The Duality of Humanity

A Short Essay (1500 words)

Michael J. Bull 2016.

Introduction

There has been much written about the nature of human beings, encompassed by literature from science, religion and philosophy, and which often refers to the idea of the duality of humans as 'body' and 'spirit'. A discussion of the spiritual side of humanity has rarely been written which leaves out the factor called “belief”, at which point the logic which is associated with scientific method is lost, and the analysis is moved into pseudo-science and not acceptable in scientific circles.

The Body

The definition of body is obvious as the body is the physical part of humans and can be measured, studied, chemically defined and its operation can be monitored and corrected when necessary. That is the focus of modern Western medical research and practise. Eastern and indigenous medicine appears to place emphasis on a more holistic approach which includes both body and spirit by utilising the healing power of the mind in addition to medicines for the body. The role of the mind is not clearly defined. It seems to be the major controller for the body while connecting with the non-physical side, or consciousness, as well.

The Spirit

The spiritual side of humanity is described by numerous religions, but the logic of medical science does not accord with the religious analysis in many cases due to the absence of scientific evidence. The bridge between the two is often resolved as “faith” or “belief” by religion.

The question is whether the physical body and the non-physical spirit can be demonstrated as a credible duality which makes a 'whole' human.

Life Force

The most obvious non-physical attribute of humans, and indeed all life, is, for the want of a better term, called the 'life force' and has the attributes of being able to maintain, repair and reproduce the physical body. Upon bodily death, that energy is lost to the body and it rapidly decays into simpler chemical compounds. A long held tenet of physics states that 'energy can be neither created or destroyed'. While it is not known where life force energy goes at bodily death, it's existence is logically and observationally impossible to deny.

An Experiment

If one were to view (as a thought experiment) the Universe from outside it, as an expanding bubble set within a matrix which is unknown and not visible to us, it might appear as a bubble within which everything was in motion. All of matter, micro and macro and its energy, moves relative to every other part of matter and energy. This may be a fair description of the galaxies, stars, planets, atoms, particles and their related energies and motions as we see them. From our position within the Universe, we measure motion using an invisible and abstract concept which we call Time. Mathematics indicates that the concept of time has a variability with respect to motion, as outlined by the Theory of Special Relativity. Quantum mechanics' Uncertainty Principle, which states that the velocity and location of a particle cannot be known simultaneously, supports the above variability of time as calculated by Einstein's Special Relativity Theory. In this context from within the universe, it is motion which defines time, not time which defines motion.

A summary of the above observation is that time is not apparent without a change (caused by motion). It is that change which defines time rather than time defining the change. In terms of physics, change is called 'entropy' and it is therefore entropy which defines time. From our point of observation within the universe, entropy (change) moves only from a state of order to a state of increasing disorder (as stated by the Laws of Thermodynamics), and that is why time appears unidirectional to us.

Entropy in Reverse

It can be strongly argued that the coalescence of random clouds of gas in space into the formation of stars is normal entropy in reverse, with matter moving from a state of disorder and random motion to a more ordered state. The fusion of simple hydrogen into more complex atomic structures as happens within a star seems to support the reverse entropy hypothesis. If that is the case, then that process by extension, constitutes a reversal of the 'arrow of time'. It also suggests how the universe could be returned to the 'singularity' which is thought to have preceded the 'big bang', or the birth of our universe. Entropy has been considered only to move in one direction, as has time. The birth of a star may be visual evidence of the reversal of entropy, and therefore the reversal of time. The concept of the linearity of time is one which is difficult to move away from, as evidenced by confusion when considering quantum entanglement.

Returning to the universe 'bubble' concept in the thought experiment, if one could observe the universe from outside it then the existence of motion within would be apparent, but would that mean that the motion observed is an agent of change?

An Analogy

Put another way, by analogy, if one were to stand under (or in) a waterfall, the motion and energy of the waterfall would be real and apparent. If one were to observe the waterfall from a distance, outside of it, the motion of the water is observable but the waterfall does not change as a whole. It will look the same tomorrow as it does today. Then, observation of motion from outside of a closed system (the bubble) yields a different result to an observation from within that closed system. If motion is not causing change, then time is not apparent. The conclusion is that beyond the three dimensional limits of the material universe, time may not exist. Time may exist only where motion causes change, and therefore time is a product of change rather than of motion.

Time

The implication of these observations may be that a dimension which does not form a part of the material universe is independent of time. Such a dimension may include consciousness or the concept of a spiritual dimension, which many believe exist but do not understand through 'rational provable science'. The idea of timelessness has been a part of these concepts from all cultures on earth. Perhaps the foregoing may point to a basis within physics for the existence of timelessness.

The apparent irreversibility of entropy (and time) when considering the nature of the universe from within it, has a limiting effect on the ideas that can be considered as possible, moving many of these to the realm of science fiction. An example of this is the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, which does not seem possible from the view available from within the universe. The ability to consider an idea arising from an observation of the universe from outside its limits enhances its inclusion in that which is possible.

Beyond the Physical

The ability to consider an idea arising from an observation of the universe from outside its limits is, in itself, a demonstration that our consciousness exists outside of the material universe, and outside of time. It would not otherwise be possible to observe the universe from outside it in a thought experiment. In can then logically be concluded that if we, as a material part of the universe, also possess a consciousness which is not a part of the material universe then we are a composite of both. That is the same idea which underlies the metaphysics which is called spiritualism. There are many differing views and 'beliefs' about the subject of spiritualism, but nearly all have that dualism of material and non-material in common, and a link between life and other life by a non-material commonality. The question of an 'afterlife' has been pondered by man from antiquity. There is no doubt that our material self returns to the earth. The question is what happens to the non-material part of the self, the life force, and whether it survives, changes form or returns anew.

The 'quantum leap' that science has yet to make is perhaps the recognition of the link between Physics and Metaphysics. That link, it can be argued, exists through the exploration of ideas related to time and entropy, as outlined above. Time and entropy are both areas thought by many to have no further possibilities for expansion of understanding. This essay is written to question that view and show that there may be a link between Physics and Metaphysics which can withstand logical scientific scrutiny without the need for “belief” to bridge that gap. A change in perception opens new possibilities to enhance understanding. That has always been the case in science.

Michael Bull is a student of physics, art and some of the other sciences and humanities. He sees that a balanced knowledge must consider the findings of all of these different disciplines. He has written a number of articles, including those published in New Dawn Magazine. His blog is at michaeljbull.blogspot.com (physics); mjbull.blogspot.com (art).