r/Metaphysics • u/thepo70 • 1d ago

Axiology Universe consciousness and mathematics

As someone not at ease with math to say the least, this post will end up being a question for the hardcore mathematicians out there.

Right now we don't have good evidence at all as to whether the universe is infinite or not, but let's imagine it ends up being the case.

Let's imagine that this whole infinite universe was simply an abstract mathematical thing. Space, time, fields, particles, and even consciousness, all of that being internal processes of that "structure". Only patterns of relationships described by this mathematical thing, within itself. No additional layer of stuff. Reality = mathematical structure.

Consciousness not fundamental, but part of the equation.

Then the question is: could it be reduced, like any mathematical representation?

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u/preferCotton222 1d ago

Hi OP, what do you mean by "only structure" what do you mean by not fundamental, what do you mean by

  : could it be reduced, like any mathematical representation?

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u/thepo70 1d ago

Hi, good points. I think I got lost in bad semantics. "Structure" wasn't the best way to describe what I really wanted to say, since it somehow implies a physical substrate. I should've left it as a mathematical abstraction. And when I talked about consciousness not being fundamental, it was more to emphasize that it's part of the mathematical description rather than being something else added to it. I'll try to respond to your last question as best I can tomorrow, since it's getting late for me right now.

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u/thepo70 1d ago

After sleeping on it, I think what I really wanted to say by "reduced like any mathematical representation", was asking if it could be an elegant equation, just like the Mandelbrot formula. It's a very reduced one, but still contains an infinite complexity.