Philosophical view on use of term multiverse vs. universe

[Owledge]

Someone came up with the term "multiverse" to express that there might be many universes coexisting besides the known one. This first sentence already contains so many inaccuracies due to language inadequacies and misconcentions, so let me explain my thoughts on this:

 

"Universe" is by definition all that exists. Society seems to have no problem changing the meaning of words in an illogical way, but logically this seems to be a problem. So the scientific community doesn't actually honor the original meaning of the word. They define it as the totality of existence according to their belief, or something like that.

 

When new things are discovered, they'd have to be incorporated into what is referred to by the term "universe". By offloading that new content to another term (multiverse), the mind is performing an analytical act where a synthetic act would be required or logical or wise.

 

I guess this leads to (or is a symptom of) so many confusions in the mind, like creating a definition and then arguing about whether it is true or false.

What's the point of using a term "universe" if you betray it so easily?

What's the point of a term "multiverse" when it logically negates the term "universe"? You cannot have one with the other, and you cannot have one without the other.

 

Then again, maybe it's just a pragmatic process of gradual, slow incorporation of an expanded view into a rigid structure. It might be a very natural and understandable process, so I'm simply advocating awareness about the implications.

 

Realize the irony that a multiverse is smaller than a universe.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Owledge

[konchog uma]

cool question

 

i like multiverse cause it reminds me that this universe might be one of many, like you mentioned

 

i have been using that thought to kind of logically explore the idea that even the oversoul or atman is empty, dependantly originated so to speak, in buddhist terms. i feel like there is an atman, but i don't feel like it is the absolute and ultimate, i feel like it is like an atom in infinite space.

 

i also have been exploring the idea that beneath quarks and superstrings perhaps there are tiny tiny particles of energy that are actually whole other cosmoses or universes in themselves, and that maybe our entire billions of galaxies worth of cosmos is just a speck in some other worlds substructure

 

ad infinitum

 

neat thoughts, ultimately semantic, and ultimately stupid to try to logic ones way around such vast concepts, but i think if they push the mind further and towards vastness and nebulosity more they are valuable

[Marblehead]

Oh Boy!!! More science stuff!!

 

Astrophysicists often use the term "the known universe". But this is only 4% of what is suspected that exists. They can't find the missing 96% so they created the terms 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' to attain 100% accountability.

 

Yes, universe and multiverse are contradictory terms. And what about parallel universes? Hehehe.

 

Based on the assumption that we 'know' only 4% of everything, we really don't know much, do we?

Edited May 18, 2012 by Marblehead

[Owledge]

Astrophysicists often use the term "the known universe". But this is only 4% of what is suspected that exists. They can't find the missing 96% so they created the terms 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' to attain 100% accountability.

This could be taken out of a Discworld novel.

 

"Known" by who? And what it knowing? Only things known for certain? What degree of certainty?

4% of everything? How is that measured? How can you dare quantify what you think you know in comparison with what you suspect exists? Sounds easy to do at first, but at closer look can seem like madness.

Actually, what they're saying is that the 96% is not unknown, but what they believe they know. Calling it dark matter already removes it from the realm of the unknown. You cannot quantify the unknown.

It's funny how literally materialism can become a part of science.

 

(Personally, about dark matter, I think it's a misconception based on too much confidence in the powers of measuring equipment, combined with a clinging to outdated models of how the universe works.)

 

P.S.: I'm merely giving help in looking at thought processes. Not claiming anything.

I am wondering whether science can do research based on the idea that we will never know everything. They seem to be driven a lot by the idea that if they figure out everything they imagined currently, then we'd know everything.

Try to imagine there might be things that we haven't figured out that we aren't even wondering about today. Whole questions that haven't come up yet, because we haven't encountered the phenomena that could spawn those questions.

 

From my personal spiritual standpoint, the universe is probably potentially unlimited. Meaning that it is always the size that reflects the collective consciousness. The more we want to know, the bigger we make the universe, because we will collectively make up (manifest in reality) the answers to the questions that arise.

 

P.P.S.: Wow, just had a déjà vu when writing the last paragraph.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Owledge

[Marblehead]

[Owledge]

I have the feeling that one day they are going to realize that they are not calculating the effects of gravity properly and there really is no dark matter.

http://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/

 

Yes, one of the abilities of the human brain is to make up answers to our questions so that we don't have to worry about the question any more. It generally doesn't matter whether the answer we made up is accurate or logical.

That's not what I meant though.

[Marblehead]

http://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/

 

 

That's not what I meant though.

Interesting. I have heard bits and pieces that would lead to the Elecric Universe theory. From what I read at the link I think there might be some good logic in the theory. I will be watching for more info.

 

 

Oh, I just make up answers as I go along. I did understand what you were saying, I guess I just didn't want to go there. Hehehe.

[eye_of_the_storm]

I would use Universe

 

One Word

 

One Creation / Totality/ Absolutity

 

All other things being within the Universe

 

but are we all universes?

Edited May 19, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air