First post

Dear Diary,

This is my first entry in the Metaphysics Diary, in which I will try to post regularly (about every week, unlike some bloggers who start a blog and then just stop writing) about my philosophical investigation into the true nature of reality. This blog has 2 eventual goals:

1. To be able to explain modern physics (quantum mechanics and relativity and stuff) in a way that makes intuitive sense. Classical physics makes sense. Modern physics is so bizarre and counter to our basic understanding of reality, that it seems impossible or just wrong. I started thinking about the physics of multiple universes as a way to explain how the alternate reality in Lost was possible. I quickly came up with more questions than answers (perhaps fitting for the show). In the end it turned out that Lost has no useful science in it, however it would still be nice to be able to explain the more bizarre aspects of reality without getting stuck.

2. To uncover the true nature of reality, and in doing so, win a nobel prize. This is sort of a buddhist goal, to understand the universe. Also the nobel prize includes a cash award that is currently over a million dollars. So yes, it really is just a get-rich-quick scheme.

Though I don't expect it to be quick, nor easy. The timeline for these goals is somewhere on the order of 10 years. Will they still have blogs in the future?

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Wikipedia states that "Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science." To be clear, the content of this blog is philosophy and not science. It will be rambling thoughts (for which blog format is ideal), with hopefully some interesting ideas now and then, that may one day lead to new explanations of scientific junk. But until that one day comes, it is a diary, not a thesis.

Nevertheless, philosophical thought still has a place in science. When aspects of quantum mechanics were discovered and figured out, physicists had to explain new things in a way that made the most sense to their existing understanding of the world, which consisted of classical science and the philosophy of the day. Because their intuitive, philosophical understanding of reality didn't match the results of experiments, modern physicists had to come up with "interpretations" of the science to make it fit. We still have multiple possible interpretations, because the science of reality and current philosophy of reality do no match seamlessly. If the science is sound, our philosophy needs to be updated. There is still much room for discovery.

New philosophical ideas may lead to new thought experiments, which may lead to new theories, and physical experiments to test them, and in this way metaphysics can turn into science.

This is not a new approach, however. Out of necessity, the pioneers of modern science were forced to consider new metaphysical ideas, and doubtlessly millions have tried to figure it all out since. So admittedly, the hope that this blog will lead to anything valuable is a long shot.