Book: 20250930 to 20251209, "The Big Picture" by Sean M. Carroll

Part One: Cosmos

20250930 - 1. The Fundamental Nature of Reality

20251001 - 2. Poetic Naturalism

20251002 - 3. The World Moves By Itself

20251003 - 4. What Determines What Will Happen Next?

20251003 - 5. Reasons Why

Metaphysical principles are tempting shortcuts but not reliable guides. p41

The book tries to analyze philosophy using psychology. That's amazing.

20251004 - 6. Our Universe

Astronomers estimate that the last dim star will wink out around 1 quadrillion(10^15) years from now. p52

After about 1 googol(10^100) years, all of the black holes in our observable universe will have evaporated into a think mist of particles, which will grow more nad more dilute as space continues to expand. p53

If we build a Dyson Sphere to absorb the radiation around a black hole, that could provide enough energy to support our civilization.

20251004 - 7. Time’s Arrow

In equilibrium, time has no arrow. p58

Is this the reason that we age slower if eat less?

If we can easily make a pile of ash back to a piece of coal, then time doesn't exist.

20251004 - 8. Memories and Causes

There are many events work together to cause something to happen. But sometimes there is a major cause.

Part Two: Understanding

20251010 - 9. Learning About the World

Bayes's Theorem explains why people need years to accept creative new products.

For share market investment, this means oppotunities, which is decided by our limits of perception.

20251011 - 10. Updating Our Knowledge

Furthermore, since the likelihoods are meant to be objective, gathering more and more dataa nudges everyone in the direction of the same set of ultimate beliefs about the world. p81

A lot of likelihoods are just randomness, such as the fluctuation in share market.

All evidence matters. p82

This is why the error in training data is so critical. Any error in training data may reduce the ability of AI by a lot.

20251011 - 11. Is It Okay to Doubt Everything?

I think, therefore I am. - Rene Descartes. p86

This is over simplified. There are three "I". The one with conscious, the one with subconscious, and the real I.

The one that Descartes talks about is the one with conscious.

20251012 - 12. Reality Emerges

Emergency means Epiphany at Psychology level.
Similar things also happen at chemistry, biology, sociology, etc. level.
https://x.com/chaojidigua/status/1977150636388237775

20251012 - 13. What Exists, and What Is Illusion?

We don’t know how cells are built from atoms, and don't know much how body are built from cells.

If AI can solve these problems, then we surely can live eternally.

20251013 - 14. Planets of Belief

Our belief is a cluster of believes. They are associated with each other.

Is this same to AI? AI has obvious advantage during reasoning. Together with compound effect, AI will be much more objective than human.

20251014 - 15. Accepting Uncertainty

Science means no absolute certainty. It's the opposite of religion.

20251015 - 16. What Can We Know About the Universe Without Looking at It?

We may get transcendent experiences by swallowing a pill, or with help from Neuralink, in next 10 years(by 2035)!

If that's realized, is it still worth practicing hard to control our mind?

20251015 - 17. Who Am I?

Our imagination of the real world is the first projection of the reality, the language we use to discribe our imagination is the second projection of the reality(second layer of representation).

When different people have different projection, it causes conflicts.

Let's seek common ground while reserving differences.

Transgender woman should not attend woman's sport tournment, and other people should call her as "Ms".

20251016 - 18. Abducting God

There is no solid proof of the existence of God.

20251024 - Part Three: Essence

20251024 - 19. How Much We Know

20251025 - 20. The Quantum Realm

From the perspective of entropy increase, everything is order.

Thus, matter does not truly exist—it is simply ordered energy.

By the same reasoning, information is also ordered energy.

This idea could actually explain the collapse of the wave function in quantum theory:

Observation generates information, and that act creates ordered energy within the observed system, thereby disturbing its original order.

20251025 - 21. Interpreting Quantum Mechanics

The multi-universe theory is ridiculous, as it cannot be verified, and it cannot be used to predict anything. It's something similar to Bible.

The Quantum wave function is truly fascinating. I am surprised that it remains a mystery after so many years.

20251025 - 22. The Core Theory

When the field starts vibrating, we can observe those vibrations in the form of particles. p174

When the field of gravity starts vibrating, what particles can we observe? Graviton.

20251026 - 23. The Stuff of Which We Are Made

The laws of physics underlying everyday life are completely know. p178

Maybe true. But not at any other level, such as quantium machanics, chemistry, biology, psychology and sociology, etc.

20251026 - 24. The Effective Theory of the Everyday World

Sociology is the effective theory of psychology.

Psychology is the effective theory of biology.

Biology is the effective theory of chemistry and physics.

20251028 - 25. Why Does the Universe Exist?

Can the universe simply exist? p102

Yes.
The real question is, what is the original status of the universe?
Maybe the Big Bang? That most likely tells us the start point of the universe.

What is the best explanation for the existence of the universe? p102
Why is iron heavier than water? There is no explanation, it simply is.

The real question is, how did the universe come to its original status?

Don't know yet.

20251028 - 26. Body and Soul

I think, consciousness is the emergence of the neurons in our brain, but I have no clue how this happens.

20251028 - 27. Death Is the End

There is no supernatural power, but we can enhance the capability of our mind.

Part Four: Complexity

20251107 - 28. The Universe in a Cup of Coffee - 225

It's not just cups of coffee in which complexity grows and then fades as entropy increases: the universe as a whole does exactly the same thing. p230

Can living creatures go against the death of universe? How can we store energy for trillions of years?

It seems that the whole universe goes from simple to complex through "fractal". This is amazing.

Give me the feeling that how light choose direction between air and water. How does light know which direction is the quickest way to reach the goal?

Why's that?

