Ep 205: David Deutsch’s ”The Fabric of Reality” Chapter 11 ”Time: The First Quantum Concept” *Part 2*
Mar 18, 2024
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Delving into the quantum theory of time and debunking common views on time flow, multiverse resolving paradoxes around time, acrostics on David Deutsch, changing views on free will, constructor theory of thermodynamics, Everettian relative states, exploring consciousness and time relationship, the unpredictability of choices, and the impact of quantum entanglement on time perception.
Time exists within the instant, not as a separate entity.
Physics challenges traditional cause-and-effect notions in the block universe concept.
Multiverse theory allows for meaningful causality through the existence of every possible scenario.
Deep dives
Time is not an external entity in the instant
Time is not a separate entity; rather, it exists within the instant. There is no external time flowing independently of physical processes in the universe. Julian Barber emphasizes that the instant is where time is experienced, with physics supporting the idea that time is not an external force.
Space-time physics denies traditional causality
In space-time physics, the traditional notion of cause and effect is challenged. The block universe concept presents a reality where events at different moments do not physically cause one another. The laws of physics determine events at one moment based on those at another without direct causation.
Multiverse accommodates counterfactuals and causality
The multiverse theory provides room for counterfactual statements and meaningful causality. Imaginary universes lack significance, but in the multiverse, the existence of every possible scenario allows for causal relationships to be discerned among observed events.
Quantum systems display non-commutability of observables
In quantum mechanics, observables in quantum systems do not commute, meaning that the order of determining observables matters. Unlike classical mechanics where position and momentum are known simultaneously, quantum mechanics prohibits this dual knowledge due to the non-commutative nature of matrices representing observables.
Time is an illusion in physics and subjective experience
Physics and subjective experience converge on the idea that time is an illusion. Experts like Julian Barber and Sam Kypar delve into how time is static at every instant, with no inherent flow. Concepts like the eternal now and the fundamental nature of moments reveal the illusory nature of time.
Conclusion: Timelessness and subjective awareness
The discussion on time culminates in the understanding that timelessness pervades the universe. Whether through physics' perspective aligning with the eternal present or individuals recognizing the eternal now subjectively, the idea of time being a construct becomes clear. Time is a concept that dissolves upon closer examination, revealing the true nature of existence at each moment.
Part 2: Time is in the instant. The instant is not in time. More on the quantum theory of time and how the "spacetime" view of time, and the flow of time are false. How time relates to the "block universe" model and how the multiverse fixes the paradoxes at the heart of our common sense (and classical physics) ideas about time - more readings from "The Fabric of Reality" chapter 11 and in addition:
A couple of acrostics about David Deutsch in terms of "Popper".
David's changing view of free will.
Readings on "free will" from "A Science of Can and Can't" by Chiara Marletto.
A summary of a paper by Marletto and Vedral on the "Page and Wooters" construction.
Brief remarks on Marietto's "Constructor Theory of Thermodynamics"
Kuyper's thesis "Developments in Unitary Quantum Theory"
The paradoxes involved in trying to picture time using diagrams.
Machian Dynamics (Ernst Mach's idea about absolute space and time being false and instead how the universe has dynamics of its own).
The Schrödinger vs Heisenberg Pictures
The Kuypers and Deutsch paper on "Everettian Relative States in the Heisenberg picture"
