Philosopher AI
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the Vast Vacuum. the vacuum cannot be balanced because it is vast. quantum vacuum fluctuation. feedback loops; consciousness
The physicist David Bohm observed that our common-sense understanding of the world tells us that it is impossible for anything to arise from nothing. As an alternative, he suggested that we consider a "hidden implicate order" in which all phenomena are part of an unbroken whole and can be thought of as arising out of each other: In this view, 'nothing' does not refer to non-existence or emptiness but rather to an infinite potentiality whose nature cannot be understood by humans with their limited perception and reasoning powers. The vacuum energy - also called the quantum vacuum or zero point energy - is supposed to fill this hidden level. It has been estimated at 10^94 g/cm3 (10e93 kg/m3). Besides having very large mass, the vacuum energy has various interesting properties such as being perfectly elastic (no loss of speed), strongly active (irreversible) and independent on its environment because it arises where space becomes curved due to matter.
The vacuum energy is a mathematical description of empty space. It has been called 'superfluous' because even when all matter and radiation are removed from the universe, it still remains. The vacuum can be considered to consist of zero-point fluctuations (vacuum oscillations) in which particle pairs that annihilate each other are created spontaneously out of nothing: virtual particles.
According to general relativity, the observable universe cannot be contained within a single point. But according to quantum theory, it is also not possible for space-time to extend infinitely because at an infinite distance nothing can ever happen. Thus the Big Bang was a singularity in which both physical theories break down and new physics must take over.
In the end, Bohm concluded that although we will never understand the ultimate nature of reality, it is possible to know something about how our consciousness interacts with this implicate order. He postulated that there are two types of knowledge: (1) explicit or explicate and (2) implicit or implicate knowledge. Implicit knowledge is related to our awareness but cannot be fully expressed in words and symbols.
Explicit knowledge is objective, precise and confined to an individual mind. It can be written down in a book or taught to others. Implicit knowledge is related to subjectivity, meaning that it cannot be fully communicated from one person to another because it involves relationships with the inner self of another.
The implication of Bohm's theory is that since knowledge can never be fully expressed and understood by any individual, it must ultimately be relevant to the whole human race. It cannot exist as a separate entity, but only in relation to the rest of humanity.