As published in the journal of the Scientific & Medical Network,
‘Network Review’, Issue 95, December 2007.
[© Grahame Blackwell 2007]
Intro from original publication (2007):
Ten years of personal research and insights from nature have led Grahame Blackwell to a radically new perspective on material reality, substantially supported by mathematics and well-established findings of 20th century science. Here he presents some aspects of that new perspective, condensed from his books published by Transfinite Mind Ltd.
[Editorial note, added Sept. 2010: Some readers may wish to fast-forward to the final section - entitled ‘Finally’ - or even the final paragraph, to see where the article is heading before returning to the start.]
The following text provides brief extracts (separated by ellipses . . . ) from the sections of this article. The complete article can be seen here, and downloaded as a PDF here.
Time: what it is and what it isn’t
Before embarking on any discussion on the nature of time it’s necessary first to define which of the dozen or more semantically different usages of that word is being considered. . . .
In actuality, though, time is of course not a direction but a process (though it can't be denied that time has a very real directional quality, the so-called 'arrow of time'. More on this later). As we'll see, the process of time is the process of consciousness moving along energy lines. . . .
Time as a process of energy flows
So how can the movement of consciousness along such energy lines produce the perception of the phenomenon of ageing or, more generally, time-perception? First we need to see how the effects of time are actualised by the flow of energy along those lines. This is actually remarkably simple. . . .
This perspective on time and matter leads to some interesting results. First, it can be established that time acts in a way that gives it the appearance of being a 'direction' that is perpendicular to all spatial directions. . . .
[T]he energy-flow perspective shows every element of the cosmos to be synchronised to a shared universal meta-time, orchestrating the flowing movements and transformations of energy patterns that we perceive through our limited senses as separate entities. . . .
The Arrow of Time
Two known scientific facts appear to be at odds with each other. First it’s known that the total energy of a system after any event is equal to the total energy of that system before that event. . . . So it seems reasonable that any event may happen in either direction – any event should be reversible.
However it's also known that this is not the case: a broken vase won't leap off the floor and reassemble itself on the table, filling with water from the puddle on the carpet as it goes. . . .
Why so? If the energy books balance equally in both directions, why do the workings of the universe so clearly favour one of those directions and shun the other?
Again, the answer is very simple and again it’s down to those energy flows. . . .
This principle is responsible for the formation of all molecular structures in nature. A variant of this same principle is also responsible for the nuclear fusion process that drives the life-giving energy output of stars. . . . Every aspect of the evolution of the universe is down to. . . . the arrow of time.
The Role of Consciousness in Time Perception
At any given instant in time a snapshot of the physical state of the universe is given by the totality of the leading edges (or wavefronts) of the electromagnetic energy flows that make up all the particles and free energies in the universe at that time. . . .
Each instant in time is then an infinitely thin three-dimensional layer of that hypersphere . . . .
Our perception of three spatial dimensions is undoubtedly a condensation by our senses of a higher level of dimensionality, just as every other aspect of our sensory input is condensed down to that essential for our wellbeing. . . .
Finally …
And so, like the magician whipping away the cloth, we can kick away the perceptual props of spatial and temporal dimensions completely . . . .
Welcome to eternity. Welcome to your home.
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See you next year!