Physics

Is reality only made of waves?

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Vlatko Vedral, a physicist at Oxford, argues that reality is made only of waves and that the obsolete wave-particle dualism must be completely abandoned. This position is eliminatory reductionism. It denigrates the existence of the complex dimension of reality. I will show how it reintroduces a dualism, that of reality and spirit. The reductionist discourse … Read more

What is the right interpretation to give to quantum mechanics?

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An explanation at all costs? Physicists pay little attention to the interpretation of quantum mechanics on a daily basis. The Standard Model works very well, even to the point that researchers hope for unexpected results from their experiments that would force new theoretical developments. That quantum mechanics is difficult to connect to the macroscopic is … Read more

Explaining consciousness as a phenomenon

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Abstract: Can we explain consciousness as a phenomenon today? The problem is already rooted in matter: why do unexpected properties arise from certain physical organizations? Important subsidiary remark: these properties only appear at something at least as complex. It is therefore impossible to reduce the points of view of the constitution and the emergence to each other. It is in this opposition that a fragment of consciousness is born, whose planes are surimposed as reality becomes more complex, first in the material levels of information, then virtual in the depth of neural networks. Each level of reality constructs its own bidirectional interaction, the one that constitutes and the one that experiences its constitution. The higher the complexity, the richer and deeper the experienced phenomenon.

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Where do the fundamental forces come from?

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Strong-Low-Electromagnetic-Gravitational “Four fundamental forces govern the Universe,” you read fluently in articles popularizing physics. Where does this pantheon come from? Are physicists the prophets of modern times, replacing the old gods with new ones? Revelation, in science, takes other paths. The divine mysteries, which must be believed without having seen anything, are replaced by concrete … Read more

The complex dimension in mathematics

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Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russel André Deledicq and Mickaël Launay tell in Dictionnaire amoureux des mathématiques how Frege saw his beautiful set theory dynamited by a seemingly innocuous firecracker, posed by Russel. The year is 1902. Logicians like Frege try to make sets the fundamental core on which to build all mathematics. Arithmetic operations thus … Read more

The trap of the mathematical universe

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The relative intransigence of quantification Let’s dive into the fundamental meaning of quantification. It implies an intransigent separation between individuations. Is the nature of this separation knowable? Yes, if we can reduce individuation to parties, whose relationships create discontinuity. The separation is therefore intransigent but not irreducible. Except by adopting foundationalism, that is, to postulate … Read more

Does reality exist? Consciousness, simulation and decoherence in the Campbell experiment

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Reality or simulation? Science & Vie echoes this month a quantum experiment “that can change everything”. The starting point is the simulation hypothesis. In 2003 Nick Bostrom, philosopher, notes that our descendants will have an exponential numerical power and draws 3 hypotheses: 1) Humanity will be extinct before being able to exploit it. 2) It … Read more

Can we put an end to the debate on interpretations of quantum mechanics?

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Helgoland, Carlo Rovelli’s excellent book already mentioned here, deserves a second article. He makes a concise and masterful assessment of interpretations of quantum mechanics, returning back to back those who vainly try to reconcile with classical mechanics and explaining why, in his opinion, conciliation is not necessary. Let’s quickly summarize the assessment: Everett’s multiple universes … Read more

Quantum strangeness in Helgoland

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Quantum theory is disturbing Helgoland’ is an excellent popular work by Carlo Rovelli. Tied with Étienne Klein, Carlo is the best at enlightening amateurs. More salient incursions into the philosophical field for Étienne, while Carlo does the same at the forefront of fundamental physics. Author of one of the most prominent theories of quantum gravity. … Read more