Jean Baudrillard, (1929-2007)French Postmodernist Philosopher
The concept of Simulacra versus Simulation was first openly discussed by French Philosopher Jean Baudrillaed in his book of the same name published in 1981. The simulacra that Baudrillard discusses refer specifically to the cultural and media based symbols that humans use. These concepts may fundamentally change how we view human language and how we view humanity’s place in reality as a whole. There are four specific stages in Baudrillard’s model of the process of moving from Simulation to Simulacra. We shall only discuss the first stage at this time however. The first stage is the faithful image or rather an exact copy, essentially a “reflection of a profound reality.” So in essence the reflection is mistaken for the actual reality, if in fact the models discussed later are used. For those who are unaware a simulacra is a simulated reality that does not reference an actual reality. It is a reality in and of itself. However as this is the only the first stage in Baudrillard’s Process, can not fully be In this sense the sign is only a reflection of some deeper more fundamental reality. Interestingly enough, physicists are now entertaining a new theory which speaks directly to this concept of a more profound reality being out there and what we term “reality” is only a reflection. So how is it you ask? You know there was a time that the word “universe” meant essentially everything in existence. However, this is no longer so, it now appears that our concepts of reality are possibly completely wrong. There are elements of this discussion which will be taken from Greek Philosophers, Zen Teachers as well as Epistemologists, Physicists and Cosmologists. Initially, these concepts may seem disparate…but they are all intimately woven into the concept of a simulation or rather reflection of a deeper reality we are unaware of.
Plato’s theory of forms put forth that there was a more fundamental reality that contained the original “forms” and that all things we see, smell, touch, feel or hear is only a reflection of something more. His metaphor of the cave and the prisoners is an excellent way to understand this. Now we take this ages old concept and mash it head first into theoretical mathematics and physics. With the advent of new theories such as M Theory and String Theory, it would now appear that there are aspects of our universe we do not understand in the most basic sense. We could have up to 11 dimensions of space, as well as be part of an infinite series of parallel universes, which are also contained possibly like slices of bread in a loaf in theoretical membranes…yeah if we went the opposite direction to the smallest of things, quarks…there are orders of experience which exist within us and all around us simultaneously.
Now theoretical math describes that a forth (often alternatively considered time) spacial dimension would include all of our sensory experience except that we would also simultaneously see all sides of all objects as well as their interiors. Yikes, our ideas of beauty might be a bit disturbing in this realm of experience. Now a 4 dimensional being would have a three dimensional shadow, just like a 3 dimensional being like you or me, casts a two dimensional shadow. Likewise, theoretically speaking a two dimensional being like those described in the children’s fantasy novel “A Wrinkle in Time.” These two dimensional beings would cast one dimensional shadows. So……does that mean a 1 dimensional being would cast a o dimensional shadow? Now, does that mean we may simply be shadows or reflections of a more fundamentally reality?
In ancient wisdom traditions all over the world it has been suggested that reality is in fact an illusion. Well, what does this have to do with anything you ask? Well this illusory reality may be in fact the case. One such strange, actually, no, the strangest of the theories out there right now is something I can scarcely explain so I will let a man much smarter than me do this…
“Physicists Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking established that, for a black hole, the information storage capacity is determined not by the volume of it interior but by the area of its surface. But, when the math says that black hole’s store of information is measure by its surface area, does that merely reflect a numerical accounting, or does it mean that the black hole’s surface is actually where the information is stored? It’s a deep issues and has benn pursued for decades by some of the world’s most renowned physicists. The answer depends on if you view the black hole from the inside or the outside-and from the outside, there is good reason to believe information is indeed stored at the event horizon. This does not merely highlight a peculiar feature of black holes.”
- In geometry, the tesseract, also called an 8-cell or regular octachoron or cubic prism, is the four-dimensional analog of the cube.
If this line of reasoning is correct, then there are physical processes taking place on some far distant surface that, much as a pupeteer pulls strings, are fully linked to the processes taking place in my fingers arms and brain as I type these words at my desk. Our experiences there and that distant reality would form the most interlocked of parallel worlds…they would be as connected as me and my shadow.” (Greene, 2011)
Now if you think that is strange, think about if I, you, us, our entire existence on this planet is but a shadow of some more fundamentally concentrated form of reality that exists an unimaginable distance away. In one sense, all of it, is the same whatever it is, something like the Hindu conception of Brahman. In the past, some tradition, particularly new age outlets have discussed the notion of different bodies existing in the same position on different dimensions. They also have discussed how with each successive addition of magnitude, I.e. going from 2D to 3D, and then in theory going from 3D to 4D, inculcates higher intelligences or realities beyond our notions of sensory and personal experience.
- Alan Watts (1915-1973)
The object you see above is a 3D projection of a 4 dimensional shape, the tesseract. If a light were shined on this 4D object…its shadow would be a 3 D cube. A bit confusing, but hang in there. So we may simply be the shadows of our four dimensional selfs…even if they could really be called other selves? This could all just be fancy thinking based on incomplete math, but it is still important to ponder concepts like these. They tie us to the philosophers of old like Plato and Meister Eckhart, Until it is proven that we can either interact with this surface or rather higher dimensions, or these higher dimension make an appearence for us…it is only a theory based on some clever math based on some complex pattern of nueronal connections, which are made of tissue which is made of cells which is made of molecules, which is made of elements and atoms and sub-atomic particles like the Muon, the Boson or the Gluon. So what does this all mean?
Well, Alan Watts said something in the late 1960s which makes me believe he already had a fundamental grasp of this concept. Once again I will let the smarter man say his peace.
“Really, the fundamental, ultimate mystery — the only thing you need to know to understand the deepest metaphysical secrets — is this: that for every outside there is an inside and for every inside there is an outside, and although they are different, they go together.”
Stay Tuned for our next jaunt into the scientific and deeply mystical…….)
