Novelty Theory

Samadhi समाधि

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:58:43 -0500

Samadhi (Sanskrit: समाधि) in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali.

In Hinduism, samādhi can also refer to videha mukti or the complete absorption of the individual consciousness in the self at the time of death - usually referred to as mahasamādhi. It has been described as a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the experienced object, and in which the mind becomes still, one-pointed or concentrated though the person remains conscious. In Buddhism, it can also refer to an abiding in which mind becomes very still but does not merge with the object of attention, and is thus able to observe and gain insight into the changing flow of experience.

(Wikipedia)

Beyond the Standard Model

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:32:11 -0500

In particle physics, Beyond the Standard Model generally refers to developments in the fields theoretical and high energy physics that have taken place since the initial formulation of the Standard Model (SM) in the mid 1970s. The Standard Model, the first complete theoretical description of all subatomic processes, is often hailed as one of the crowning achievements of twentieth century theoretical physics. It consists of the union ofquantum electrodynamics (QED), electroweak theory, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Coupled with theLambda-CDM model of cosmology, this provides the first consistent scientific model of the universe.

However, there are several areas where the Standard Model does not adequately describe, nor align with experimental observation. For instance, certain formulas in the Standard Model require that neutrinos be massless; however, over the past two decades experiments have shown thatneutrinos possess a small, but non-zero mass. Thus, some modification to the Standard Model becomes necessary. Another problem lies within the Standard Model itself: the mathematical framework of the quantum theories of the Standard Model is inconsistent with that of general relativity, the SM’s theory of gravitation, to the point that both theories break down in their descriptions under certain conditions (e.g. The Big Bang, within the event horizons of black holes, etc). Moreover, while Lambda-CDM accurately models these cosmological phenomena to within observation, the Standard Model offers no explanation for the source of Dark Energy, nor the identity of Dark Matter.

Extensions, revisions, replacements, and reorganizations of the Standard Model exist in attempt to correct for these and other issues. String theory is one such reinvention, and many theoretical physicists believe that such theories are the next theoretical step toward a true Theory of Everything. Until recently, theories of quantum gravity such as loop quantum gravity and others were believed by some to be promising candidates to the mathematical unification of quantum field theory and general relativity, requiring less drastic changes to existing theories. However, in August 2009 an experiment conducted aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope experimentally ruled out all existing theories of spacetime-quantized gravity beyond their theoretical tolerances. As all said hypotheses of the time predicted the existence of non-minute Lorentz violations, violations of a consequence of special relativity known as Lorentz covariance, this experiment had the effect of invalidating all theories of quantized spacetime to an extraordinarily high statistical power (with a pβ greater than 12). A paper that was coauthored by over two hundred associated physicists announced this confirmation ofLorentz covariance was submitted to and featured in Nature and posted on arXiv.

Thus, at the moment string theory is the only remaining body for the redress of shortcomings of the Standard Model, and currently the only route in the search for viable candidate theories of Everything. Among such candidates, M-theory, whose mathematical existence was first proposed at a String Conference in 1995, is believed by many to be a proper “ToE” candidate, notably public faces Brian Greene and Stephen Hawking. Though a full mathematical description is not yet known, solutions to the theory exist for specific cases. Recent works have also proposed alternative string models, some of which lack the various harder-to-test features of M-theory (e.g. the existence of Calabi–Yau manifolds, many extra dimensions, etc) including works by well-published physicists such as Lisa Randall.

There are several areas where “Beyond the Standard Model” physics focuses:
- the hierarchy problem
- the missing matter problem (dark matter and dark energy)
- the cosmological constant problem
- the strong CP problem

In addition to these subjects, there are also attempts at relating different phenomena and parameters to a more fundamental theory. A partial classification of these attempts are:
- gauge coupling unification
- a theory of quark masses and mixings
- a theory of neutrino masses and mixings

(Wikipedia)

Unity of science

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:50:51 -0500

The unity of science is a thesis in philosophy of science that says that all the sciences form a unified whole.

Even though, for example, physics and politics are distinct disciplines, the thesis of the unity of science says that in principle they must be part of a unified intellectual endeavor, science. The unity of science thesis is usually associated with the view of levels of organization in nature, where physics is the most basic, chemistry the level above physics, biology above chemistry, sociology above biology, and so forth. Further, cells, organisms, and cultures are all biological, but they represent three different levels of biological organization.

However, it has also been suggested (for example, by Jean Piaget, 1950) that we can consider the unity of science in terms of a circle of the sciences, where physics provides a basis for chemistry, chemistry for biology, biology for psychology, psychology for logic & mathematics and logic & mathematics for physics.

