Consciousness is not experience

Quantum

 This idea comes straight out of one of the deepest tensions in modern physics: if everything is quantum, then in principle the entire universe should be described by a single wave function—but we may never be able to know what that wave function actually is.

Let’s unpack what that means and why it’s such a big deal.

🌌 The core idea

In quantum theory, a wave function encodes all possible states of a system. For something small (like an electron), we can:

• prepare it in a known state
• measure it
• update our knowledge

But when you scale that up to the whole universe, things break down.

🤯 Why the universe might be unknowable

If the universe has a wave function, then:

• It contains all information about everything—past, present, future
• There is no “outside observer” to measure it
• Any measurement we make is just a small part of the system observing itself

That leads to a strange conclusion:

👉 Even if there are multiple possible “universal wave functions,” we may never be able to tell which one is real, because we can’t step outside the universe to compare predictions objectively.

🧠 Connection to 

Stephen Hawking

Physicists like Hawking took seriously the idea of a “wave function of the universe”, especially in quantum cosmology. His work (like the Hartle–Hawking state) tried to describe the universe as a მთლიან quantum object.

But even in those frameworks:

• Different wave functions can produce indistinguishable observations
• So experiments may never uniquely confirm one over another

🔍 The deeper philosophical problem

This touches on a concept sometimes called underdetermination:

Multiple theories can explain the same observable reality.

In this case:

• Different quantum descriptions of the universe
• Same measurable predictions
• No way to decide between them

So the “truth” may exist mathematically—but be forever hidden from observation.

🧩 What this means for physics

This doesn’t mean physics is broken. It means:

• There may be limits to what science can know, not just what we currently know
• Some aspects of reality could be fundamentally inaccessible, not just technically difficult

It’s a bit like asking:

“What does the universe look like from the outside?”

There may simply be no meaningful answer.

⚖️ Is this widely accepted?

Not fully—this is an active area of debate. Different interpretations of quantum mechanics handle this differently:

• Some say the wave function is real but unknowable
• Others say it’s just a tool for predictions, not reality itself
• Still others (like many-worlds) take the universal wave function very literally

🧭 Bottom line

The article is pointing to a radical possibility:

👉 Even with perfect physics laws, the universe might contain truths that no observer inside it can ever determine.

If you want, I can break down the different interpretations of quantum mechanics (many-worlds, Copenhagen, etc.) and how each one deals with this “unknowable universe” idea—they give very different answers.

Tip of the tongue. Lethologi

 Lethologica: the inability to remember the word you want, even though it feels like it’s right there on the tip of your tongue. It’s basically the formal word for that maddening “ugh, what’s the word?” moment. 

It comes from Greek roots meaning forgetfulness and word. 

Example:

“I had a total bout of lethologica and couldn’t remember the word umbrella.”

Great word, honestly. Tiny tragedy in one package.

MJ

 I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

~ Michael Jordan 

TA

 

Self consists of physical and non-physical. The non-physical component is a subset of the mind. The mind is a non-physical product of the body. It consists of images of thoughts created by the body from its exposure to the world. Don’t you agree?

Self doesn’t consist of anything. Show me ‘self.’ Show me either the physical or non-physical self. Go looking for this ‘self’ and it will be clear there is no such thing. ‘Self’ is just a concept.

“There is no entity by name mind or ‘self.’ Because of the emergence of thoughts we surmise something from which they start. That we term ‘self.’ When we probe to see what it is, there is nothing like it. The fact is that what we call ‘self’ is only a bundle of thoughts….with no thinker” - Ramana Maharshi

There appears to be a real ‘organism’ (body,) but there’s no ‘self’ inside.
And at the Absolute level, even the apparent body form and ‘world’ are just illusory projections - like your dreams.

All just free wild energy, simultaneously forming and evaporating into formlessness, with no static ‘self’ inside.

Sent from my iPhone

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