In this masterful work, Bobby Azarian sets out to propose a non-reductionist, unifying theory of reality he calls the 'integrated evolutionary synthesis,' suggesting that the universe is Darwinian in nature and has spontaneously evolved life and mind. He states: “The overreaching thesis is that we live in a computational universe that is continuously evolving into an increasingly complex, functional, and sentient state. This means that humans are neither a cosmic accident nor the end goal of evolution…”
Azarian’s bold unifying theory will not come from hurling tiny bits of matter near the speed of light around a seventeen-mile-long particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva Switzerland; rather, it will come about by bringing together disparate scientific disciplines that are attempting to answer some of the most compelling questions in science such as: the origins of life, the fine-tuning problem, the question of free will, the quantum measurement problem, and the nature of consciousness. The integrated evolutionary synthesis hypothesis makes a credible attempt at answering all of these.
Whereas many reductionist scientists such as Sean Carroll, Brian Greene, and Neil DeGrass Tyson believe that life is insignificant and fleeting in a purposeless universe where entropy is increasing, Azarian, believes that entropic forces are the engine that create far-from-equilibrium dissipative structures generating order out of chaos. These entropic forces are believed to be the catalyst that drove geochemical and biochemical processes, spawning the first life in alkaline hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, and it was this abiogenesis moment when information gained causal power as the universe became conscious of itself.
But elementary consciousness has no causal power and is not self-referential. Causal power and free will require a second level of consciousness or self-awareness—to be aware that we are aware. Azarian says, “It is self-reference through self-modeling that brings subjective experience into the world by creating an observer out of thin air… Once we understand the hierarchical structure of life, mind, and cosmos, we begin to see that individual freedom and cosmic destiny are not incompatible.”
Although Azarian believes that the mind emerges from the brain, he does not believe that this epiphenomenal stance is dualistic because information must always be associated with a physical substrate, and thoughts are just “instances of information in action.” But this information processing is unlike a Turing machine.
Citing Godel’s incompleteness theorem, which states that there are mathematical truths that cannot be computed using symbolic logic, Azarian concludes that unlike a computer that just processes information without any real understanding, evolution has given us the ability to comprehend meaning by continually updating our fitness payoffs using recursive trial and error loops.
Having explained abiogenesis, consciousness, and free will, Azarian concludes with an explanation of the quantum measurement problem and the fine-tuning problem, saying that, “If the unifying theory of reality can explain both the fine-tuning problem and the measurement problem, it’ll be more deserving of the title of the theory of everything.” I believe that Bobby Azarian has done just that.
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An incredibly well synthesized philosophical theory of everything (PTOE)
This book should be required reading for all those interested in a deep understanding of the nature of reality. Bobby Azarian masterfully weaves together dozens of important concepts and their historical origins into a brilliant picture of what is going on in our universe. With this work, we can truly see how close we are to “waking up” as a universe, and perhaps understanding the nature of our reality.A philosophical theory of everything (PTOE), to me, is a theory which doesn’t quite have a fully mechanistic explanation that can be run on a computer, and/or used to predict all of our various perceptions. I would argue that a PTOE is a necessary stepping stone towards a true TOE. In this way, it’s paramount for those interested in understanding the nature of reality to see examples of how PTOEs are crafted, such that they can make their own and ideally turn it into a full blown TOE.I know of no other work that brings together these particular concepts into a cohesive story in a way that is graspable by even the lay person. I would certainly recommend it to anyone trying to get a good high level understanding of many scientific concepts which currently do a great job at describing different facets of our world, as well as how they might be connected together to create a true TOE.I have plenty of gripes/disagreements with certain views that Bobby seems to have, and even sometimes with the way those views are delivered, but that's what PTOEs are all about. Strong convictions, loosely held. It's meant to be provocative. Hopefully, this provocation drives YOU to actually do something about it... To fix what bothers you, to make your very own PTOE, or perhaps even a true TOE.
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- EmilioReviewed in Germany on July 11, 2022
Dirty book with used cover.....
EmilioDirty book with used cover.....
Reviewed in Germany on July 11, 2022
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