cosmological constant problem / Wuji

[everything]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... g-problem/

TL;DR, IINM:

Einstein had a placeholder, lambda, as a "cosmological constant" assuming the Universe is static. But there is some kind of energy causing the Universe to expand when one might think gravity should hold it all together. Basically there is a discrepancy between what theoretical physicists predict should be in "anti gravity" energy and what seems to be happening (universe is expanding, and this expansion is actually accelerating in rate).

So there is some kind of energy there in the "nothingness". There is always some amount of "energy".

It makes me think of "Wuji". There is nothingness, and it is expanding toward infinity. Limitless. Also Qi, in the sense of there is always some "energy" in the Universe, even if there seems to be "nothingness". Eventually, some theories say the cycle repeats (collapse -> Big Bang -> expand again). In which case the Universe is not 13.8 billion years old. Wuji begets Taiji. Eventually, it just repeats. A circle is a good diagram.

[Steve James]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f4yAIj9ZL8

[everything]

lol at the prank. don't quite understand the actual conclusion.

[Steve James]

Well, yeah, the connection to you point about wuji is that taiji arises from it. Quantum mechanics suggests that there is no nothing. Or, at least "empty' space isn't empty.

[everything]

i suppose there is a speck of yang in all the cosmic yin. more taiji than wuji.

[Steve James]

Yeah, but I don't think we can mix Cartesian thinking (yin/yang = negative/positive) with taiji. Taiji is one thing; yin and yang are inseparable. That's a theoretical problem in astrophysics: i.e., at the beginning, there should have been equal parts matter and anti-matter. They should have eliminated themselves, but matter seems to have 'won.' Nobody knows why.

This might interest you, on that note.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dFLYPCKnY

[everything]

so the taiji concept is wrong, or somewhere we don't know, the anti-matter balances out the matter (and maybe that's the anti-gravity energy).

kind of wish the video didn't cut off his answer on the science agenda of space vs. education. OTOH of course, it's an incredibly naive question that assumes "scientists" or "science" sets the research agenda. so in that sense it doesn't matter what degrasse tyson says except that he can influence the public. even then, what military-industrial complex would fund underwater (bizarre species with probably no military usage) vs. space (lots of military usage). to read about Oppenheimer getting cut out of the policy arena by a scheming shoe salesman is pretty interesting and eye opening.

[Steve James]

Imo, they're different models. But, I think the yin/yang idea is more valid in terms of our perceived reality. Without an instrument, we can't say anything is purely positive (or almost any other quality). It's abstract, and only has relevance in relation to something else. We can force the world into a Cartesian model. Then we arrive at the conclusion that "two things can't exist in the same space at the same time." Yet, who's going to deny that mind and body inhabit the same space.

[everything]

"We are mostly empty space" is always a weird thought to me.

[Steve James]

"We are mostly empty space" is always a weird thought to me.

Ah, but the same thing is true of the universe.

[Taste of Death]

Either RSF or YouTube has changed their video-sharing protocols so this is the best I can do presently with my limited computer gongfu. The Universe is Expanding scene from Annie Hall.

https://youtu.be/0OZhn6EBLXQ?si=t_sSnTyarCAWnD-t

[everything]

such a brilliant scene

"what's the point?" ... sounds like my kids making an excuse about homework

[Bao]

So there is some kind of energy there in the "nothingness". There is always some amount of "energy".

There is always "something" and never "Nothing". I like "Quantum foam" theory, it explains what is always there.

https://bigthink.com/hard-science/nothi ... ntum-foam/

Some Chinese philosophers thought there is always Qi and that Qi is the original state of the universe.

Zhou Yi starts his text "Taijitu shuo" with: "Wuji er Taiji" Or "Wuji thus Taiji". The thing is that Wuji in itself is an extreme state, so if there is nothing, it will automatically produce Taiji. If there is nothing, there will automatically be something.

[Trip]

Either RSF or YouTube has changed their video-sharing protocols so this is the best I can do presently with my limited computer gongfu. The Universe is Expanding scene from Annie Hall...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OZhn6EBLXQ

[Steve James]

Nothing is something. We can't perceive it; we can only imagine the absence of everything -that we can perceive. If we can imagine it, it's not nothing.

Afa "why bother?" Ya don't have to, but doing it because the universe is expanding is childish. Just remember that you might not live out this day, and one day you surely won't.