Can a World with No Limits to Physics Exist?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the concept of a hypothetical world with no limits to physical parameters, including speed, time, spatial divisions, and the structure of matter. Participants consider the implications of such a world, including its potential for infinite computational capacity and the challenges posed by infinite regress and the nature of physical laws.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose the existence of a world where maximum speed is unlimited, suggesting that there could be no maximum speed at all.
  • Others argue for the possibility of stable structures with no limit to magnification, drawing parallels to the infinite nature of real numbers.
  • A viewpoint is presented that such a world could be considered a "root world," providing infinite computational capacity and the ability to simulate finite universes.
  • Concerns are raised about the implications of an unlimited past, with some noting that this leads to problems of infinite regress.
  • Participants discuss how light and other physical interactions might differ in this hypothetical world, suggesting that light may not behave as it does in our universe.
  • There is speculation about the nature of particles in such a universe, questioning whether they would require an origin or could be eternal without a beginning.
  • Some participants challenge the applicability of concepts from our universe to hypothetical particles with infinite structure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the feasibility and implications of a world without limits to physical parameters. The discussion remains unresolved, with no consensus on the nature or existence of such a world.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the speculative nature of the discussion, the dependence on hypothetical scenarios, and the unresolved implications of altering fundamental constants.

flashprogram
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Right now when physicists talk of other alternate universes they mostly talk of varying the laws of physics, changing a few parameters, but I've not heard of the possible existence of an unlimited world.

When it comes to a beginning, a first moment, some models have suggested the possibility of an unlimited past, that is an eternal line of events preceding the present with no first moment. This is one aspect that's been considered as possibly unlimited.

But what about the other aspects? What about speed? time and spatial divisions, and rate of change in matter? Could there not be a world where the maximum speed is unlimited? That is there is no maximum speed. What about a world where there are stable structures of smaller and smaller dimensions and also no limit to the magnification that could be obtained?

Also a world were temporal divisions could be carried unlimited meaningfully , there being no smallest interval? It would be similar to the case with the real numbers were between any two numbers there are an infinity of numbers.

If such a world could exist, it could be considered a root world, in a sense. As it could possibly provide infinite computational capacity and storage to its inhabitants. The inhabitants of said world could simulate all the possible finite universes with limited variables and store them in their unlimited universe.

The only thing that might make such a world impossible is if there's some reason why making so many parameters unlimited is fundamentally impossible. But being as some have considered making the past unlimited in extent, without this being somehow indefensible, it seems safe to suggest that doing the same with the other parameters should not bring problems different from those already brought by making the past unlimited.
 
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flashprogram said:
Right now when physicists talk of other alternate universes they mostly talk of varying the laws of physics, changing a few parameters, but I've not heard of the possible existence of an unlimited world.

When it comes to a beginning, a first moment, some models have suggested the possibility of an unlimited past, that is an eternal line of events preceding the present with no first moment. This is one aspect that's been considered as possibly unlimited.

But what about the other aspects? What about speed? time and spatial divisions, and rate of change in matter? Could there not be a world where the maximum speed is unlimited? That is there is no maximum speed. What about a world where there are stable structures of smaller and smaller dimensions and also no limit to the magnification that could be obtained?

Also a world were temporal divisions could be carried unlimited meaningfully , there being no smallest interval? It would be similar to the case with the real numbers were between any two numbers there are an infinity of numbers.

If such a world could exist, it could be considered a root world, in a sense. As it could possibly provide infinite computational capacity and storage to its inhabitants. The inhabitants of said world could simulate all the possible finite universes with limited variables and store them in their unlimited universe.

The only thing that might make such a world impossible is if there's some reason why making so many parameters unlimited is fundamentally impossible. But being as some have considered making the past unlimited in extent, without this being somehow indefensible, it seems safe to suggest that doing the same with the other parameters should not bring problems different from those already brought by making the past unlimited.

That doesn't sound like a world, but rather a cloud of radiation behaving in ways physics has no capacity to predict.
 
IcedEcliptic said:
That doesn't sound like a world, but rather a cloud of radiation behaving in ways physics has no capacity to predict.

Radiation?

There is physical structure in this hypothetical world, it just so happens that like the old 'homunculus', there's usable 'matter-like' structure all the way down. The physical structure would be like an infinite 'Matryoshka doll'. It does bring a similar problem, to that of an unlimited past, namely infinite regress.

Remember that there being no 'maximal speed', while in our world would pose a problem due to light instantly having 'max' speed, thus arriving instantly from all directions and distances, need not behave the same way in this hypothetical world. Light in this hypothetical world might not necessarily go at the maximum speed possible in an unlimited world's vacuum, nor need it have to interact the same way with the particles of this world.
 
Last edited:
flashprogram said:
Radiation?

There is physical structure in this hypothetical world, it just so happens that like the old 'homunculus', there's usable 'matter-like' structure all the way down. The physical structure would be like an infinite 'Matryoshka doll'. It does bring a similar problem, to that of an unlimited past, namely infinite regress.

Remember that there being no 'maximal speed', while in our world would pose a problem due to light instantly having 'max' speed, thus arriving instantly from all directions and distances, need not behave the same way in this hypothetical world. Light in this hypothetical world might not necessarily go at the maximum speed possible in an unlimited world's vacuum, nor need it have to interact the same way with the particles of this world.

Alter constants in such a way, and the notion of a geometric spacetime with relativistic effects dies. In such a radically altered universe, the likely outcome would be that there was not nucleosynthesis as in this universe.
 
IcedEcliptic said:
Alter constants in such a way, and the notion of a geometric spacetime with relativistic effects dies. In such a radically altered universe, the likely outcome would be that there was not nucleosynthesis as in this universe.

In such a universe why would particles even require an origin? While they may or may not have it, it is conceivable that they could be eternal, without a beginning. In any case, since we're dealing with hypothetical particles, that have infinite structure inside them, I'm not entirely sure the concepts that apply to our particles need apply to them, unless there's some sort of fundamental properties that have been found to apply to all conceivable particles.
 

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