Demring

Physicalism is the philosophical position which holds that all of reality, including the mind, ultimately will be accounted for by physics. Seeing that our current physics is far from approaching this ultimate point, physicalism hinges on a guess. Absurdly, it seems physicalism in fact is a metaphysical position.

A metaphysical position which I happen to hold.

Now, what follows is a simplistic exploration of my metaphysical physicalism:

1. The Big Bang occurs; the universe is created. Complexity increases for a couple of millions of years, until the original plasma has coalesced into atoms and the atoms condensed into stars etc. The evolution of material complexity decelerates.

2. A limit is reached. All potential material complexity has been realized. But it doesn’t end there.

3. Complexity continues to increase, no longer in the material dimension but in the virtual. The evolution of virtuality is the evolution of life: The ability of virtuality is what sets the living apart from the dead. Humans call their experienced virtuality “mind”.

Admittedly, this drawing is a more than a little problematic, as the development graph has become crowded with conflicting significations. The reason I chose this flawed solution is that it shows 1) the reflexivity of virtuality, and 2) the continuity of material and virtual complexity. The drawing is problematic, but key, so I should explain it in some more detail:

• A: This is some sort of measure of what we still don’t understand about reality. Things like quantum gravity, consciousness and what have you.
• B: This is the part we do understand. We understand a lot.
• C: This is the part of virtuality that has little or nothing to do with scientific understanding of reality. It deals with the imaginary. Dreams, music and philosophy. All the good stuff. Notice how the imaginary is pictured as a prerequisite of a grasp of reality.
• Compare C with B: This hyperinflation of the imaginary is intended. A highly developed mind is playful.

4. At this hypothetical point in time, reality will be completely accounted for by virtuality. Absolute physical truth is attained.

Parenthetically: Since true physics/physical truth must be a description of reality, completely distinct from reality in itself, physicalism could be viewed as a rather unusual kind of idealism!…

Once again, the drawing is less than perfect: In order to show that reality is completely understood, the representation of virtuality would have to envelop not only the material reality, but also itself. — I really wish I had a clue of how to draw that!

5. Virtuality has moved on, reality is altogether left behind. What this future might hold is ridiculously far removed from my foresight.

But if the god-minds of post-ultimate understanding are anything like us, they will probably miss the old, dark and cold place we call the universe, and create new and slightly better ones to occupy themselves with.