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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The Temporal Asymmetry Of Influence Is Not Statistical, Emily Adlam
The Temporal Asymmetry Of Influence Is Not Statistical, Emily Adlam
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
We argue that the temporal asymmetry of influence is not merely the result of thermodynamics: it is a consequence of the fact that modal structure of the universe must admit only processes which cannot give rise to contradictions. We appeal to the process matrix formalism developed in the field of quantum foundations to characterise processes which are compatible with local free will whilst ruling out contradictions, and argue that this gives rise to ‘consistent chaining’ requirements that explain the temporal asymmetry of influence. We compare this view to the perspectival account of causation advocated by Price and Ramsey.
Music: Numbers In Motion, Graziano Gentili, Luisa Simonutti, Daniele C. Struppa
Music: Numbers In Motion, Graziano Gentili, Luisa Simonutti, Daniele C. Struppa
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Music develops and appears as we allow numbers to acquire a dynamical aspect and create, through their growth, the various keys that permit the richness of the musical texture. This idea was simply adumbrated in Plato’s work, but its importance to his philosophical worldview cannot be underestimated. In this paper we begin by discussing what is probably the first written record of an attempt to create a good temperament and then follow the Pythagoreans approach, whose problems forced musicians, over the next several centuries up to the Renaissance and early modern times, to come up with many different variations.
The Merchant And The Mathematician: Commerce And Accounting, Graziano Gentili, Luisa Simonutti, Daniele C. Struppa
The Merchant And The Mathematician: Commerce And Accounting, Graziano Gentili, Luisa Simonutti, Daniele C. Struppa
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
In this article we describe the invention of double-entry bookkeeping (or partita doppiaas it was called in Italian), as a fertile intersection between mathematics and early commerce. We focus our attention on this seemingly simple technique that requires only minimal mathematical expertise, but whose discovery is clearly the result of a mathematical way of thinking, in order to make a conceptual point about the role of mathematics as the humus from which disciplines as different as operations research, computer science, and data science have evolved.
Determinism Beyond Time Evolution, Emily Adlam
Determinism Beyond Time Evolution, Emily Adlam
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Physicists are increasingly beginning to take seriously the possibility of laws outside the traditional time-evolution paradigm; yet many popular definitions of determinism are still predicated on a time-evolution picture, making them manifestly unsuited to the diverse range of research programmes in modern physics. In this article, we use a constraint-based framework to set out a generalization of determinism which does not presuppose temporal evolution, distinguishing between strong, weak and delocalised holistic determinism. We discuss some interesting consequences of these generalized notions of determinism, and we show that this approach sheds new light on the long-standing debate surrounding the nature of …
The Infinite Is The Chasm In Which Our Thoughts Are Lost: Reflections On Sophie Germain's Essays, Adam Glesser, Bogdan D. Suceavă, Mihaela Vajiac
The Infinite Is The Chasm In Which Our Thoughts Are Lost: Reflections On Sophie Germain's Essays, Adam Glesser, Bogdan D. Suceavă, Mihaela Vajiac
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
"Sophie Germain (1776–1831) is quite well-known to the mathematical community for her contributions to number theory [17] and elasticity theory (e.g., see [2, 5]). On the other hand, there have been few attempts to understand Sophie Germain as an intellectual of her time, as an independent thinker outside of academia, and as a female mathematician in France, facing the prejudice of the time of the First Empire and of the Bourbon Restoration, while pursuing her thoughts and interests and writing on them. Sophie Germain had to face a double challenge: the mathematical difficulty of the problems she approached and the …
The Participating Mind In The Quantum Universe, Menas Kafatos, Keun-Hang Susan Yang
The Participating Mind In The Quantum Universe, Menas Kafatos, Keun-Hang Susan Yang
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
The Orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics, which followed the Copenhagen Interpretation but was enhanced by primarily Werner Heisenberg and John von Neumann into a fully developed theory, brought in, among others, the role of measurement, available choices and response of the quantum system. It is, more consistent and clear than other interpretations of quantum mechanics as it provides account of the interactions of observers with the external world. As such, the Orthodox interpretation does a lot more than just account for physical interactions in the atomic world, which was the original goal of quantum mechanics in the early part of …
Sheaf Theoretic Formulation For Consciousness And Qualia And Relationship To The Idealism Of Non-Dual Philosophies, Menas Kafatos, Goro Kato
Sheaf Theoretic Formulation For Consciousness And Qualia And Relationship To The Idealism Of Non-Dual Philosophies, Menas Kafatos, Goro Kato
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Questions about the nature of reality, whether Consciousness is the fundamental reality in the universe, and what is Consciousness itself, have no answer in systems that assume an external reality independent of Consciousness. Ultimately, the ontological foundation of such systems is the absolute division of subject and object. We advocate instead what we consider to be an approach that is in agreement with the foundation of quantum reality, which is based on Rāmānuja’s version of Vedanta philosophy and non-dual Kashmir Śaivism. Quantum mechanics opened the door to consciousness, but it cannot account for consciousness. However, the quantum measurement problem implies …
Saving The Physics Ii: Who Needs To Be Saved? It Depends On Your Metaphysics, Menas Kafatos
Saving The Physics Ii: Who Needs To Be Saved? It Depends On Your Metaphysics, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Physics does not need to be saved. If anything, physics was rescued in the early twentieth century with the advancement of both the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics. What needs to be saved is our world outlook or metaphysics because how a society acts and develops depends on what its belief systems are. Here we explore how a new metaphysics where consciousness is fundamental might just be what modern societies need.
