08/27/2008: "String theory and mind/body dualism"

During my last manic attack I was thinking mainly about cosmology. One idea that I had which still seems compelling is a parallel between cosmology and mind/body dualism. We think of the cosmos as being two things: matter and immaterial dimensions. These seem utterly distinct. Yet in the twentieth century the discovery was made that matter has an effect on dimensions: it can make space/time bend. How is it possible for something material to have an effect on something totally immaterial?

One way is to say that space/time is a kind of material. I suspect that when people first learn of the bending of space/time, this is what they think. Nevertheless, physicists tell us that we are to in no way consider space/time a type of material.

All of this parallels mind/body dualism. The mind is an apparently immaterial entity that "bends" the body this way and that. When we look out into the cosmos we see matter, an apparently material thing that "bends" immaterial space/time this way and that. This is not as trivial as it may seem: scientists after all are people consisting of mind and body, and when they look out into the cosmos, they see something which is the mirror image of the human mind/body experience.

Perhaps physics could take a cue from the current state of philosophy. Most philosophers today believe that the mind is a type of body, perhaps identifiable with the brain; although as of yet no one has quite figured out how this works. If dimension/material dualism parallels this very plausible resolution of mind/body dualism, then perhaps we should consider that matter could be a type of dimension, even though no one has quite figured out how yet.

I do believe that physics is moving in this direction in the form of string theory. String theory postulates that massive particles are "vibrated" into existence by innumerable strings, each vibrating at a distinct frequency. These strings are believed to exist within microdimensions: dimensions so small that we are not aware of them. Personally, I believe that string theorists are "seeing" matter as dimensions. I believe that perhaps instead of zillions of tiny strings there exists only one, which is a two dimensional string. These two dimensions are closed and open, keeping with string theory's notion of closed and open strings. Instead of multiple strings vibrating at distinct frequencies, this gigantic string vibrate at different overtones, similarly to how a guitar string vibrates.

How can a string be closed and open at the same time? Well, of course, "closed" and "open" are just handy visualizations. If the string is two dimensional, it can have "closedness" and "openness" at the same time in the same way that two dimensional space can have height and width at the same time.

I like this idea because it has a certain balance to it: three dimensional space, two dimensional string, and one dimensional time. This metaphysical satisfaction makes the whole theory scientifically suspect, I suppose. Nevertheless I've had some fun working it all out.