The thesis of a unity of science simply says that common scientific laws apply everywhere and on all levels of organization. On some levels of organization, the scientists there will call these laws by another name, or emphasize the importance of one over another. For example, thermodynamics or the laws of energy seem to be universal across a number of disciplines. That is almost certainly because nearly all systems in nature operate using transactions in energy. However, this does not rule out the possibility of some laws being particular to specific domains of inquiry—perhaps characterized by increasing complexity of those domains, as suggested by Henriques’ (2003) Tree of Knowledge that proposes four degrees of complexity (Matter, Life, Mind, and Culture). Of course, his tree might equally be a circle, with culture necessarily framing our understanding of matter.)

Science is a human endeavor, a part of our culture. It is unified in the sense that it is understood as a single endeavor, and there are not scientists studying alternative realities. To the extent that they do, however, one could argue that they are not unified. It is the perception of a single reality that results in a unity of science.

Separately, science is also apparently on a path toward simplification or actually a “universalization” of discrete scientific theories about energy that physicists call unification. This has led to string theory and its derivatives, and is probably related to the notion that, at bottom, there is only the energy that was released in the big bang, and really nothing else.

(Wikipedia)

Energy

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:27:42 -0500

The term energy has been widely used by writers and practitioners of various esoteric forms of spirituality and alternative medicine to refer to a variety of phenomena, sometimes supposed to be directly perceptible to some observers, who have usually undergone some form of training or initiation. This ‘energy’ is sometimes conceived of as a universal life force running within and between all things, and in other cases it is seen as a more localized phenomenon, such as in vitalism, subtle bodies, or somatic energies such as qi, prana, or kundalini. Spiritual energy is often closely associated with the metaphor of life as breath - the words ‘qi’, ‘prana’, and ‘spirit’, for instance, are all related in their respective languages to the verb ‘to breathe’. It is also often seen as a continuum that unites body and mind.

The experience of spiritual energy is described differently depending on the tradition or practice in question. Sometimes it is described as a physical sensation similar to the movement of breath in the body, sometimes as visible “auras”, “rays”, or “fields”, sometimes as audible or tactile “vibrations”. As a rule, these experiences are held to be available to anyone, but only after proper training or sensitization through practices which vary widely across different belief systems. Spiritual energy is also usually associated with feelings of bliss or contentment, as in the pleasurable sensations of kundalini, the ecstatic states of certain forms of meditation, and the ‘oceanic feeling’ discussed by western scholars such as Freud and Rolland. There is no scientific evidence of physical energies of this type.

(Wikipedia)

Indra's Net

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:10:42 -0400

Indra’s net (also called Indra’s jewels or Indra’s pearls) is a metaphor used to illustrate the concepts of emptiness, dependent origination, and interpenetration in Buddhist philosophy. The metaphor of Indra’s net was developed by the Mahayana Buddhist school in the 3rd century scriptures of the Avatamsaka Sutra, and later by the Chinese Huayan school between the 6th and 8th century.

Buddhist concepts of interpenetration hold that all phenomena are intimately connected; for the Huayan school, Indra’s net symbolizes a universe where infinitely repeated mutual relations exist between all members of the universe. This idea is communicated in the image of the interconnectedness of the universe as seen in the net of the Vedic god Indra, whose net hangs over his palace on Mount Meru, the axis mundi of Vedic cosmology and Vedic mythology. Indra’s net has a multifaceted jewel at each vertex, and each jewel is reflected in all of the other jewels.

(Wikipedia)

Mycoremediation

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:45:00 -0400

Mycoremediation is a form of bioremediation, the process of using fungi to return an environment (usually soil) contaminated by pollutants to a less contaminated state. The term mycoremediation was coined by Paul Stamets and refers specifically to the use of fungal mycelia in bioremediation.

One of the primary roles of fungi in the ecosystem is decomposition, which is performed by the mycelium. The mycelium secretes extracellular enzymes and acids that break down lignin and cellulose, the two main building blocks of plant fiber. These are organic compounds composed of long chains of carbon and hydrogen, structurally similar to many organic pollutants. The key to mycoremediation is determining the right fungal species to target a specific pollutant. Certain strains have been reported to successfully degrade the nerve gases VX and sarin.

In an experiment conducted in conjunction with Dr. S. A. Thomas, a major contributor in the bioremediation industry, a plot of soil contaminated with diesel oil was inoculated with mycelia of oyster mushrooms; traditional bioremediation techniques (bacteria) were used on control plots. After four weeks, more than 95% of many of the PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) had been reduced to non-toxic components in the mycelial-inoculated plots. It appears that the natural microbial community participates with the fungi to break down contaminants, eventually into carbon dioxide and water. Wood-degrading fungi are particularly effective in breaking down aromatic pollutants (toxic components of petroleum), as well as chlorinated compounds (certain persistent pesticides; Battelle, 2000).

The concept of mycoremediation was explored in the 1984 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, where vast tracts of fungal forest rehabilitate the planet after catastrophic human polluting and apocalypse.

Mycofiltration is a similar or same process, using fungal mycelia to filter toxic waste and microorganisms from water in soil.

