial state of disorder. That would seem to refute the typical order to chaos sequence implicit in thermodynamics. Another problem lies in the implication that something can arise from nothing, which runs contrary to the principle of energy conservation.

How to address such conundrums? It is not an easy task. Quantum mechanics has been not only verified by research but employed very effectively technologically. So have classical concepts – or else we couldn’t not travel into outer space or use GPS systems in our cars. On the other hand so has Information Theory, both technically and mathematically. The notion that information is measured by a reduction in uncertainty is almost well established (Stover 2014).

Another potential problem is that this idea raises interesting questions about reality; converting it to something more metaphysical because origin and causation are considered pre-material. It is scientific in that information lends itself to measurement through the uncertainty reduction postulate but the ultimate unified theory is not a field or theory of quantum gravity but a non-material info-resolution process.

What About the Beginning?

How might one conceptualize the pre-informed universe? One way is by drawing a parallel between two forms of energy – potential and kinetic. Potential energy corresponds to mass but has no impact or communicative possibilities or any effect at all, without movement (which converts it to kinetic energy). Potential energy is a state of pre-existence with no cause-effect manifestations. Like potential energy the proto-universe might have been implicit, at least until one bit (the first distinction) of information was extracted from its absolute state of redundancy.

Once a distinction occurred and separated from the pack (electron, photon, helium gas etc.) something interesting would have happened. Not only would the information content of the cosmos have increased at that point, but through separation by distinction it became possible for the first foray into communication to begin. That is because only with a capacity for signal differentiation can there be a message. Thus the newly distinct particle/gas entities were at some point able to exert influence on each other where none existed before in the potential universe. That in itself would have led to more rapid signal distinctions. An information explosion would have unfolded into a plethora of celestial bodies (which could be equally categorized as cosmic bits). Eventually, the four main forces would have separated functionally.

From information to systemization and complexity…

As more distinctions occurred, more bits of information would have obtained. Atoms developed distinctions in the form of electrons, a nucleus, protons etc. as part of information proliferation. Massive clouds of gas swirled until gravity pulled some together into distinct galaxies, which entailed still more information (uncertainty reduction) in the universe.

The question is whether existence, as applied to the origin and evolution of the universe can be seen as an evolving information system. If so, the quasi-entity prior to creation would have to be described as somewhere between a physical and a pre-material world. Not “nothing” as with a vacuum, but “nothing” in a functional/communicative sense; governed most basically by a process encompassed in information dynamics, and ultimately manifest through a resolution process, not unlike the cognitive quest for discovery by those who study the universe.

REFERENCES

Barbon JLF (2009) Black holes, information and holography, Journal of Physics, Con. Ser.. 171 01

Burridge, L. Pavlov and his Disciples. The Pavlovian Journal of Biological Science. Vol. 25 (4) 163-173

Bohr, N. Discussion with Einstein on Epistemological Problems in Atomic Physics; The Value of Knowledge; A Miniature Library of Philosophy. Marxist Internet Archive (Retrieved 2010-8-30. From: Albert Einstein, Philosopher-Scientist (1949) Cambridge University Press.

Cover, J.M. Thomas, JA (2006) Elements of Information Theory (2nd Edition) Wiley-Inter-science

Riley, B.J. (January 2010) Some Remarks on the Evolution of Bohm’s Proposals for an Alternative to Standard Quantum Mechanics TPRU, Birbeck,University of London.

Stover, J.V. (2014) Chapter 1; Information Theory; A Tutorial Introduction. University of Sheffield, England

Zimmerman-Jones, A, Robbins, D (2014) Physics: String Theory disagreement about the Anthropic Principle. Internet Article in Education-Science- Physics.

מה זה חיים ומה לא?

מהם החיים?” הגדרה אחת היא אורגניזם שיכול לגדול, להתרבות ובעל חילוף חומרים (תגובות כימיות מתמשכות) בניגוד לאורגניזם מת, או חומר דומם. למרות שזה עשוי להיראות די פשוט, זה לא כולל כמה אלמנטים שאנו עשויים לשקול באופן אינסטינקטיבי בחיים. האם זרעים ששוכבים רדומים במשך שנים חיים? אם הם לא, מה מגדיר את הרגע שבו הם הופכים “לחיים?” אם זרעים כבר חיים, מה הופך אותם לכאלה? לא מתרחשות תגובות כימיות, כלומר אין סימני חיים.