20251108 - 29. Light and Life

The "correct" definition of life, ......doesn't exist. p238

I have one: the one that has potential to slow down entropy growth, is life.

20251108 - 30. Funneling Energy

From free(low entropy) energy to ATP, at electron level.

20251109 - 31. Spontaneous Organization

It is interesting that the same mathematical framework(Bayesian reasoning) might apply to systems on the level of individual cells. p258

This means, in theory, we can keep our cells in youth through external stimulus!

It also tells us that the cells and the whole body are both part of the fractal structure.

Bayesian reasoning, emergence(Game Theory), the second law(Entropy) - come together to help explain the appearance of complex structures in a world governed by simple, unguided laws of nature. p259

Nice. The whole universe is much simpler now.

20251110 - 32. The Origin and Purpose of Life

The origin of life is the emergence of randomness between low-entropy energy and high-entropy energy.

The purpose of life is to slow down the growth of entropy.

20251111 - 33. Evolution’s Bootstraps

There is horizontal gene transfer, in which genes are passed from one organism to another in a way other than reproduction. p277

This is how vaccination works, and the hope that we can extend our lifespan.

20251112 - 34. Searching Through the Landscape

After only 250 generations, the computer(Robby) was doing as well as the benchmark strategy, and after 1,000 generations, it had reached almost 97 percent of a perfect score. p286

It's stunning to see how Robby quickly find some counter-intuitive strategy. This tells us why AlphaZero can easily beat the best Go game players, and why ASI will be much smarter than human.

How much will this improve AI hardware design and software performance?

Often, evolution can borrow mechanisms from other functions in the organism that came about for different reasons. p290

Evolution doesn't have to be on purpose. I believe most of the evolutions are accidental.

So, unexpected results come out from time to time, and then lead to amazing features, such as vision.

Under naturalism, there isn't that much difference between a human being and a robot. p295

True. Then what does purpose mean?

20251112 - 35. Emergent Purpose

You can't disprove the theory by any possible experiment, since it is designed precisely to be indistinguishable from ordinary physical evolution. But it doesn't gain you anything either. p301

Any theory, if there is no way to verify it, and the theory cannot make prediction, then it's useless, and mostly to be wrong.

20251112 - 36. Are We the Point?

We can therefore conclude that our very existence is strong evidence in favor of God. p302

Our existence is evidence of all potential theories. For example, each galaxy is a huge creature, that we are some virus in it.

https://x.com/chaojidigua/status/1988697283760988402

A theory has three characteristics: explanation, verification, and prediction.

So far, only scientific theories possess all three.

Other kinds of theories serve only the function of explanation.

The string theory and the multiverse theory are both weird. They cannot be verified, and we cannot use them to make any prediction.

20251122 - Part Five: Thinking

20251122 - 37. Crawling Into Consciousness - 317

Evolution, always looking to work with existing materials, constructed our powers of imagination out of our existing capacity to remember the past. p324

True!

20251122 - 38. The Babbling Brain

Short-term memories were associated with synapses being strengthened, while long-term memories came from entirely new synapses being created. p331

This explains why most of our short-term memories faded away quickly. If we stop doing physical exercise, our muscle will become weaker in a few weeks.

How to make our brain healthier while ageing? In theory, we can reach that goal through some medicine or mRNA vaccination. Some special physical exercise of brain may also help.

20251123 - 39. What Thinks?

20251124 - 40. The Hard Problem

Knowledge vs Experience

Knowledge is objective, Experience is subjective.

Experience is the result of emergence.

However, emergence is still part of objective universe.

20251124 - 41. Zombies and Stories

Emergence fulfill the body.

20251124 - 42. Are Photons Conscious?

It cannot be verified, and it cannot be used to predict anything.

It's not worth spending too much time on it.

20251125 - 43. What Acts on What?

Quantum fields and Core Theory, Cells, desire and mental states. p374

Higher level theory is the emergence of lower level theory.

Lower level theory cannot be used to explain what the higher level theory can be, but it can explain what the higher level theory cannot be.

20251125 - 44. Freedom to Choose

To the extent that neuroscience becomes better and better at predicting what we will do without reference to our personal volition, it will be less and less appropriate to treat people as freely acting agents. Pre-destination will become part of our real world. p384

Personal volition is tricky. If we are convinced that we have less personal volition, then we will immediately have much less of it.

It's hard to take responsbility of ourselves, if we have other choices. That's why so many people like to follow dictators.

Based on the natural rule of survival of the fittest, we need to let those who cannot control themselves to take the negative consequences. It's a bit cruel, but there is no other choice.

20251207 - Part Six: Caring

20251207 - 45. Three Billion Heartbeats - 387

Water doesn't stop being wet when you learn it's a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. p391

Maybe we should not think about things from different levels at the same time, because there is no causation after emergence.

20251207 - 46. What Is and What Ought to Be

3. Therefore, I ought to move quickly. p397

This is something that AI cannot understand.

I think similar problems are everywhere. How can we fix them with the help from AI?

20251208 - 47. Rules and Consequences

Morality is the willingness of our gene. It's decided based on the current environment.

Different morality compete with each other, just like different religions and laws.

It's the emergence of individual willingness.

20251208 - 48. Constructing Goodness

"What do you think would be the best argument against your atheism?" p417

This question is quite rude, unless everyone got similar question.

How would I answer it? People don't change their opinion until they are replaced by the next generation. So is it worth trying to explain the correct answer here?

20251209 - 49. Listening to the World

My suggestions:

Keep our mind open.

Stay curious.

Be brave.

20251209 - 50. Existential Therapy

What kind of life and society we should pursue?

They should be like a thriving forest.

There are death and birth from time to time.

There are competition and cooperation all the time.

There are ugly and beauty everywhere.

A lot of effort is needed to make them progressing.