Understanding Absolute Infinity - Part 1

"Infinity is where things happen that don't." - Anonymous schoolboy

"How is it possible that the universe can be infinite? How is it possible
that the universe can be finite?" - Giordano Bruno

• Understanding Absolute Infinity - A Multi-part Series : Leo Gura introduces the topic of understanding absolute infinity as a multi-part series exploring the logic, structure, and mechanics of infinity, with the emphasis that it is the deepest thing a human being can understand.
• Reframing Existence : Leo challenges the typical focus on the content within existence, such as molecules, atoms, and energy, and instead asks the fundamental question, "What is existence itself?" He claims this substance of existence is not any of the content we typically consider.
• Absolute Infinity as the Universal Answer : Leo posits that "absolute infinity" is the common solution to a myriad of deep questions, like "What is reality?" and "What is God?". However, he acknowledges that the significance of 'absolute infinity' as an answer may not be immediately apparent due to the complexity of the concept.
• Rejecting the Assumption of Unanswerability : He critiques the notion that questions about existence are inherently unanswerable, suggesting that assuming their unanswerability is in itself an arrogant position lacking genuine inquiry.
• Quote describing the nature of existence: "The universe is not bounded in any direction. If it were, it would necessarily have a limit somewhere. But clearly, a thing cannot have a limit unless there is something outside to limit it. In all dimensions alike, on this side or that, upward or downward through the universe, there is no end." - Lucretius 95BC-55BC
• Introducing the "Bootstrap" and "Self-Reflection" Problems : Leo delves into what he calls the bootstrap problem and self-reflection problem, which revolve around the idea of how reality or God could create itself from nothingness, noting this presents fundamental challenges.
• Synthesis across Disciplines for Understanding : He outlines that to solve these profound problems, a broad synthesis across multiple domains of knowledge is necessary, including limits, foundations, arbiters of truth, perspectives, dualities, contrasts, and power.
• Thought Experiment on Infinite Objects : Leo asks viewers to imagine an infinite object to illustrate the difficulty humans have in comprehending true infinity, as our tendency is to imagine finitude with one dimension extended infinitely.
• Expanding the Concept of Infinity : Leo elaborates on the infinite object thought experiment by expanding it to two dimensions—adding infinite color spectrum—and then to three dimensions, including infinite smells, challenging us to broaden our understanding of infinity beyond spatial dimensions.
• Visualization of Absolute Infinity : Leo introduces a thought experiment to visualize a sphere with infinite characteristics—not only infinite spatial dimensions, but also infinite smells, colors, and shapes, challenging the audience to imagine such an absolutely infinite object and equating it to imagining God, reality, or absolute infinity.
• Limits of Human Imagination : Leo points out the difficulty in picturing an infinite object, as our imagination, using mental images and concepts, inherently creates a finite representation. This illustrates the obstacle that human cognition faces in conceptualizing true infinity.
• Characteristics of the Infinite Object : Leo examines that any attempt to conceptualize the infinite object in terms of form, size, or emptiness falls short because infinity includes all opposites—every property and characteristic conceivable, transcending our physical and mental boundaries.
• Reality Defined by Limits and Physical Laws : Leo reflects on the nature of reality as defined by science through physical laws and limits, using the example of a soap bubble to demonstrate how objects are constrained to certain properties and behaviors due to external factors.
• Enigma of Reality's Limits : Highlighting the struggle to understand what limits reality itself, Leo challenges the notion that physical constants like the gravitational constant are the ultimate boundaries. He questions what enforces these constants or what lies beyond them, introducing the idea of infinite regress.
• Gravitational Constant and Existence : By questioning the nature of gravitational constants and their role in defining reality, Leo confronts the insufficiency of scientific explanations that fail to elucidate the fundamental essence of reality, comparing it to vague religious explanations.
• Possibility of Infinite Regress as a Feature of Reality : Leo Gura proposes the idea that infinite regress might not be an error but an inherent feature of existence, suggesting reality may not have an ultimate limit and prompting open-minded consideration of this unconventional concept.
• Standards, Foundations, and Grounding in Assessing Reality : Leo delves into the philosophical problem of finding a standard or foundation for understanding reality, pointing out the circular nature of using parts of reality to define or measure the whole.
• Grounding's Infinite Regress and Ultimate Foundation : Discussing grounding, Leo illustrates the challenge of identifying a base for existence, with each layer of foundation potentially leading to an infinite regress, leaving us with no ultimate foundation for reality.
• Standards as Part of Reality : Through the example of a yardstick meant to measure reality, Leo highlights the paradox of attempting to use subsets of reality as standards to measure or understand the complete universe, as it fails to provide an external point of reference.
• Infinite Realities as Infinite Dolls : Leo suggests that if we consider reality as an infinite series of nested dolls, expanding infinitely in all directions, the substance of everything would have to be nothing, quite literally.
• Whose Perspectives Define Reality : Leo acknowledges the limited and varied perspectives of all "whos," from humans to animals, emphasizing that our understanding of the world is restricted to these individual viewpoints.