מה עם מה שנקרא חיידקים גרם חיוביים שנגמרים להם חומרים מזינים? כשהם חשים שהם לא יכולים להמשיך לחיות, הם משקיעים את האנרגיה הביוכימית שלהם ביצירת נבגים. בסביבות קשות, חיידקי גרם חיוביים מפסיקים להתקיים לאחר יצירת נבגים. האם נבגי חיידקים חיים? נבגים, כמו זרעים, יכולים להישאר רדומים במשך עשרות שנים ללא סימנים של תגובות כימיות. לאחר מכן, הם מתעוררים לחיים כחיידקים כאשר הסביבה מספקת חומרים מזינים, תנאי סביבה נאותים ולחות. חיידקים אלו זהים מבחינה גנטית לחיידקים שייצרו את הנבגים. אם נבגים אינם חיים, אז מה מקנה להם חיים וכתוצאה מכך נוצרים חיידקים חיים?

אבולוציה

האם האבולוציה יכולה להסביר את החיים? לא. זה רק מתאר איך החיים התפתחו ברגע שהיו חיים. אם המרכיב הבסיסי של היקום היה מתוכנת מראש להתפתח לחיים, זו תהיה תיאוריית אבולוציה חדשה. כך טוענים מדענים רבים כולל ריצ’רד דוקינס.

מזלנו

הסיכויים המתמטיים שדברי היקום שלנו (לפחות הדברים שאנו מכירים) “יתפתחו” לחיים הם קטנים לחלוטין. סר פרד הויל השווה את ההסתברות להופעה אקראית של חיים חד-תאיים להסתברות של הרכבת בואינג 747 כתוצאה מסופת טורנדו שמסתחררת במגרש גרוטאות. יש מדענים שאומרים: אין בעיה, יש רק יקומים רבים (אולי מספר אינסופי) שבכל אחד יש טריליוני כוכבי לכת המארחים סופות טורנדו במשך מיליארדי שנים. באחד מהעולמות הללו החיים יתפתחו אלינו ויתפתחו אלינו. יתר על כן, מכיוון שהתנאים לחיים עשויים להתקיים בחלק ממיליוני כוכבי הלכת האחרים (כן, יכולים להיות רבים כל כך), החיים עשויים להיות נפוצים ביקום שלנו. כמעט כל היקומים האחרים יהיו נטולי חיים. עם זאת, קביעה זו מניחה יקומים מקבילים או עולמות חבויים רב-יקומים לצדנו.

האם ההסבר הזה מפריך את הרוחניות?

נניח שאנו מקבלים את הסיפור הזה של תחילת החיים. מה או מי ברא את כל העולמות האלה? למה כל אלה נוצרו – כדי שיהיו חיים? לפיכך, הרציונליזציה המוזרה לכאורה של איך החיים התחילו לא מתייחסת למה, מי או למה. דוקינס משתמש בהשערת הרב-יקומים כדי להראות כיצד אלוהים הוא אשליה. שגוי! הטיעון הרב-יקומי יכול להיות עקבי עם תורות רוחניות הכוללות בדרך כלל את אלוהים.

ההבדל בין ידע, מחלוקת ועובדה.

מדע המשתמש בידע מצטבר טוען כי יקומים מקבילים או רב-יקומים עשויים להסביר את מקור החיים. תיאוריות צריכות להיות ניתנות לבדיקה. אפילו ניסויים שפורסמו חייבים להיות ניתנים לשחזור או לחזור בהם. מדענים רבים מפקפקים בכך שניתן לבחון אי פעם את הרעיון של יקומים מקבילים ורב-יקומים. לחוכמה רוחנית מכל עבר, גיאוגרפיה ותרבויות יש תורות דומות. אני מאמין שהזמן בחן את האמונות הללו ושחזר אותן.

מרפא את השבר. גישור על הפער בין מדע לרוחניות.

מדענים הושפלו בעקבות גילויים של העשורים האחרונים: עולמות מקבילים, חסרים מרכיבים אפלים של היקום, והדברים המסתוריים בוואקום. פיסיקאים רבים מכריזים על העולם כרוחני. התברכנו במתנת החיים. על ידי שילוב הרוחני וגם המדעי, אני מאמין שאנו נהנים מחיים עשירים יותר.