What Is Reality? Nicely Done Popularization Turns Into A Full-Blown Crackpottery

Peter F. sent me this 3-months-old 30-minute-long video "What is reality" on the Quantum Gravity Research YouTube channel. It has over 200,000 views.



Marion Kerr, who is non entirely a cute actress but she is clearly also a brain-alive ane (at to the lowest degree exterior physics), makes the exhibit fun to watch. And for many minutes, I was happy to encounter that it was a overnice introduction to something – namely crystals in addition to quasicrystals (see also Penrose tiles).




The viewers were explained something that makes sense: crystals may announce "pretty things" inwards the everyday life. But inwards physics, they're something to a greater extent than well-defined in addition to thence mundane: objects alongside a spatially periodic structure. One may also acquire quasicrystals. An slow way is to pick a subset of a higher-dimensional periodic structure. Some California friends of Marion's are doing something alongside quasicrystals resulting from 8D lattices, it seems. It sounds rattling exotic but the discover "8" is simply some other discover here: rattling analogous constructions of this form be inwards diverse bring upwards dimensions.




OK, then of course, ane time you lot deconstruct such a topic, you lot may actually empathize it in addition to it starts to await similar a wearisome thing. While quasicrystals are cool, they don't seem similar the reply to extremely deep questions such every bit "What is reality?" – in addition to this inquiry appears inwards the championship of the video. I wondered how practise they acquire to the primal questions.

Around 3:00, I got an answer. Dramatically! Within a minute, the tetrahedrons inwards quasicrystals were combined alongside the "Planck length" in addition to it was said that "consciousness" solves all these things every bit well. That was quite a sequence of breakthroughs inwards the video. From a nearly rigorous explanation of crystals in addition to quasicrystals, they got to the Planck length in addition to consciousness.

Now, the Planck length could receive got something direct to practise alongside the quasicrystals: you lot could consider compactifications on quasicrystals. But it seems unlikely at this signal that these compactifications are relevant for the Universe around us. The "Planck" business office of this even out is sure much to a greater extent than speculative than the relatively small-scale "quasicrystal" business office itself.

And consciousness? One may hash out it but it's empty-headed if this deep or would-be concept jumps out of a give-and-take that was clearly dedicated to a technical subject non subject on spiritual or conceptual things – similar quasicrystals.

H5N1 infinitesimal later, the weird claims began to pile. We were told that both relativity in addition to quantum mechanics build on the speed of lite – I am sad but quantum mechanics inwards the proper feel has cipher whatever to practise alongside the speed of light. We were also told that no ane knows the exact value of the speed of light. Sorry to audio arrogant but I practise know the exact value. It is 299 792 458.00000... meters per second. It's been equal to this discover since the early on 1980s because ane meter was redefined then that the speed of lite inwards the vacuum is equal to this precise value.

Finally, around 5:40, nosotros are shown the "experts" who are behind all these things – an anonymous grouping inwards Los Angeles that claims to combine all these things that receive got cipher to practise alongside each other. No call is mentioned – the creators of the video in all likelihood assume that an anonymous grouping of average people is goodness plenty to write downwards a "theory of everything".

Fine, around 6:00, Marion Kerr starts to dangerously play alongside a ball of string. At that moment, I was afraid of her life – she could receive got easily hanged herself – because her knitting of that string around her cervix looked weird in addition to her comments almost the supposed failures of string theory were literally idiotic. OK, then at this moment, it becomes clear that the anonymous grouping inwards Los Angeles is a grouping of full-blown crackpots, too.

The alleged "failure" of string theory every bit good every bit "the wedlock of quantum mechanics in addition to full general relativity" is that they don't explicate the primal constants. I am sad but they explicate it perfectly. In natural units, \(c=\hbar=1=\dots\), in addition to it's truthful inwards all these theories – in addition to inwards all frameworks that mature theoretical physicists operate within. In other units, the numerical values may live different but all these numerical values are pure social conventions in addition to it's obvious that no theory inwards natural scientific discipline tin "explain" these values: social conventions aren't unique. They're non restricted at all.

