What is the world/multiverse?

MountainDwarf

Is the world a sum of different parts or a whole entity unto itself?

Definitions clear misconceptions. If we can think about the world/multiverse in a way that is accurate we can keep ourselves from pain and stupidity.

The world is a home of sorts. People and other beings live on it, work on it, and interact socially across the aether of various climates. We live because of the world, through evolution, and we survive by living according to what the world yields. (I was thinking food and other people around us.) But the world only yields what it does if we do something about it, and do it right. For example, the farmer doesn't just throw seeds out into the field and expect 500 acres to just sprout in a matter of months. No, he gets out there before the rainy season comes, distributes the seed in a systematic way, and waits. And then when the harvest comes he's back out there again systematically harvesting his produce. In the same way, teachers don't (or hopefully don't) just give out assignments without explaining what the book says. That way when the students graduate they're actually good for something.

The world is made up of actors. People, animals, and things that act according to nature. But how do they act according to nature? Well, there are certain laws and observable patterns of behavior that the world repeats. the seasons. And we see that the seasons elicit certain responses from it's inhabitants. (You know, we put on coats in the winter and wear sunscreen in the summer.) Our response to nature is in essence human nature, because it's a natural response to nature.

Therefore the world/multiverse is, on a macro level, a multitude of actors responding to the Laws of Nature. But on a micro level there are all kinds of other factors for why we do as we do. The Laws of Nature at that point become more personal, and by personal I mean they affect people's being nurtured and the way those people will nurture. But people don't have to be controlled by their nature, they can be educated (at least, humans can). Animals can be trained and domesticated. So the world as a whole are groups of beings interacting with the Laws of Nature without necessarily being controlled by them.

Stupidity then is failing to act with reason in the face of nature's communication, thus there is pain.

Michael Ossipoff

It seems to me that Western philosophers use "The World" to refer to the all that is, at the metaphysical level. I don't think metaphysics describes all of Reality.

I use the word "Reality" to mean all that is.

So the World is only a subset of Reality.

Of course, when not intending the philosophical meaning, the Earth is what we usually mean by "the world", and it's always clear from context.

In my usage, "this universe" refers to our big-bang universe, and any multiverse that it might be part of....any physical system that it might be part of. ...our big-bang universe and anything else that's physically-related to it.

By "physically-related", I mean related by physical origin, physical influence or the possibility of it, or a shared spatial continuum.

I consider this universe to be a "possibility-world", a complex system of inter-referring abstract if-then logical facts about hypotheticals. ...one of infinitely many such systems.

Wittgenstein was quoted here as saying that there are no things, just facts. I think he was right.

(...where "things" has a limited meaning of "things other than facts", or maybe even just physical things. ...as opposed to the more general meaning of "whatever can be referred to".)

As Sergeant Friday said, "Just the facts..."

Michael Ossipoff

David Solman

But they are being controlled by the laws of nature. Using your own example if you're in the city of Chicago in the summer you may not need a coat as it's pretty warm, though if it's winter and you don't wear a coat you'll get sick as it's very very cold. Though you're not necessarily being forced to wear a coat in the winter, you will wear a coat. And on everyday a normal person in the winter in Chicago they will put their coat on without even thinking about it before leaving their house. This could be because they've simply known to do this from an early age when it's cold because they had seen older persons doing this, but in this case it's just a second nature, you know without thinking about it that it's cold outside because it has been for the last month or so, the intelligence of the human mind.

These days we don't need to think about the best solution before we do it because the generation before us already solved the problem, the farmer knows the best way to grow his produce because he had been taught that way by someone who knew before him. Not because he just does it because he is responding to the laws of nature. Human knowledge is a process and the more we progress the more we'll know. One could argue that this nature but in regards to your discussion I do not believe that everything we do is just a response to the laws of nature rather than it's just our knowledge and responding to what we have learnt as an intelligent race.

MountainDwarf

But they are being controlled by the laws of nature. — David Solman

So it is physically impossible to wear a coat in the summer?

These days we don't need to think about the best solution before we do it because the generation before us already solved the problem, the farmer knows the best way to grow his produce because he had been taught that way by someone who knew before him. Not because he just does it because he is responding to the laws of nature. Human knowledge is a process and the more we progress the more we'll know. One could argue that this nature but in regards to your discussion I do not believe that everything we do is just a response to the laws of nature rather than it's just our knowledge and responding to what we have learnt as an intelligent race. — David Solman

The farmer looks at his weather app or farmer's almanac and decides what to do based on his training (Yes, you are correct.) and his common sense. Training harnesses instinct, I guess.

David Solman

So it is physically impossible to wear a coat in the summer? — MountainDwarf

why would you want to wear a coat in the summer? Naturally you will choose not to because you will be too hot, that is a direct response to nature, because it is hot you won't wear a coat.

The farmer looks at his weather app or farmer's almanac and decides what to do based on his training — MountainDwarf

After thinking about this subject i think it is both, we use our knowledge to determine what to do according to the conditions of nature at the time of making a decision. If you choose to, you can decide to do whatever you please. in fact, if you are visiting a hot country and you come from a colder country, you may see the locals wearing more layers of clothing than you, but because you are from a colder environment you only need a tshirt, so in that case it is down to the individual how they would react in that situation.

What is the world/multiverse?

Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!

Categories

More Discussions