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Given that there is no conclusive unifying theory for General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics and while postulating the relationship between time and space, as well as being baffled by the Double Slit Experiment, I decided to solve these with a theory of my own. I call it: ‘The Theory of Conscious Time’. I think it explains well some of these mysteries, even others that I did not set out to explain.
Realising that many theories in physics and especially in Quantum Mechanics rely heavily on math coupled with imagination, I wanted to see if I could create a theory using mostly imagination, the one resource I have plenty of. Starting off with one simple but radical idea, I came up with a theory that logically explained some of these mysteries, but also posed some interesting questions too. I then also set about to answer these questions that this theory raised to see if I could complete the theory. This theory doesn’t take into consideration many other theories out there. I wanted to think outside the box and come up with something radically different.
The need to explain Quantum Mechanics and other mysteries in Physics has led to scientists to many theories and mathematical equations over the centuries. Today, billions of dollars have been spent creating colliders where particles are smashed into each other in order to see what atoms are made of and how and why the universe exists. In contrast to the huge effort of many scientists, this theory is based on a simple premise about the nature of ‘time’. From this simple idea, I will show how it is possible that our perception of time is an illusion. While Einstein famously said that time was an illusion, this theory attempts to explain this illusion.
The fundamental view of this theory
This theory suggests that we have been looking at time in the wrong way. The fundamental principal of the theory is that time is not a product of the universe or space, rather it is a function of our brain or consciousness with space itself existing without time. Thus we experience space or the universe with data being processed by the brain and it is the brain that feeds the mind a simulation of reality based on readings from real space and filtered using a logical linear sequence of data packets that we experience as time. Waves of energy are divided into into logical chunks of data which are streamlined to our brain. This is how the brain makes sense of a universe where all things exist in all allowable locations at once, but one snapshot at a time.
How Time and Space interact
If the universe is a realm of waves, our brains apply time to waves that we are tuned into. This gives us a simulation viewed as particles or a physical universe. Space is really no different to the Quantum world but has one big difference that leads us to believe that there are two sets of laws. It is summed up in one word, ‘perception’. So as physicists struggle to understand how particles are waves and waves are particles, I am saying that they are the same thing, only perceived differently. Particles are waves that have been sliced by time.
Our reality is indeed a simulation or an interpretation of the universe. Waves are sliced into time chunks by the brain giving us our view of the universe, one qubit at a time. The effect of this is a linear fashion of data that enables us to experience a past, present, and future, all the while the universe is really a realm of particles that are in all allowable places at once. This is why observation changes the results of certain experiments.
To break this down further. Think of a small spectrum of waves in the universe among an almost infinite spectrum, where different organs in our body like the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin receive waves of varying wavelength. Once the brain converts these waves into electrical signals, it is at this point that we experience what we call reality. So the universe is one thing and our perception of it another. Waves are processed by the brain which slices and dices them into fundamental particles of data which are then fed to us as reality. One moment to the next. Imagine a particle without time. It should appear as a wave or as we understand the Quantum world where an electron for example is everywhere it is allowed to be until you observe it.
While time is considered the fourth dimension and space being the first three dimensions, instead space is a realm where there is no time as we know it. Time-Space is then best described as space perceived through time. There is us, the operator of time and there is the object, a universe without time.
Einsteins big idea was a link between time and space. They are like an x-y axis graph where the more we plot toward x the less y becomes and vice versa. So the faster we travel, then time slows down and when we are still, then we are travelling through time at a faster rate.
While the video above shows what Einstein thought of time, what is being proposed in this theory is the following: The faster you travel through space, the greater the amount of information or data that your brain is in range to receive. Like all computers, the brain has a maximum amount of information it can process. To compensate for an increase in information flow, your brain has to slow down that rate of information it receives in order to allow the process of that information. It is this slowing down that results in time slowing down from our own perspective, although we never travel fast enough to really notice it. When we are not moving, then we receive the default rate of data which means that time travels at its fastest. Whether we are moving or not, we receive the same amount of data, but moving increases the rate of data to process, so the data is slowed down to the rate which we can process. This slowing down results in time slowing down for us.
Like a computer, the brain has a cap on how much data it can process. This is the constant with time and space fluctuating to equal the constant amount of data that we receive. This also explains why people who have lost one of the senses such as sight or sound, have improved ability with the other senses. In other words, data that is not coming in through the eyes means more data can come through the ears. The sum is the data cap of information that our brain can handle and the lined up data packets being processed is what time is. Here are some simple equations to explain it. Further, if this linear feed of data is what gives us time, then without time, all data is present.