Now, Marion picks an expensive camera, goes to accept pictures of a landscape, in addition to proposes seven hints to build a theory of everything. As far every bit I tin say, these are simply seven random buzzwords that a marijuana user could spit on you lot when she is high. Information, causality loops, non-determinism, consciousness, pixelation, \(E_8\) crystal, in addition to the golden ratio. I exploded inwards laughter almost 4 times simply during the fourth dimension when she was enumerating these seven buzzwords.

Information in addition to consciousness are tightly related – the latter is a to a greater extent than controversial "spiritual" procedure unmasking the former. And quantum mechanics is non-deterministic. To say the least, it doesn't obey the classical determinism. These iii concepts are rattling general. The remaining 4 are much to a greater extent than special, they receive got rattling footling to practise alongside each other, in addition to they receive got almost certainly cipher to practise alongside a "theory of everything" because they're simply also elementary. All of the things are pieces of by in addition to large recreational mathematics that a talented kids plays alongside when he is 12 or so. But if he continues to written report primal theories, he simply doesn't acquire stuck there, then the historic menstruum of 12 or then represents a peak of his interest.

The covert is pixelated in addition to then could live the spacetime. Except that the spacetime almost certainly cannot live pixelated or otherwise discrete inwards whatsoever way that would live analogous to the pixelation of your screen. Nature isn't man-made in addition to uses much to a greater extent than clever, natural, in addition to thence less artificial ways to bargain alongside the primal objects than the engineers who gain displays. The \(E_8\) crystal is a primal concept inwards geometry, grouping theory, theory of lattices etc. but it's simply ane structure. And the golden ratio is ane number. It's specially of import if you lot written report quasicrystals based on 5D lattices, similar the master copy Penrose tiles, but this is actually simply "one mathematical picture" that isn't to a greater extent than primal than others in addition to it's simply patently stupid to call back that whatsoever of these trivial concepts inwards mathematics gives you lot every bit much every bit 1/7 of a theory of everything inwards physics.

OK, she goes through these seven clues. The reality is made of information. Some random symbols are existence shown. Hmm. John Wheeler would give-up the ghost pop for the phrase that "all of physics is made of information" but every bit long every bit you lot translate this disceptation to live correct, it's completely trivial – tautological – in addition to wouldn't live surprising to whatsoever physicist, at to the lowest degree non to Ludwig Boltzmann or whatsoever newer physicist who has dealt alongside "lots of information" inside physics. I don't actually call back that yesteryear his comments almost the information, John Wheeler has flora whatsoever beef that wasn't known to Boltzmann, if I give-up the ghost on alongside this example, in addition to the celebration of "It From Bit" etc. looks similar an early on symptom of pop scientific discipline that has run amok. To brand things worse, the empty-headed symbols she uses to clarify her signal (what is the point?) are simply stupid. H5N1 cube may correspond a middle or dear or itself.

So I was watching this Marion Kerr in addition to at the beginning, her physics-optimized IQ looked similar 125 or so. By the signal 8:00 or then inwards the video, my gauge went downwards to xc or so. But I withal taste her self-confidence. Those who disagree alongside the thesis that "reality is made of information" receive got "no explanation what reality is", or some verbal masturbation along these lines. What just practise you lot desire them to explain, aside from a mouthful tongue-twister?

OK, I was sure to "upvote" the video upwards to 3:00 but around 8:50, I live pressed "thumb down". H5N1 dialogue betwixt 2 stupid men on a cartoon – ane of them says that everything is information, simply similar inwards Feynman's even out almost the textbooks that said that everything was unloosen energy or wakalixes, in addition to this animated moron was in all likelihood meant to live the genius according to the creators of this video. This is irreversible. It looks rattling unlikely to me that the remaining 21 minutes could alter my hear from "thumb down" to "thumb up" again. :-)

Pictures of skyscrapers in addition to other buildings are existence taken. "Reality is geometric," nosotros learn. Well, yes. H5N1 six-year-old little fry in all likelihood knows that. But all the detailed nuances almost this disceptation every bit proposed yesteryear this motion-picture exhibit are wrong. Geometry has been turned into a branch of mathematics. As nosotros understood the concept today, it doesn't receive got whatsoever vital links to the physical reality. The laws of physics role concepts in addition to ideas that are "borrowed" from geometry, a branch of mathematics, but they may also live expressed yesteryear "pure algebra in addition to calculus", if you lot wish. Geometry is actually a "way of looking at some structures in addition to ideas", it is non an intrinsic essential business office of the objects themselves.

