Information, Simulacra, and Spirit

A video essay exploring a handful of philosophical, social, and spiritual topics.
Some helpful resources that may provide some background for these topics:
• Why Materialism is Bal...
• Nima Arkani-Hamed: The...
• Diagram of Hegel's Phe...
• Morphic Resonance; The...
• Interweaving; The Stor...
Timestamps:
Intro: (0:00)
Breakdown of "Matter": (2:11)
Quantum fields, Aether, the Greeks: (5:19)
The 'Mental' Nature of "Information": (9:25)
"Observer Information": (15:57)
Kant's Noumena: (18:51)
Jean Baudrillard & "Simulacra": (19:57)
Revisiting 'Intrinsic Information': (24:40)
Dissolution of Our Simulacrum: (28:23)
Transhumanism & Pancomputation: (33:11)
The Need for Wisdom & Spirituality (39:22)
Breakdown of "Spirit" (44:49)
Qualities vs Quantities (46:45)
Problems of a Divided "Reality"(48:37)
Hegel's "Spirit" (Geist) (52:43)
Synthesizing it all together (55:10)
Closing statements (59:32)

[@vivechjorviani5440]

This and formscapes are the best two things

[@juno_lake]

Very well made! Put in this amount of effort and diligent work and your channel will grow to great heights ❤️❤️❤️

[@SamanthaPyper-sl4ye]

Expressing the Subject/Object dichotomy in Leibnizian terms using mathematics and physics: In Leibniz's metaphysics, monads are posited as the fundamental units of subjective experience and perception. We could model the proposed "zero-of-self" or zeronoumenal soul essence as an irreducible monad operating at the zero-dimensional (0D) level. Mathematically, a 0D point or singularity has a specific coordinate structure yet is scale-invariant under all possible transformations. This mirrors how the monad/subjective essence remains self-same across all worlds/states. In quantum theory, the wavefunction represents the full scope of objective physical possibilities, while the quasi-classical outcomes we experience require an additional "measurement" bringing forth a specific result reflective of an observing subjective agent. We could model the 0D soul monad as this dimension-less "choice principle" responsible for actualizing a particular phenomenal experience from the CartesianHilbert space of objective wavefunctional potentials. Its inherent scale-invariance allows it to interface across levels. Physically, we could associate the soul's 0D monad with the proposed fundamental quantum of space itself - the Planck length. At this scale, the basement properties of spacetime micro-topology condense into an irreducible highly symmetric structure. The extended dimensional manifold we experience as objective reality could arise via successive symmetry breaking and complexification cascades propagating from these primordial Planck-scale 0D monadic nuclei, conceived as mini-blackholes/spacetime solitons.

[@TheBaronOfBromley]

nice

[@mohammedlguensat7649]

information is simply the Aristotelian formal cause. As for the problem of objective versus subjective aspects of our experience of phenomina..the answear may reside in the Heidegerian "Daseinic" approach to experience.

[@christopherchilton-smith6482]

Fascinating. I'm going to have to listen to this a few more times to really soak it in as it's very dense. I find myself wondering a couple things after listening to this, for one what does it matter that we are drifting further and further from the "original", it's not preciely clear to me why this should matter as oppose to being just a point of fact. Two, what is on offer, why have a metaphysical perspective at all? It seems to me you are suggesting a certain wisdom can be found here, perhaps wisdom is found just in the mere contemplation but it's not clear to me whereas the benefits of the materialist view seem self evident even if lacking wisdom. Lastly, I am still deeply uncertain by absolute spirit. Can we even talk about absolute spirit without summoning the spectre of information? Or is that part of the point you're making? That information and absolute spirit are one and the same because if so something about not being able to talk about math, informarion or presumably absolute spirit without summoning the spectre of geomtry eats at me. My intuition leads me to believe there is something about the intersection of geometry, time and complexity that gives rise to a continuous arch of phenomena of which we most easily see hierarchical patterns even though that is such a small part of the "system" it captures so much of what we need to survive that evolutionary forces have left us ill equipped to see the whole. This, I suspect is why im starting to see anyone with a "theory of everything" as a potential quack, I'm pretty sure the system isn't holistically hierarchical and if not then you're not going to be able to boil it down to a single elegant equation that explains everything.