We even notice this when we are driving. As we go faster, we receive less information/detail about our surroundings than what we would experience if we walked, but because we cover a greater distance, then the data amounts to the same. If I walk, I then can experience much more detail, but less distance. So travelling at speed results in missed data packets, yet our brain still receives the same amount of data overall, but much data (detail) is lost to compensate for the extra data caused by moving. This is related to time slowing down when we move. The experience of time is simply how our brain makes sense of a Quantum Universe.
So our experience of the universe does not explain the universe at all. It is just a way to make some logical sense of it to the degree that our brain can handle. While the universe is really all things in all possible states in all possible locations, we do not have the capacity to process all that data. Our brain needs to extrapolate some data from this data set by processing chunks of data in a linear fashion. Because our brain works this way, we essentially receive frozen moments of the universe in a direction that enables us to exercise choices. From one choice to another with preceding choices affecting future choices. It could actually work in any direction mathematically, but our brain works in the direction that we call past, present, future. If it worked the other way so that time went backward, then the end result would still be the total data that we have observed or experienced in a lifetime.
- Our past -> Our present -> Our future = Total amount of data that we have observed or experienced in our life time. (Insight)
- Our future -> Our present -> Our Past = Total amount of data that we have observed or experienced in our life time with an emphasis on learning how it happened. (Hindsight)
The universe is made up of data/information. We receive information, but like all computers, the brain cannot process everything in a moment. Information is streamed for processing and that is the direction of time.
Unifying Quantum and Relativity
Simply speaking this theory suggests that General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics only seem different because observation enacts time. Our bodies are not designed to observe things at Quantum scale so they are naturally in the state of being unobserved. Our brain is not designed to make us see particles naturally. This is why electrons are everywhere at once in the Quantum world . It is why a single electron acts like a wave when it is unobserved. It is why wherever we look for the electron, we can see it. Upon observation, we see it in a time state, or in one of its possible states or positions.
If we were for example able to blow an atom up in size to the scale of a solar system with the nucleus like the sun and the electrons in orbit like planets, it would behave in the same manner with gravity. But because things on a quantum scale are not naturally observable by the brain, instead it is like a solar system, but electrons exist in all its theoretically possible states because time is not enacted. Also, if you picture the solar system going through the galaxy at 70,000 km/h, its path draws a vortex which is similar to a wavelength. Imagine each planet and moon as a particle and their allowable path as a wave with frequency.
Solving the Double Slit Experiment
The Double Slit Experiment has puzzled scientists for over 100 years. The video above demonstrates well why Physicists are completely baffled by its results. This theory proposes a simple explanation that explains Quantum weirdness and makes it logical.
The reason that the laws of Quantum are so weird is because things are too small to be naturally observed, so they behave in a manner without our influence. Upon observation, we impose time to the data we receive. Bigger things actually work the same way as they do at Quantum scale, except we are naturally conscious of things at our scale and always perceive them by observation. Observation of bigger things are naturally filtered by our brain which imposes time and sequential ordinance to the experience. It is so seamless that it makes us believe that time is a product of the universe itself and have not noticed that our brain is slicing reality up for us in order to make sense of all the data in the Universe. A bit like a fish that doesn’t know what water is, we do not naturally know what time really is.
As soon as we observe things at quantum level or any level, then we see it through the eyes of time because that is what our brain serves up in the usual manner a sequential feed of data. This leads further into concluding that not only is the quantum level weird, but the whole universe is weird. It seems that Quantum level experiments merely show a loophole in the system where this seamless processing of reality by the brain is essentially not invoked because we cannot naturally observe things at this small level.
Think of a video game where you are driving a racing car. This virtual world passes by with the illusion of close and far and even present and past. When we zoom in on the pixels that make up the game, it all seems meaningless and we do not naturally make sense of them. But at a certain scale we see the picture of a world that has time and distance. Reality is like this too and instead of pixels there are fundamental particles. Our brain processes this data and it is no different in the real world where particles are almost meaningless to look at, but at our observable scale we are in familiar territory and comprehend the objects that these particles make up. Our brain is wired to see our scale of things. This is the same with the universe and the world of Quantum. They are both there, but only one of the scales is directly observable and makes sense to us. Particles are just the pixels of the real world. And what is a pixel in a virtual world? Is it a real piece of matter or a blend of three components of the color spectrum, i.e., light? Is it a coincidence then that we try to understand why particles are one minute matter and then waves? Physical particles are waves just as pixels are light and we already know that the dual nature of light is both a particle and a wave. The difference is only perception.