At 9:20, nosotros hear some other fast sequence of ideas. "Information way pregnant in addition to pregnant way comparison". These audio similar random grammatically right sentences constructed out of basic words that receive got some vague connectedness to the information. Are these sentences right or wrong? One can't fifty-fifty say. The entirely matter ane tin live sure almost is that they are useless for a existent thinker. Does data hateful meaning? I don't call back so. You tin live exposed to lots of data – some random or encrypted gigabytes of data – which don't receive got whatsoever pregnant for you, anyway. So the judgement is wrong. And does pregnant hateful comparison? Well, the data itself is entirely nonzero if ane tin compare in addition to distinguish possible options. But the pregnant doesn't hateful comparison. Even statements that don't receive got whatsoever feasible alternative may receive got a meaning.

The rattling fact that ane gets stuck inwards the cesspool of these basic games alongside logic – or would-be logic – is damning for whatsoever promise that person who this lady has e'er met could say anything relevant for a theory of everything. The inquiry whether "a theory of everything has gotten closer" seems much less relevant than the inquiry whether "kids talking inwards this way should live placed inwards a special schoolhouse for the retarded schookids".

She boasts that she tin distinguish a edifice from a window in addition to that's what she calls the meaning. It's slap-up if she is able to distinguish a window from a edifice – her IQ simply avoided the driblet from xc to twoscore – but everything else she is trying to add together on exceed of this trivial signal is simply a vacuous stupidity. Imagine that the viewer know the pregnant of the words "window", "skyscraper", in addition to "distinguish". What else are they learning here? Why would you lot pass minutes yesteryear talking almost it? Does person actually demand to live explained what the verb "distinguish" means? Does person believe that ane time you lot empathize the intelligence "distinguish" or a "building", you lot are unopen to a theory of everything?

Minutes of the celluloid combine a dramatic music, the intelligence "dramatic music", in addition to words such every bit "all", "time", "exist", "sense", "mathematics" inwards random ways. And she breaks a clock alongside a hammer. What does whatsoever of these things receive got to practise alongside whatsoever other? "Einstein", "block", a "frozen cube", "one moment", "reality", "position", "24 frames per second". As far every bit I tin say, the coherence length inwards this verbalize is much shorter than ane sentence. This cute lady simply doesn't receive got the slightest clue what she's talking about. She's simply totally distracted yesteryear every intelligence or at most a sequence of 2 words that she hears – in addition to she jumps from ane intelligence or double intelligence to some other randomly every bit she is destroying clocks yesteryear hammers in addition to hanging herself yesteryear a ball of string. "24 frames per second", "frozen reality", "Planck length". Holy cow. Most of the 200,000 viewers haven't been able to uncovering that hers was a completely incoherent babbling. There is no human relationship betwixt the Planck length in addition to the Planck fourth dimension on ane side in addition to "frames per second" on the other side.

At 12:00, she says that the yesteryear influences the future. But she likes to call back it should also live the other way around. OK, her IQ dropped to 85 in addition to I won't live able to goal this video. The next minutes are sure all almost the "causality loops". H5N1 causality loop – a closed time-like crease – is a logical inconsistency. Everyone who has whatsoever talent to empathize physics must receive got known why it is then since the historic menstruum of 10 or earlier. I am flabbergasted yesteryear the laymen who can't acquire these simple points. I am amazed that they receive got been fooled into thinking that they're unopen to the agreement of cutting-edge physics.

I won't proofread the text higher upwards because I desire to forget almost this insanity every bit speedily every bit possible.