• The Problem of Arbitrating Reality : He poses a deep epistemic question about whose perspective should be deemed as the objective standard for reality, highlighting the circularity of claiming one's own view as correct.
• The Limitation of Averaging Perspectives : Leo criticizes the idea that a consensus of human perspectives, possibly assisted by technology and the internet, could be considered as "God's perspective" or the ultimate reality.
• God's Perspective as Unattainable : He underscores the vast distance between human understanding and God's perspective, which would include not just all human views, but every perspective in the universe, including that of inanimate objects and potential alien life.
• Relativity of Time : Reflecting on Einstein's theory of general relativity, Leo opens the conception that reality, including time, may be absolutely relative and constituted solely of different personal perspectives.
• Creation of Reality through Perspectives : He proposes that reality is formed by creating more perspectives; without them, reality may not exist, or could be considered absolutely relative.
• The Importance of Dualities and Contrasts : Leo emphasizes that our knowledge and experiences require dualities and contrasts, such as up versus down or existence versus non-existence, to differentiate objects and concepts.
• Subjectivity of Distinctions : He points out that distinctions are relative and subject to variation across individuals and cultures, questioning the objectivity of the boundaries we create in understanding the world.
• Relativity and Formless Perspective : Leo challenges the audience to imagine a perspective with zero contrast, leading to the conclusion that without the distinctions provided by contrasts, perspective itself cannot exist.
• Relativity of Distinctions and Contrasts : Leo reflects on the idea that contrasts and distinctions within our experience are not absolute but relative. He ponders the nature of arbitration between different distinctions, as people can draw contrasting lines in varied ways, underlining the problem with identifying one perspective as right.
• Unity of Opposites : He points out the interconnectedness within our experience, where dualities such as black and white, up and down, are perceived to be separate but in truth are unified. Using a coin's head and tails as an analogy, he illustrates that opposites actually join and are inseparable, indicating a fundamental truth about unity in reality.
• Subjective Nature of Boundaries : Leo challenges the objectivity of boundaries, suggesting that boundaries like "Leo" or objects such as chairs and tables are not intrinsic but are created and imposed by humans. This assertion raises questions about what constitutes legitimate boundaries and the substance of those distinctions.
• Significance of Boundaries Is Subjective : He discusses that the significance we assign to boundaries is selective and subjective, influenced by personal values and needs, leading to the ignorance of countless other boundaries that don't pertain directly to us or that science has not yet defined.
• God's Perspective on Distinctions : Leo speculates about the nature of distinctions from the perspective of God, pondering whether God makes any distinctions, all distinctions, or selectively chooses distinctions. He suggests that reality could be a collection of distinctions, further bringing into question the true substance of a contrast or boundary.
• Existence and Non-existence as a Distinction : Leo Gura challenges the presumption that existence and non-existence are significantly different, positing that this distinction may be heavily influenced by personal biases, particularly the human inclination to favor existence due to the fear of non-existence.
• Science and Objectivity of Boundaries : He criticizes the scientific assumption that boundaries are objective, emphasizing that relationships and interconnections defined by science are aspects scientists themselves have found significant, yet are inherently relative.
• Relationships and Hierarchies in Reality : Leo delves into the intricate web of infinite relationships that exist within reality, dismissing the conventional importance assigned to certain relationships over others. He asserts that all objects are infinitely interconnected, and what relationships we deem important are dictated by our own subjective biases.
• Questioning Fundamental Relationships : He questions the notion that certain relationships, like gravity, are more foundational than others, acknowledging this perception could be influenced by human bias, especially since hierarchies might not exist in the conventional sense, given the interconnected web of reality.
• Creation of Hierarchy and Categories : Leo Gura discusses how humans create hierarchies and categories, using the animal kingdom as an example. He points out that such classifications may stem from a bias in our scientific approach, which tends to be reductionist by breaking down complex systems into simpler elements.
• Interconnection of Reality : Leo elaborates on the holistic view of reality, emphasizing that everything is interconnected. He discusses the concept of determinism, suggesting that if everything is codependent, then understanding one part could theoretically reveal the whole system.
• Flipping the Idea of Hierarchies : Leo challenges the traditional notion of hierarchies, proposing that what we consider fundamental or arbitrary, like a kangaroo, is interconnected with all of existence. He suggests that from a certain perspective, you could reverse-engineer the universe from a single part, thus questioning reductionism.
• God's Perspective on Importance : Gura ponders whether from God's perspective, hierarchies exist at all, hypothesizing that everything may be equally important in reality. This contrasts with human tendency to prioritize based on survival needs and personal biases, which he suggests may not reflect the true nature of reality from a holistic view.
• Form and Formlessness : Leo elucidates that all known objects have form, but introduces the concept of 'formless', which is synonymous with being infinite and indistinct. He distinguishes between the formed (finite and distinct) and the formless (infinite potential and indistinct), relating it back to the idea of the infinite object.
