Ways of Looking Part 0: Table of contents

A theory for deriving physics from groundlessness

About

This is going to be a multi-part series on the Ways of Looking theory of physics. The theory is a philosophical framework showing how it’s possible to derive observed physics a priori. It is not a physical theory but pre-physical - a bridge between metaphysics and physics, a conceptual framework that reveals how existing theories connect.

I start with no assumptions whatsoever and proceed until the framework meets established theories of physics. For this reason, there will be no calculations or predictions. While physics solves the puzzle piece by piece to recover the bigger picture, I start with a blurry version of the big picture and refine it until it is clear how to arrange the existing patches. This provides a heuristic for which physical theories deserve attention and how they connect.

Physics has historically been driven by evidence, but experiments have become exponentially harder. There’s no good reason to expect that a bigger particle accelerator will discover the “new physics” everyone awaits. This empirical approach is reaching its limits. Progress now requires letting philosophy back in - at some point, you can’t explain why physics has the laws it does without addressing why and how anything exists at all.

Additionally, mounting evidence shows that one’s subjective view shapes what world one observes. This is central to relativity and the measurement problem. Entropy and renormalization depend on the scale of observation. Taking this seriously means investigating what observation is - what it means to be part of the world.

This necessarily breaks with physicalism - the assumption that physical reality exists independent of observation. It requires investigating consciousness, questioning epistemology, and deconstructing ontological claims. You must broaden your perspective beyond evaluating new ideas within your existing worldview. First you need to make sure that no hidden assumptions remain, then you can start with a blank slate. You have to go to the very end of understanding in order to start anew. Without this shift, you might benefit from individual ideas but miss the essence. This perspective shift develops through practice (like meditation) - no one can walk this path for you.

Context

This theory is part of the broader project of solving AI alignment. I wish for the attention it generates to flow toward understanding what alignment is (or needs to be).

Deconstructing assumptions leads to understanding the empty and subjective nature of physics (you are here), which in turn allows for a theory of consciousness, valence, goals (WIP), self, dissatisfaction, the end of dissatisfaction and hence enlightenment. A scientific theory of enlightenment (WIP) gives rise to an objective theory of morality by recognizing subjective and fabricated dissatisfaction as the only possible basis for moral value (WIP). Moral action then becomes acting by consensus in finding alignment of goals. The understanding itself leads to recursive alignment.

This notion of alignment as consensus can be formalized (WIP), and methods for finding consensus and facilitating cooperation can be crafted and improved using game theory. These methods can be used without understanding the above reasoning. So, even without understanding, you can still contribute by supporting voting reform as well as land value tax and dividend and efforts in AI alignment.

I’m only doing physics insofar as it is useful for this project of alignment. To unify physics with spirituality and the study of consciousness in order to show that they are not in conflict.

I’ll leave the work of formalizing it into math to others, and I am deeply grateful to anyone who does pick up on it.

Table of Contents

This table of contents is also a rough outline of how I plan to proceed, but subject to change. It is going to get continuously updated as the project progresses.

For a general overview I also include a link to an AI summary that touches on the relevant aspects, but doesn’t really capture the essence. Please don’t hold me to its words.

1. Overview (this post)

   1. About

   2. TOC

   3. Context

2. Introduction

   1. Abstract

   2. Dedication

   3. Ways of Looking

3. Structure of all structures

   1. Absolute, Subjective, Objective

   2. No assumptions

   3. Perspectives

   4. From discrete to continuous

   5. Space of morphisms

   6. Boundaries

   7. Uncertainty in between

4. Physics

   1. Holographic principle

   2. Gravity

   3. Particles and forces

   4. Bifurcation

   5. etc.

5. Outlook

6. AI summary (pdf)

7. See also:

   1. Groundless Emergent Multiverse (deconstructing assumptions)

   2. Being the Boundary between Order and Chaos (consciousness)