(Wikipedia)

Resonance

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:48:00 -0400

In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system (usually a linear system) to oscillate with larger amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system’s resonant frequencies. At these frequencies, even small periodic driving forces can produce large amplitude oscillations, because the system stores vibrational energy.

Resonances occur when a system is able to store and easily transfer energy between two or more different storage modes (such as kinetic energy and potential energy in the case of a pendulum). However, there are some losses from cycle to cycle, called damping. When damping is small, the resonant frequency is approximately equal to a natural frequency of the system, which is a frequency of unforced vibrations. Some systems have multiple, distinct, resonant frequencies.

Resonance phenomena occur with all types of vibrations or waves: there is mechanical resonance, acoustic resonance, electromagnetic resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron spin resonance (ESR) and resonance of quantum wave functions. Resonant systems can be used to generate vibrations of a specific frequency (e.g. musical instruments), or pick out specific frequencies from a complex vibration containing many frequencies

(Wikipedia)

Maya Calender

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:03:00 -0400

The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in some modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala and Oaxaca, Mexico.

The essentials of the Maya calendric system are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the 5th century BC. It shares many aspects with calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec and Olmec, and contemporary or later ones such as the Mixtec and Aztec calendars. Although the Mesoamerican calendar did not originate with the Maya, their subsequent extensions and refinements of it were the most sophisticated. Along with those of the Aztecs, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood.

By the Maya mythological tradition, as documented in Colonial Yucatec accounts and reconstructed from Late Classic and Postclassic inscriptions, the deity Itzamna is frequently credited with bringing the knowledge of the calendar system to the ancestral Maya, along with writing in general and other foundational aspects of Maya culture.^[1]

(Wikipedia)

A Bicameral Mind

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:51:09 -0400

The term was coined by psychologist Julian Jaynes, who presented the idea in his 1976 book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, wherein he made the case that a bicameral mentality, that is to say a mental state in which there are two distinct sections of consciousness, was the normal and ubiquitous state of the human mind as recently as 3000 years ago. He used governmental bicameralism to metaphorically describe such a state, in which the experiences and memories of the right hemisphere of the brain are transmitted to the left hemisphere via auditory hallucinations. This mental model was replaced by the conscious mode of thought, which Jaynes argues is grounded in the acquisition of metaphorical language.

Jaynes theorized that a shift from bicameralism marked the beginning of introspection and consciousness as we know it today. According to Jaynes, this bicameral mentality began malfunctioning or “breaking down” during the second millennium BC. He speculates that primitive ancient societies tended to collapse periodically, (as in Egypt’s Intermediate Periods and the periodically vanishing cities of the Mayas) as changes in the environment strained the socio-cultural equilibria sustained by this bicameral mindset. The mass migrations of the second millennium BC, caused by Mediterranean-wide earthquakes, created a rash of unexpected situations and stresses that required ancient minds to become more flexible and creative. Self-awareness, or consciousness, was the culturally evolved solution to this problem. This necessity of communicating commonly observed phenomena among individuals who shared no common language or cultural upbringing encouraged those communities to become self-aware to survive in a new environment. Thus consciousness, like bicamerality, emerged as a neurological adaptation to social complexity in a changing world.

Jaynes further argues that divination, prayer and oracles arose during this breakdown period, in an attempt to summon instructions from the “gods” whose voices could no longer be heard.^[3] The consultation of special bicamerally operative individuals, or of casting lots and so forth, was a response to this loss, a transitional era depicted for example in the book of 1 Samuel. It was also evidenced in children who could communicate with the gods, but as their neurology was set by language and society they gradually lost that ability. Those who continued prophesying, being bicameral according to Jaynes, could be killed.^[6]^[7]

Leftovers of the bicameral mind today, according to Jaynes, include religion, hypnosis, possession, schizophrenia and the general sense of need for external authority in decision-making.

(Wikipedia)

Akashic Records

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:30:00 -0400

The akashic records (akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning “sky”, “space” or “aether”) is a term used in theosophy (and Anthroposophy) to describe a compendium of mystical knowledge encoded in a non-physical plane of existence. These records are described as containing all knowledge of human experience and the history of the cosmos. They are metaphorically described as a library; other analogies commonly found in discourse on the subject include a “universal supercomputer” and the “Mind of God”. People who describe the records assert that they are constantly updated automatically and that they can be accessed through astral projection^[1] or when someone is placed under deep hypnosis. The concept was popularized in the theosophical movements of the 19th century and is derived from Hindu philosophy of Samkhya. It is promulgated in the Samkhya philosophy that the Akashic records are automatically recorded in the atoms of akasha (“air” or “aether”), one of the five types of atoms visualized as existing in the atomic theory of Ancient India. The term akashic records is frequently used in New Age discourse.

(Wikipedia)