Does everything that happen, happen somewhere?

LoaderBot

For example: someone thinking (happens inside the particular brain and/or the person), an animal sleeping (happens where the animal sleeps) a black hole forming etc. Anything that happens, does it necessary have to happen SOMEWHERE?

One could discuss the spatial precision, for example point out that we don't know where in the brain we 'think', but we could instead point to the person ( on the grand scheme of things, a pretty precise location after all).

Insofar, I'm struggling with time. If the universe ages a second, where does it happen? is there even a 'thing' happening? There is no inherent movement of any particle/energy or the like. The universe, one microsecond before could be the very same one microsecond after. There is no inherent substance to time after all, I think. Or maybe time counts as a "thing happening". Sorry if it all seems like a 'mere question of semantics', but it has been driving me crazy the last weeks....

LoaderBot

I realized that I should perhaps provide some context. I was walking around one day and thinking about what I can say for sure. I concluded that I can say for sure that 'something is happening'. Not anything, not something in the defined sense, but rather in the undefined sense. 'Something is going on.' Be that a computer program where we all live, or anything else.

A friend suggested that I could narrow it down to "something is going on, somewhere" and it would still be true. That is what I'm thinking about. It might sound like mere semantics I realize

BC

The universe, one microsecond before could be the very same one microsecond after. — LoaderBot

Isn't 'change' one definition of 'time'? Time would stop if nothing changed (truly nothing changed).

we don't know where in the brain we 'think' — LoaderBot

That isn't quite true. functional MRI (fMRI) scans show that when we perform mental tasks specific areas of the brain become active. fMRI scans are not so granular that we can point to a particular neuron, but we can sort of localize how thoughts are put together in different parts of the brain. In other brain research involving lab animals, researchers can narrow down mental activity very granularly.

Had you written your OP while being scanned in a fMRI machine, a record would have been made of which areas of your brain (larger and smaller areas) were active as you typed various words and sentences, or did nothing.

LoaderBot

Isn't 'change' one definition of 'time'? Time would stop if nothing changed (truly nothing changed).

The same goes for light-speed. From the perspective of light, many argue that time stands still. Making the concept void and meaningless - which is why I don't think 'time ticking' necessarily is a great answer to the whole 'when time ticks, something happens. But not necessarily somewhere' answer to my question.

That isn't quite true. functional MRI (fMRI) scans show that when we perform mental tasks specific areas of the brain become active. fMRI scans are not so granular that we can point to a particular neuron, but we can sort of localize how thoughts are put together in different parts of the brain. In other brain research involving lab animals, researchers can narrow down mental activity very granularly.

You are correct of course! Bad example from my part.

gurugeorge

↪LoaderBot

Whether it does or doesn't in reality, it's certainly true that we're unable to conceive of something happening without it happening somewhere and some time. We're also unable to conceive of anything happening without a cause or context.

Does everything that happen, happen somewhere?

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