A Possible Bridging of Science and the Occult?
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:07 pm
Here's some tinfoil hat madness that I conjured up a few months ago, but that I've contemplated since I was a young teenager. I wasn't exactly sure where to post this, but I felt that if anyone would consider the possibility, it would be my fellow Chaotes, for if "Nothing is True; Everything is Permitted." Anyway, I was hoping you guys had some ideas you could contribute, even if it means completely disproving what I've written here.
Possibly the best connection to be made between the Occult and Science can be found in Quantum Physics. Take for instance the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, which holds that "quantum mechanics does not yield a description of an objective reality but deals only with probabilities of observing, or measuring, various aspects of energy quanta, entities that fit neither the classical idea of particles nor the classical idea of waves. The act of measurement causes the set of probabilities to immediately and randomly assume only one of the possible values. This feature of mathematics is known as wavefunction collapse." *
I've often contemplated the significance of this interpretation, and have long thought that the goal of Magick was to control the collapsing of probabilities such that subjective reality conforms to your Will. This is a bit of a stretch, but nonetheless interesting.
Other theories relating to Quantum Mechanics also promote this idea. Quantum Superposition for instance, "is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics that holds a physical system exists partly in all its particular theoretically possible states simultaneously; but when measured or observed, it gives a result corresponding to only one of the possible configurations (as described in interpretation of quantum mechanics)." †
Again, the idea is to control the collapsing of probabilities such the result corresponds to that state or configuration you desire.
To top it all off you have Quantum Entanglement: "Measurements of physical properties such as position, momentum, spin, polarization, etc. performed on entangled particles are found to be appropriately correlated. .. ..Because of the nature of quantum measurement, however, this behavior gives rise to effects that can appear paradoxical: any measurement of a property of a particle can be seen as acting on that particle (e.g. by collapsing a number of superimposed states); and in the case of entangled particles, such action must be on the entangled system as a whole." ‡
This gives rise to the idea that one particle's physical properties correlate to that of another particle, despite their not being in close proximity (even at great distances from one another they seemingly interact, thus giving rise to the perception of information surpassing the speed of light.)
The only real issue with these ideas is the fact that Quantum Mechanics deal with the small scale, microcosmic universe (entities at the quantum level, measuring in Planck lengths), meaning that they do not translate well to the large scale, macrocosmic universe we think of as being, well, the universe. haha...
Still in all it's just food for thought. Strange action at a distance, collapsing quantum probabilities, effects of the observer on reality, etc., etc. are all very interesting, especially when put into the context of the Occult. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law. Love under Will." § ‖
Edit: An article forwarded to me in reply to this post suggests that Quantum Mechanics could have a greater impact on the macrocosmic universe than was previously assumed. If indeed "space-time is a quantum system just like matter is," ¶ then the theories I've proposed could begin to describe the experiences of shamans, mystics, occultists, philosophers, etc., dating back millennia.
* - Copenhagen Interpretation - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_interpretation
† - Quantum Superposition - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_superposition
‡ - Quantum Entanglement - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
§ - Magick In Theory and Practice - Hermetic Library
http://hermetic.com/93beast.fea.st/file ... 0MiTaP.pdf
‖ - The Book of the Law - Ra Hoor Khuit
http://www.rahoorkhuit.net/library/libe ... b_0220.pdf
¶ - Do We Live In A 2D Hologram? - Fermilab
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press ... 40826.html
Possibly the best connection to be made between the Occult and Science can be found in Quantum Physics. Take for instance the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, which holds that "quantum mechanics does not yield a description of an objective reality but deals only with probabilities of observing, or measuring, various aspects of energy quanta, entities that fit neither the classical idea of particles nor the classical idea of waves. The act of measurement causes the set of probabilities to immediately and randomly assume only one of the possible values. This feature of mathematics is known as wavefunction collapse." *
I've often contemplated the significance of this interpretation, and have long thought that the goal of Magick was to control the collapsing of probabilities such that subjective reality conforms to your Will. This is a bit of a stretch, but nonetheless interesting.
Other theories relating to Quantum Mechanics also promote this idea. Quantum Superposition for instance, "is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics that holds a physical system exists partly in all its particular theoretically possible states simultaneously; but when measured or observed, it gives a result corresponding to only one of the possible configurations (as described in interpretation of quantum mechanics)." †
Again, the idea is to control the collapsing of probabilities such the result corresponds to that state or configuration you desire.
To top it all off you have Quantum Entanglement: "Measurements of physical properties such as position, momentum, spin, polarization, etc. performed on entangled particles are found to be appropriately correlated. .. ..Because of the nature of quantum measurement, however, this behavior gives rise to effects that can appear paradoxical: any measurement of a property of a particle can be seen as acting on that particle (e.g. by collapsing a number of superimposed states); and in the case of entangled particles, such action must be on the entangled system as a whole." ‡
This gives rise to the idea that one particle's physical properties correlate to that of another particle, despite their not being in close proximity (even at great distances from one another they seemingly interact, thus giving rise to the perception of information surpassing the speed of light.)
The only real issue with these ideas is the fact that Quantum Mechanics deal with the small scale, microcosmic universe (entities at the quantum level, measuring in Planck lengths), meaning that they do not translate well to the large scale, macrocosmic universe we think of as being, well, the universe. haha...
Still in all it's just food for thought. Strange action at a distance, collapsing quantum probabilities, effects of the observer on reality, etc., etc. are all very interesting, especially when put into the context of the Occult. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law. Love under Will." § ‖
Edit: An article forwarded to me in reply to this post suggests that Quantum Mechanics could have a greater impact on the macrocosmic universe than was previously assumed. If indeed "space-time is a quantum system just like matter is," ¶ then the theories I've proposed could begin to describe the experiences of shamans, mystics, occultists, philosophers, etc., dating back millennia.
* - Copenhagen Interpretation - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_interpretation
† - Quantum Superposition - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_superposition
‡ - Quantum Entanglement - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
§ - Magick In Theory and Practice - Hermetic Library
http://hermetic.com/93beast.fea.st/file ... 0MiTaP.pdf
‖ - The Book of the Law - Ra Hoor Khuit
http://www.rahoorkhuit.net/library/libe ... b_0220.pdf
¶ - Do We Live In A 2D Hologram? - Fermilab
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press ... 40826.html