The Big Questions

We present, here, a list of questions raised and addressed in the book.

• Why do we experience time differently from the way it is described by physics?
• Why does time appear to have a preferred direction? Does the moment that we call 'now' have any fundamental significance?
• Does the second law of thermodynamics really define an arrow of time, or has it been misinterpreted?
• What is the nature of consciousness? How different is the universe in the absence of conscious entities?
• Does aesthetics have any relevance in the absence of consciousness? How can we judge a theoretic description of the universe based upon its 'beauty'?
• Why do we have emotions, and how do they relate to experience?
• In the philosophy of mind-body dualism, which of the mind, brain, muscles, nerves, etc., effects a bodily change? Is the mind distinct from the brain, and can a distinction be reconciled with causality?
• What is the nature of free will? Is it incompatible with a deterministic universe?
• Is the universe fundamentally based upon probability? Is that the best description we can hope for?
• Is quantum superposition real or merely a mathematical artefact?
• Does the wave function really collapse during a measurement, or is it a clash between mathematics and reality.
• What is the nature of measurement, and how does that influence our perception of reality?
• Was there an origin to the universe? How can something appear from nothing?
• What is the true nature of space-time? Is it real with properties of its own (such as geometry) or nothingness for which we must invent these properties.
• What is the relationship between physics and mathematics? Why does the universe appear to be governed according to mathematical principles, and yet mathematics is incapable of describing experience?
• What is the origin of mathematics? Is it fundamental and pre-existing, or a construct of the conscious mind?
• What is the difference between causation and correlation? Can causation be defined at either the fundamental level or our macroscopic level?
• Was there a 'first cause'? Is the universe superdeterministic?
• Is emergence a real thing? Is there a genuine difference between weak and strong emergence?
• Is reductionism a valid approach to study? What aspects of our experience do we implicitly carry forwards during this process?
• What, if any, similarities exist between the brain and computers? Can computers ever be expected to achieve consciousness?