The wave function grades the range of potential construals of experience in terms of probability.
A particle is a construal of experience that is an instance of that probability-graded potential.
The wave function grades the range of potential construals of experience in terms of probability.
A particle is a construal of experience that is an instance of that probability-graded potential.
Einstein's General Theory of Relativity construes time as a dimension: as one axis of four-dimensional space-time. On this basis, time does not slow down or speed up, because a dimension does not slow down or speed up.
What does slow down or speed up is a process, such as the ticking of a clock. If the ticking process slows down, then there is a longer time interval between each tick; if the ticking process speeds up, there is a shorter time interval between each tick.
This demonstrates, on the one hand, that according to Einstein's theory, time intervals expand or contract, and on the other hand, that time is the dimension of the unfolding of processes. It is because time is the dimension of the unfolding of processes that time has an "arrow" (direction/asymmetry): from earlier phases of unfolding to later phases of unfolding.
On this basis, time is unlike the dimensions of space, because movement along the dimension is a matter of duration only. That is, "travelling" in time is merely the persistence of a process along the time axis. There is no travelling forwards or backwards in time analogous to travelling forwards or backwards in space.
On the same basis, time does not flow or pass, because a dimension does not flow or pass.
What "flows" or "passes" is a reference point, the present, along the time axis. The present is the location on the time axis of the process of construing experience as meaning; that is of conscious processing: sensing or saying. As the process of consciousness unfolds, the reference point 'present' shifts on the time axis, along with what this reference point designates as 'past' or 'future'.
Quantum physics confirms that meaning is the creation of meaners (observers) and probabilistic in its instantiation (the collapse of the wave function).
The reason physicists think Quantum Theory is "weird" is that (1) they assume that meaning is independent of meaners — that Nature is categorised independent of categorisers — and (2) they treat potential as if it were actual (e.g. superposition).
Gravity is the increasing relative expansion of time intervals with proximity to a centre of mass, and the increasing relative contraction of space intervals in the direction of a centre of mass, with increasing proximity to that centre.
The relative expansion of time intervals means that a process such as the ticking of a clock, unfolds relatively more slowly. The contraction of space intervals means that the shortest trajectory (geodesic) of another body traversing the affected space will be curved in the direction of the centre of mass. But there is an important difference between time relativity and space relativity.
In time relativity, the expansion of time intervals is relative to other time intervals: those at other spatial locations, further from the centre of mass. In space relativity, on the other hand, the contraction of space intervals (in the direction of a centre of mass) is relative to the other space dimensions (those perpendicular to the dimension of contraction).
This means that a person does not detect the expansion of time intervals, since time intervals are expanded only relative to time intervals at spatial locations not occupied by that person; whereas a person does detect the contraction of space intervals (as gravitational attraction in one direction), since space intervals are contracted relative to the other two spatial axes at which the person is located.
Time, as one dimension of space-time does not 'flow', any more than do the three dimensions of space. The 'flow' of time is the shifting of the location of a reference point, the present, along the time axis, where 'the present' is the temporal location of making meaning: of sensing or saying.
On the 'transcendent' view of meaning, theorising is making meanings of meanings outside semiotic systems. On the 'immanent' view of meaning, theorising is making meanings of meanings inside semiotic systems, such as the meanings made by language of the meanings of perceptual systems. The findings of quantum physics — 'a phenomenon is not a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon' — are consistent with the 'immanent' view, but not with the 'transcendent' view.
Ideationally, beliefs are the projections of desiderative processes (not cognitive processes). As ideas, they are desires (not thoughts).
Interpersonally, beliefs are proposals: offers/commands (not propositions: statements/questions). In terms of modality, beliefs are modulations: inclinations/obligations (not modalisations: probabilities/usualities).
Beliefs include ideologies. Ideologies are desires, offers/commands and inclinations/obligations.
When the rich symbologies of mythologies are misconstrued as facts to be believed, mythologies become desires, offers/commands, and inclinations/obligations, and function on a par with ideologies.
The notion of 'cyclical' time confuses processes with time. Time is the dimension along which processes unfold. A year is the temporal duration of a cyclical process: one revolution of the Earth around the Sun. A day labels the temporal duration of a cyclical process: one rotation of the Earth on its axis. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, seasons and years label time intervals of cyclical processes. It is not time that is cyclical but the process that unfolds in time.
If gravity is understood as the relative contraction of space intervals, and the relative expansion of time intervals, by a massive body, then gravity is neither the curvature of space nor the curvature of time. What is curved is the geodesic, the minimum distance between two points in space, which is the trajectory a body will take unless acted upon some other force. This is because the minimum distance, say for a moon moving relative to a planet, is always in the direction of the planet, since this is the direction in which space intervals are contracted.
A black hole is not a hole. It is a region of relatively contracted space intervals and relatively expanded time intervals due to the presence of mass.
The periphery of a black hole, the event horizon, is the circumference at the radial distance from its centre where the quantity of mass of the black hole is sufficient to contract the intervals of space to the degree that the geodesic of light is curved within that circumference, so that light cannot "escape" the black hole.
The centre of a black hole, the singularity, is an idealised mathematical point where the quantity of mass of the black hole is sufficient to contract the intervals of space to zero, and expand the intervals of time to infinity. (More realistically, at the centre, the intervals of space are contracted to the minimum distance, the Planck length, and the intervals of time are expanded to the distance that is inversely proportional to the space contraction.)
From the perspective of regions outside a black hole — the only locations where observers construe experience as meaning — matter falling into a black hole can never reach the singularity, because the increasing expansion of time intervals on this trajectory entails that the process would take an infinite amount of time to unfold.
According to the comparative mythologist, Joseph Campbell, mythology arose as the use of symbolism to fit consciousness to its physical and social environments through different stages of life.
Theism arose as the belief in mythic symbology as fact.
Atheism arose as the disbelief in mythic symbology as fact.
Agnosticism arose as abstaining from the choice of belief or disbelief in mythic symbology as fact.
With symbology misconstrued as fact, to be believed or disbelieved, the meaning of the symbology is ignored and lost. See Making Sense Of Religion.
Homo sapiens is a biological classification. On biological grounds (DNA), humans and chimpanzees belong to the same genus, just as horses and asses, which are less closely related, belong to the same genus. This means that, on biological grounds, Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus are more accurately classified as Homo troglodytes and Homo paniscus.
It follows from this that all human ancestors since the split with chimpanzees are also of the same genus. This means that, on biological grounds, Australopithecus Afarensis, Australopithecus Africanus, etc. are more accurately classified as Homo Afarensis, Homo Africanus, etc.
By the same token, since Homo sapiens sapiens successfully interbred with Homo neanderthalensis, on biological grounds, Neanderthals belong to the same species as Homo sapiens, and are more accurately classified as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.
On the model of Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistic Theory, infinity is a quality: limitlessness. An infinite amount is a limitless amount, not a specific number. To treat infinity as a number is to misconstrue a quality as a quantity.
the meanings of somatic semiotic perceptual systems | realise | the meanings of social semiotic linguistic systems |
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the meanings of somatic semiotic perceptual systems | realise | the meanings of social semiotic linguistic systems |
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This stratification of the content plane had immense significance in the evolution of the human species – it is not an exaggeration to say that it turned Homo ... into Homo sapiens. It opened up the power of language and in so doing created the modern human brain.
Galilean science is concerned with the outer material-relational domain ('primary qualities') rather than with the inner mental-verbal domain ('secondary qualities'); and
in Cartesian philosophy, the certainty of the existence of the inner mental-verbal domain (cogito) guarantees (ergo) the existence of the outer material-relational domain (sum).