Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

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Post 60. December 19, 2018 continued . . .

The EnFormAction Hypothesis

  Teleological Evolution   

So it seems that our world got to where it is now via a series of identifiable stages due to "quantum fluctuations", "phase changes", "emergences" and "speciations" that collectively we call Evolution. But only the human-scale (macro) transitions seem to follow the normal macro level rules of billiard-ball cause & effect, instead of "spooky action at a distance". On larger & smaller scales those transformations seem to be much less random and more directional, even ententional. We can classify those various emergent phases into three domains : Quantum, Classical, and Cosmic.

How then can we account for the arrow of time in a world growing out of a humming foundation of spooky quantum randomness4? What causes potential energy to become actual particles charged with internal energy, and then to assemble into masses of matter, and again into broader networks of influence, and thence into our layer-cake world of scientific and philosophical categories noted above? Why did the transition from Physics & Chemistry to Biology & Psychology seem to be such a reverse quantum leap from cause & effect determinism to entention & freewill? Why did the glacial pace of change in evolution suddenly turn upward like a hockey stick after the Mind phase of evolution emerged? Why did evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane quip that "teleology is like a mistress to a biologist : he cannot live without her, but he's unwilling to be seen with her in public."? Why is the notion of directional progression in evolution so repellant to mainstream scientists?

It may be because all those autonomous behaviors of Nature, seem to be propelled by some ententional force. The Big Bang theory was an embarassment to atheist scientists in the early 20th century, because it implied a Creation event, which entailed a Creator outside of time & space, which could then be construed as the god of ancient creation myths. Until empirical evidence indicated that the universe was expanding rapidly from essentially nothing into the abyss of the unknown, they had just assumed that the world is a brute fact, no explanation for its existence necessary. Now, we can't just ignore the question of ultimate origins5. Since I'm not committed to the dogma of Materialism, or to any particular myth of creation though, I can follow the evidence wherever it leads. And the signs seem to be pointing from back there before the beginning of time to somewhere out there, when space & time have no more meaning.

Therefore, as a hypothesis, I accepted the axiom of a First Cause6 as a reasonable premise, and began to follow the dots through history. And since this new creation myth is grounded on our modern understanding of pluripotential Information, I use a lot of computer-related analogies and terms. Clearly, the Cosmos was not created as a perfect fait accompli, but as an ongoing process working toward consummation. No one knows exactly what that Omega Point will be, but we can assume that it will answer the initial question proposed by the Great Programmer. Perhaps something along the lines of “what’s the meaning of life for a sentient creature limited to space-time?”

Post 61 continued . . . click Next

4. Quantum Field :
Scientists now posit a hierarchy of sub-fields within a Universal Field to explain various mysteries of physics. The Electro-magnetic field is the weird force that pushes and pulls on substances with free electrons. The Gravitational Field warps the imaginary “fabric” of space to allow “spooky action at a distance”.
   Like a Black Box, within each field anything goes (random fluctuations), and all we can observe is their effects by what goes out and what comes in. So real-world physics emerges from ideal metaphysics.   

5. The God Hypothesis :
  18th century scientist P.S. Laplace, when asked by Napoleon about a role for god in his theories, replied “Ah, it is a fine hypothesis, it explains many things. But I had no need for that hypothesis.”
   But now, in the 21st century, some of Laplace’s assured assumptions have been called into question. For example, he thought the world was eternal and cyclic. Now we know, it’s temporal & directional. He believed in a solid atomic foundation to reality. Now we know the ground is shakey. So maybe it’s time to revisit the ancient God Hypothesis as the ultimate axiom for our theorizing.

6. First Cause :
   The most controversial of philosophical causes : Material, Efficient, Formal, and Final. In a teleological creation event, the First Cause is also the Final Cause, because it begins and ends the creation cycle. The original idea is realized to perfection.

Teleology
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Cosmic Evolution
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Cosmic Progression Chart :
Why did the glacial pace of change in evolution suddenly turn upward like a hockey stick after the Mind phase of evolution emerged?
http://bothandblog3.enformationism.info/page28.html

Hockey Stick Evolution