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stonerthoughts

Stoner Thoughts - High Philosophy

  • An Explanation of Boltzmann Brains (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell) [10:15]
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    > Absolutely everything you think about yourself and the universe could be an illusion. As far as you know, you are real and exist in a universe that was born 14 billion years ago and that gave rise to galaxies, stars, the Earth, and finally you. Except, maybe not.

    Other explanations for Boltzmann Brains did not require an 'inside-out black hole', for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain, so this inclusion came as a surprise to me. Not sure if it's necessary.

    What baffles me about the theory: If it's true, and reality is (mostly, statistically speaking) imagined ... the physical reality could be anything. It could be very different from the reality we live in. But we created our models of the universe in this one reality we know, and the theory of Boltzmann Brains emerged from that.

    So based on these physical models we arrive at the idea of BBs. But if this idea is true, the physical reality could be completely different.

    Or what do you think?

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  • Star-gazing as Time Travel: Are We Observing the Universe or its Past?

    While we're all aware that light travels at a fixed speed, approximately 299,792 kilometers per second, here's something to ponder: when we gaze up at the night sky, we're not seeing the universe as it is, but as it was. The light from those distant stars and galaxies has taken years, centuries, millennia, even millions of years to reach our eyes.

    When we look out into space, we're essentially looking back in time. Each star could be seen as a time capsule, holding the story of our universe's past. We're not just observers of space, but also of time.

    But what happens when we reverse the perspective? If an advanced civilization were looking at Earth from a galaxy that's say, a million light years away, they wouldn't see us. They'd see a million years into Earth's past.

    Could there be civilizations out there, observing our planet and witnessing events that occurred long before humans ever existed? If so, they wouldn't know about our existence, just as we might be looking at distant stars whose planets host civilizations that arose after the light we see departed.

    Could we travel fast enough, out into space, and see into the past? Could we one day actually observers crimes that had taken place in the past? Solve mysteries?

    !

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  • Induced Dream States: Steering the Conscious Mind Through Time?

    Has anyone here ever delved into the world of induced dream states? I'm not just talking about the common dreams we have every night, but also the lucid dreams and states achieved through meditation or even sensory deprivation.

    It's fascinating to consider how these practices can offer a degree of control over our dream states, almost like directing our own personal movie. But here's my thought: what if these induced dream states allow our consciousness to traverse through time in more meaningful and profound ways?

    Picture this: while in a typical dream state, our minds can take us on journeys into past memories, potential future scenarios, and entirely invented realities. It's almost as if we're unchained from linear time. But in induced dream states, we might have a say in directing these journeys.

    Consider lucid dreaming, where we become aware within the dream state and can potentially control the narrative of the dream. Could this be a form of mental time travel where we're not just passengers, but pilots?

    Moreover, practices like meditation often involve focusing on the present moment, yet they can also lead to experiences outside of conventional time perception. Sensory deprivation, on the other hand, can lead to profound states of introspection and the sensation of timelessness.

    Could it be possible that our conscious mind, when given the reins, takes us on explorations through the temporal dimension in ways we don't yet fully understand? Makes me wonder if our mind is a time machine of sorts, and we just need to learn how to navigate it.

    What are your thoughts? Have you experienced any induced dream states?

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  • Will our conscious experience inevitably recur in the universe's infinite timeline?

    During a deeply introspective state, I grappled with an intricate web of thought that intertwines infinity, atomic structure, and consciousness. It's predicated on the assumption that if time truly is infinite, then there isn't just a probability, but an inevitability, that all the atoms in the universe will align exactly as they are now.

    This possibility stems from the Poincaré recurrence theorem, a principle in mathematics and physics which suggests that certain systems will, given a sufficiently long but finite time, return to a state almost identical to their initial state. Now, if we consider the universe to be such a system, it implies that given infinite time, every atomic configuration that has ever occurred will inevitably reoccur.

    Now, let's venture deeper. If our consciousness is an emergent property of a specific atomic arrangement, then the recurrence of that atomic arrangement implies the recurrence of that conscious experience. Hence, if we're bound to this specific arrangement of atoms, and time is infinite, are we not then destined to relive this conscious experience an infinite number of times?

    The implications are staggering. It suggests a form of cosmic reincarnation, a cyclic existence governed not by spiritual dogma but by the immutable laws of the universe.

    My next step is trying to figure out how this concept could integrate with the theory of an afterlife. Also the infinite nature of the individuals conscience, being the observer and therefore the centre of their own universe.

    What's your take on this perspective? How does it change your understanding of consciousness, existence, and our role within this infinite cosmic dance?

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  • As the observer, does the universe revolve around each individual?

    If the universe truly extends infinitely in every direction, then isn’t each of us an observer stationed at the center of our own boundless cosmic expanse? It’s both humbling and empowering, this notion that we’re at once insignificantly small and yet infinitely integral to the fabric of the universe.

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