[@Archeidos-Arcana]

Thanks for the well articulated and thought provoking questions! I think the 'precession of simulacra' is an invariable part of our existence - it's not inherently a problem on it's own; it's neither inherently good nor bad. It is simply 'Natural Law'. Not in the physicalist sense of the word "Law" -- but in terms of an older metaphysical sense of the word which preceded the physical one. What makes 'the precession' an issue -- is humanity; it's human agency. Humanity can be it's own worst enemy. For example, the laws of physics are not a problem by themselves. For all human history, the laws of physics have simply Been -- and were never a major problem. They both sustained human existence (fire, tools, windmills, etc.) and ended it (when exposed to the edge of a sword, for instance). The good essentially cancelled out the bad. Yet, something extraordinary happens when man attains *great* understanding of these laws. Suddenly, he is then able to do extra-ordinary feats of "sorcery" -- such as detonate an atomic bomb, or engineer complex biological agents. Suddenly; these laws become something capable of untold misery and destruction - when in the hands of the *wrong people*. Now, the ideas which Baudrillard presented are actually not new. They are simply new formulations of ancient knowledge that goes as far back as the ancient Sumerians. This knowledge of 'Natural Law' -- has largely been occulted (hidden) throughout history. Knowledge or wisdom is occulted for a reason... There aren't public patents laying around that teach people how to build a hydrogen bomb; or cutting edge-weaponry. That knowledge is hidden; because 'someone' is keeping it for themselves. It is no different with these older metaphysical notions of Natural Law. There is Power in dissolving and coagulating simulacra into new forms. This amounts to "OG sorcery". There is Power in steering the 'precession of the simulacra'. If in the hands of those who serve the ultimate Good of all of us, it can lead somewhere good and prosperous for all. If it is in the hands of those who serve themselves and their lineage -- it can be for Evil. It can lead us somewhere fundamentally inhuman, dystopian, and tragic. To answer: "why have metaphysical perspective at all" -- the thing is, everyone has a metaphysics; people just unconscious of it. Again, it's a completely neglected dimension of contemporary man's phenomenology. We live in a society where metaphysics was systematically rendered taboo by academia in the mid/late 19th century. “Every scientific man in order to preserve his reputation has to say he dislikes metaphysics. What he means is he dislikes having his metaphysics criticized.” -- Alfred North Whitehead If you're interested in hearing more about this, my "What Modern Science Doesn't Understand" goes more deeply into the topic of metaphysics and why it's important. In short though, metaphysics is deeply useful and pragmatic for making sense of experience, and grasping complex aggregate phenomena. It is therefore *imperative* for wisely navigating a world of immense complexity. More so, if all I have wrote above is true... the question is -- why has metaphysics been rendered taboo? This is a significant area of research for me; and I hope to produce a video on it someday soon. As far as the subject of spirit and information; I am indeed attempting to show that information and spirit are closely related/identical -- but not necessarily the same. Spirit, in my mind -- is a 'qualitative' mental substance which we can describe phenomenality in terms of (in an intuitive way). Information is much the same, but is a mental substance expressed 'quantitatively' (and in a logical way).

[@christopherchilton-smith6482]

@@Archeidos-Arcana I think I am struggling to fully grasp what is meant by metaphysics. I'm my youth I've read my fair share of Solomons Key this, Book of the Law that, Dr John Dee, I have to admit to often being baffled by the content, especially anything written by Golden Dawn members. At the time I found it useful to think of these ideas in terms of Jungian psychology though I often had to formulate my own ideas where things didn't fit neatly. Eventually, I abandoned the interest and the framework I was using to make sense of it. You seem to be saying that some very in-the-know people have always understood the art and science of constructing a reality, a common binding truth and in so doing are able to pull the strings as it were from the only position from which one can do so, in secret. There is a kind of obvious truth to this, I've never read Dune but it is my understanding that this very theme of controlling the precession is an integral part. In the book View from the Center of the Universe they argue for the need to have cosmology in the cultural sense, a kind of abstract story to make sense (edit: *of* ) the universe, where it came from and our place in it. Is this cultural cosmology metaphysics? Metaphysics scaled up to the level of society? If so then, all religion is simulacra, philosophy is simulacra, art is made of simulacra and reinforces it, our very notions of being are simulacra. The power behind understanding these relationships well enough to actually manipulate them would seem to provide a self-evident reason for making metaphysics taboo, ignorance is the most fundamental ingredient to make the magic happen. I am uncomfortable with the level of conspiratorial thinking this train of thought leads, nor am I entirely convinced that these relationships can even be understood well enough that one could be effective at such manipulation but you certainly have my attention. That all said, what I find most intriguing is the idea of using a (edit: *metaphysical* ) perspective to glimpse at the system holistically so I'm digging in to see if that's where this leads.

[@OlivesTwisted.Branch]

👋☺️

[@Smartion]

Thank you for the wonderful content 🙏

[@HermeticallyHermeticThricGreat]

❤first comment by design ❤

[@TheSergius80]

TonOni

[@Archeidos-Arcana]

I'll have to remember that lol

[@theomnisthour6400]

The oneness cult is woefully ignorant of distributed computing and the delegation of authority by great leaders. "Me too" God wannabes will never conquer the highest heaven