Now to explain what is going on in the Double Slit Experiment. The reason why particles leave an interference pattern is because they are not being observed and when they are observed, then they act like particles because we have subjected the experiment to being processed by our brain which creates time and feeds us moments or snapshots giving us the view of particles. When we are not observing we see the interference pattern because time is not applied and so the particles are more like waves that spread out to all their possible positions. Even if the measuring device is placed after the double slits but before the back plate, it will still acts as particles because we are then observing the experiment and applying time to our view. Additionally, the reason we can shoot particles at all is because we are observing that part of the experiment.
The difficult thing for us is that we learn by observing and so we will nearly always see things as being processed by the brain and subject to time. This experiment has allowed us to momentarily and indirectly observe what the universe is really like before we process it with our brain. The part of the experiment that is not being observed is closer to the truth of the universe itself.
- Particles + All time = Ability to create interference pattern.
- Interference pattern = all particles bouncing off each other over the total time of the experiment.
- Normal pattern = Particles observed, so results are fed to the brain in time sequence with one location possible and no bouncing off other particles.
In reality the two results of the experiment are correct and exist. One is being interpreted by the brain via observation, the other is not being observed, so displays without time, meaning the particles are bouncing off each other. In short, if you removed time from the experiment, then all the particles were shot out together and either bounced off each other or each particle was spread out into all its possible orbital positions.
Merging science and religion
While science and religion are poles apart for many people, there is much common ground between the two. For example when people experience NDE (Near death Experience), they often note that they are conscious while outside their bodies and can still see things including a view of their own body while in some kind of floating state. Both science and religions have explanations for this and it is interesting to note that many people who experience a NDE say that the experience lacked the dimension of time. It is common for them to note that they sort of existed or experienced a realm of eternity. These observations fit well with this theory because time being a construct of the brain means that once a patient becomes brain-dead, then time will no longer exist for them. They will perceive the universe outside of time, and upon being brought back to this life and time, their explanations would use religious overtones like ‘eternity’ and views of otherworldly beings.
Religious experiences are often called spiritual experiences which means it is an experience that is not physical. Because the brain is a physical organ, it is naturally assumed that reality looks differently without it, while science holds that the brain is absolute in order to remain conscious, thus our existence is purely physical. Science explains NDEs as the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain leading to hallucinations. Religions says otherwise because they generally believe existence is not physical even though we exist in a physical universe, but that the physical realm is only part of an even greater realm.
I am not really trying to bridge the gap here between science and religion or even prove that there is life after death, but to say that the scientific conclusion of NDEs seems weird because we have to take for granted that NDE patients experience the same hallucinations or the same themes at least. While both religion and science explain these experiences in their own ways, both agree that the lack of brain activity leads to a different perception of reality with religion saying that what is being experienced is real, while science says it is merely hallucinations or illusion. Ironically, many famous scientists including Einstein say that reality itself is an illusion, so it could turn out that an experience without the brain is reality and with it is the illusion, simulation, or a mere perception of reality.
NDE’s are also experienced from people of all walks of life including brain surgeons and Atheists who have totally changed their view of reality after their experience. The common themes of NDE’s include: a dark void with a light in the distance leading through a tunnel, then being overwhelmed by a sense of immense love, and an existence without time. NDE’s fit well in this theory because time being a construct of the brain means that when the brain dies, perception of the universe changes to perhaps a direct experience of the real universe or existence. Further, science has never proved that NDE’s are not real, it only assumes that consciousness is a product of the brain. Many religions hold the view that the brain simply acts like a computer with the real ‘me’ as the ghost in the machine or the soul in the physical body.
Regardless of your view here, NDE’s support this theory and if we understood that consciousness can exist outside of the brain, then it could radically change science and bring it closer to a belief in an afterlife of some kind. If the brain does generate time, then many religious experiences could be real experiences without influence of time.
Rebuttals & likely questions to this theory
There are a number of questions that one could ask in opposition to this theory. I will highlight the ones I expect people will ask and give possible explanations for them.
Q: If the Double Slit Experiment can be explained as seeing the universe without time and then seeing it with time due to observation, then how come we do not see the same thing when doing experiments at normal scale?
A: Our body and brain are designed to perceive the universe at our scale. We can observe things at a certain scale and thus experiments at this scale will always result in being ‘observed’. A challenging experiment would be to get the same results as the Double Slit Experiment but at our scale by turning off all effects of observation. Remember that observation is more than seeing with the eyes. It is perceiving things at this scale measuring them, and directly observing them. There are many ways we can perceive things that do not involve seeing them. The need to turn them all off somehow could yield an interesting result. If an experiment could replicate the Double Slit Experiment but at our scale, then this would go a long way to supporting the idea that time is a construct of the brain.