Fundamental Awareness: A Framework For Integrating Science, Philosophy And Metaphysics, Neil D. Theise, Menas Kafatos
Fundamental Awareness: A Framework For Integrating Science, Philosophy And Metaphysics, Neil D. Theise, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
The ontologic framework of Fundamental Awareness proposed here assumes that non-dual Awareness is foundational to the universe, not arising from the interactions or structures of higher level phenomena. The framework allows comparison and integration of views from the three investigative domains concerned with understanding the nature of consciousness: science, philosophy, and metaphysics. In this framework, Awareness is the underlying reality, not reducible to anything else. Awareness and existence are the same. As such, the universe is non-material, self-organizing throughout, a holarchy of complementary, process driven, recursive interactions. The universe is both its own first observer and subject. Considering the world …
Exploring Consciousness Through The Qualitative Content Of Equations, Ashok Narasimhan, Menas C. Kafatos
Exploring Consciousness Through The Qualitative Content Of Equations, Ashok Narasimhan, Menas C. Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
The majority of the focus on equations in physics has been on the mathematical and computational aspects. Here we focus on the qualitative content of what the relationships expressed in equations imply. In some sense, we are asking foundational questions about the ontology of equations.
Mathematical Frameworks For Consciousness, Menas C. Kafatos, Ashok Narasimhan
Mathematical Frameworks For Consciousness, Menas C. Kafatos, Ashok Narasimhan
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
If Awareness is fundamental in the universe, mathematical frameworks are better suited to reveal its fundamental aspects than physical models. Awareness operates through three fundamental laws which apply at all levels of reality and is characterized by three universal powers. We explore and summarize in general terms mathematical formalisms that may take us as close as possible to conscious awareness, beginning with the primary relationships between the observer with the observed, using a Hilbert space approach. We also examine insights from category theory, and the calculus of indications or laws of forms. Mathematical frameworks as fundamental languages of our interaction …
Fundamental Mathematics Of Consciousness, Menas Kafatos
Fundamental Mathematics Of Consciousness, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
We explore a mathematical formalism that ties together the observer with the observed in the view that Consciousness is primary, operating through three principles which apply at all levels, the essence of qualia of experience. The formalism is a simplified version of Hilbert space mathematics encountered in quantum mechanics. It does, however, go beyond specific interpretations of quantum mechanics and has strong philosophical foundations in Western philosophy as well as monistic systems of the East. The implications are explored and steps for the full development of this axiomatic mathematical approach to Consciousness are discussed.
The Problem Of Confirmation In The Everett Interpretation, Emily Adlam
The Problem Of Confirmation In The Everett Interpretation, Emily Adlam
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
I argue that the Oxford school Everett interpretation is internally incoherent, because we cannot claim that in an Everettian universe the kinds of reasoning we have used to arrive at our beliefs about quantum mechanics would lead us to form true beliefs. I show that in an Everettian context, the experimental evidence that we have available could not provide empirical confirmation for quantum mechanics, and moreover that we would not even be able to establish reference to the theoretical entities of quantum mechanics. I then consider a range of existing Everettian approaches to the probability problem and show that they …
From Quanta To Qualia: How A Paradigm Shift Turns Into Science. Philosophy Study Vol. 4, Deepak Chopra, Menas Kafatos
From Quanta To Qualia: How A Paradigm Shift Turns Into Science. Philosophy Study Vol. 4, Deepak Chopra, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Ever since the development of quantum mechanics in the first part of the 20th century, a new world view has emerged. Today, the physicalist objective assumption that objects exist independently of acts of observation has been challenged. The repercussions of this radical challenge to our common-sense perception of the world are far-reaching, although not yet generally realized. Here we argue that there is a complementary view to the way science which is being practiced, and that consciousness itself is primary and qualia form the foundation of experience. We outline the arguments of why the new science of qualia will tie …
Biological Autonomy, A. Grandpierre, Menas Kafatos
Biological Autonomy, A. Grandpierre, Menas Kafatos
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
We argue that genuine biological autonomy, or described at human level as free will, requires taking into account quantum vacuum processes in the context of biological teleology. One faces at least three basic problems of genuine biological autonomy: (1) if biological autonomy is not physical, where does it come from? (2) Is there a room for biological causes? And (3) how to obtain a workable model of biological teleology? It is shown here that the solution of all these three problems is related to the quantum vacuum. We present a short review of how this basic aspect of the fundamentals …