• Impossibility, Power, and Weirdness : Leo examines our traditional views on possibility, noting that while finite objects have limits, reality as a whole might not. He challenges the assumption that reality should adhere to human-conceived limitations, such as the conservation of energy, and encourages us to consider the 'weirdness' of reality as a relative concept, shaped by culture and personal experience.
• Relativism in Reality : Finally, Gura advocates for a form of "metaphysical relativism", arguing that the very structure of reality is relative. He states that reality is an infinite regress of interconnections without limits, and from an ultimate perspective, such as God's, there is no ground or foundational element. Every perspective is just one of countless relative viewpoints within the totality of existence.
• Cemetery of Asymmetries and Infinite Possibilities : Leo refers to reality as a "cemetery of all possible asymmetries," suggesting it is a collection of all that can potentially occur. He invites the audience to envision existence as infinitely expanding, where every part plays a role in the greater whole.
• Infinite Sandbox Analogy : Leo Gura uses an analogy of an infinite block of sand to illustrate the concept of absolute infinity. Within this endless sand block, every possible form already exists in potential, suggesting that the physical act of carving (like a sand sculpture) is not necessary to confirm its reality.
• Statue of David in Every Grain : He elaborates that, metaphorically, every possible sculpture, including the Statue of David, is already present in the infinite sand, emphasizing that from a divine perspective, the actualized and the potential are undifferentiated.
• Infinite Sand Particle Concept : Pushing the analogy further, Gura asks the audience to imagine each grain of sand as an infinite object, formless and indescribable, containing every conceivable thing. This "infinite sand" serves as a metaphor for the full breadth of reality, which is not limited to actualized forms.
• Absolute Infinity as Totality : Leo argues that absolute infinity includes everything imaginable, transcending traditional dichotomies, such as existence and non-existence, and embodying all contradictions and possibilities.
• Zip File Analogy for Infinity : Gura introduces another analogy, describing reality as an infinite zip file. This file contains everything possible, with its existence being both zipped and unzipped simultaneously. The file's location defies physical space, as space itself is within it, representing an infinite collection of potentialities.
• Experience of Infinity in the Present : Leo prompts the audience to observe their surroundings, asserting that what they see is the manifestation of the abstract concept of infinity—finite contrasts that are also infinite.
• Infinite Potential Manifested in Reality : Leo describes the universe and everything within it as the manifestation of infinite potential, likening reality to a nuclear explosion where everything happens simultaneously, and yet, paradoxically, it also never occurs.
• Existence Coexisting with Non-existence : He ponders the coexistence of existence and non-existence, where every possibility, including non-existence, is an aspect of absolute infinity. The inability to discern between the two highlights the limitations of human understanding of reality.
• Reality's Paradoxical Nature : Gura reflects on the paradoxical nature of reality where all opposites, like existence and nothingness or form and formlessness, are unified; reality, he suggests, is a "precipitate" of the infinite potential of absolute infinity.
• Nature of Existence : Leo Gura theorizes that what we consider existence might actually be non-existence, challenging our fundamental comprehension of being. He suggests that existence and non-existence may be superimposed upon each other because they have nowhere else to be in a singular, unified reality.
• Reality as a Groundless Singularity : He describes reality as a "groundless infinite singularity," emphasizing that it is not a physical system but a series of contrasts consisting of nothing. This perspective presents reality not as a place with distinct mechanisms but as a holistic hallucination or hologram without physical substance.
• Limits of Science and Mechanisms of Reality : Gura critiques the scientific method for only exploring content within reality without grasping its substance. He argues that science's infinite regress of finding mechanisms to explain reality is futile because the substance of reality is an irreducibly mystical 'mechanical miss,' both existing and non-existing simultaneously.
• Emotional Impact of Understanding Reality : He expresses that the true understanding of reality is not merely intellectual but profoundly emotional, an insight so vast and profound that it surpasses thought and sparks a deep, transformative experience.
• Reality Beyond Conceptualization : Leo emphasizes the limitations of intellect in comprehending reality, stating that a conceptual understanding falls short of the actual experience of being infinite. He insinuates that truly grasping infinity would be like becoming God and perceiving from an absolute, non-perspective perspective.
• Paradoxical Nature of Reality : He affirms that reality's essence must be paradoxical, joining the dichotomies of existence and non-existence together, which is unsettling for the rational mind that relies on clear distinctions.
• Scientific, Philosophical, and Religious Limitations : Gura recognizes the shortcomings of collective human endeavors like science, philosophy, and religion in capturing the essence of absolute infinity. Personal experience is paramount for understanding this concept.
• Importance of Direct Experience : He stresses the necessity of individual direct experience to truly comprehend and live the experience of infinity, transcending words, and reaching the ultimate truth of reality.
• Continued Exploration and Direct Experience : Leo encourages the audience to revisit his arguments, not to seek intellectual satisfaction, but to find a personal path to direct experience of the absolute infinity he describes, positioning it as the pinnacle of human experience.