Q: What about people with brain damage. Surely there would be people that have damaged part of their brain that affects their perception of time, if time is solely created in the brain
A: It could be that if you damage this function of the brain it leads to death which explains why NDE patients experience what they call ‘eternity’ or being conscious in a state without time. Perhaps this function of the brain is fundamental in order to be a conscious person. People in comas who have some brain function, have damaged the part of the brain that gives us the experience of time. The result then could be a dream state, where coma patients cannot experience the universe in its particle state meaning they are not conscious in this reality. The same goes for dreaming. When we dream they seem to be experiences without linear time. You could be dreaming of a time when you were a child and then as an adult. Dreams do not seem to follow linear time so perhaps the part of the brain that processes information in a linear fashion is switched off during the dream state.
Q: Why then do two people in different times but same location, not see each other or bump into each other?
A: They are in two different areas of space. Remember that when I occupy the same space as someone else or even myself, everything has moved or particles are in a different arrangement. So we are not in the same space but different time, but in different states or particle arrangements.Q: Why do we see the past when pointing at distant stars and galaxies.
A: We are seeing other particle arrangements of the universe. Particles are in superposition, the more light we observe, the more different arrangements we observe. Again our brain applies time giving the illusion of time.Q: Where are the complex mathematical equations to explain your theory.
A: If you can come up with an equation to give this theory some mathematical evidence, then please feel free to do so. However, bear in mind that Einstein already created the math behind time and space. I am simply saying that time is a function of the brain, so his math can probably stand as it is, with the additional understanding of what time really is.
Q: If time is a construct of the brain, then does that mean the universe didn’t have a beginning?
A) It doesn’t mean that. Whether the universe had a beginning or not, this theory suggests that all things in the universe are in all possible states and possible locations and we isolate these states and locations with our brain which feeds our mind perhaps one qubit frame after another in order to process the incredible amount of overall data our brain receives.
Q: How do you know that particles are waves with time applied to them?
A: I am saying that particles have places where they can and can’t go. Imagine all the possible places a particle can be including bouncing off other particles. An electron is said to be everywhere (possible) at once, so to me that is a perfect description for a particle’s existence without time. Once we observe it, then it doesn’t appear everywhere at once because our brain feeds us one frame of that particle’s superposition thereby seeing its location. So we see its location anywhere we look within its possible range. Similarly, if I took a million year snapshot of our solar system, then all the planets and moons would be in superposition and if I took a photo of the Solar System then I would see one of the possible locations for the objects in the Solar System.
Q: Is time travel possible given your theory?
A: The universe is a dimensional construct that contains all things in all possible places in all time. If we could tinker with our brain’s interpretation of waves, i.e., resulting electrical signals, then many realities that we extrapolate from the universe could be possible. People claim that they can do such things through meditation or with the aid of drugs. Think about dreaming, which is a series of memories that are usually not linked in a logical time sequence such as what he experience when we are awake.
Conclusion
This theory is based on a simple premise, yet it adequate explains quite a few current mysteries from physics and also other fields too.
- It explains what the illusion of time is.
- It explains how to unite Quantum Mechanics with General Relativity in one unifying theory by essentially saying that both are actually the same except that things at our scale are always observed one way or another meaning our perception of large scale objects is altered while atoms are not.
- It explains synced fluctuations or the relationship between time and space by saying that the brain handles a certain size of data packet with movement slowing down the amount of data packages to keep the stream of data at the same constant size .
- It provides a simple explanation for the famed ‘Double Slit Experiment’ which has baffled scientists for over 100 years by saying that time is a function of the brain, and we do not naturally observe things on a Quantum scale. So the Quantum realm is perceived as a place without time with particles being everywhere and nowhere at once. In short the universe without time.
- It provides an explanation as to why people who do not have use or lose use of a sensory organ end up with stronger input in their remaining senses. e.g., loss of eyesight can give better hearing. Due to a cap in the amount of data the brain can handle in any one frame, if there is no sensory input through the eye, then more data can be interpreted through the ears.
- It explains why some people are able to experience other levels of consciousness. Our brains are designed to give us this physical interpretation of the universe. But under the influence of drugs, sleep, brain damage, and even a near death experience, humans experience reality with no respect for time. Perhaps to be a normal functioning human is to have our brains wired to receive the physical universe simulation that we believe is real. If the brain is altered to affect our feed of reality, then we fall out if sync with time itself and to the rest of the world we appear as being in a trance, asleep, or dead.
- It opens up the possibility that there exists life that experience a greater range of the spectrum than us or who can tune into a different reality stream. They could even be right next to us or even inside us.
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