Speed of our reality perception…

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perception of reality in relation to fundamental physical constants and the speed of information processing. Participants explore the implications of discrete versus continuous space-time, the nature of electron movement, and the potential existence of life forms that perceive reality at different temporal scales.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes a thought experiment involving an electron traveling at near-light speed and questions how many frames per second a perfect camera would record, suggesting an incredibly high number based on Planck length.
  • Another participant challenges the notion of "electron speeds" as constants and questions the feasibility of tracking an electron's trajectory with a perfect camera, emphasizing the need for a defined mechanism of observation.
  • Some participants speculate on the implications of life forms existing in a faster temporal reality, suggesting that such beings might perceive time differently, potentially leading to scenarios where they could interact with us without our awareness.
  • One participant argues that the concept of time and perception is more about the brain's processing speed rather than a fundamental change in the nature of reality.
  • Another participant mentions that individuals in extreme gravitational fields, such as on a neutron star, would experience time differently, but they would also perceive their own time as normal relative to their frame of reference.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with some agreeing on the fascinating nature of the topic while others contest specific claims, particularly regarding the physics of electron speeds and the implications of different perceptions of time. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the mechanisms of observation and the definitions of terms used, such as "electron speed" and the nature of time perception. There is also a noted dependence on speculative scenarios that may not align with established physics.

  • #31
chingel said:
I think it is a very interesting idea.

What is perception of time? Is it just a perception, an illusion, can this perception change? Or is it something fundamental. I don't really understand it either. Can there be a human to who 1 minute feels like a second? I don't mean that he is actually moving through time faster, running at supernatural speed etc, nothing like that, just the perception.

This would require a 60-fold increase in communication speed between neurons and such in your brain. That simply isn't possible.

The reason why we probably perceive time the way we do, if it is at all something that can change, is that if it feels like a minute just to lift your arm up, it is not very useful, you'd probably lose your attention before you get anything done and longer term goals would suffer, like searching for water, if it would feel like forever. We would have evolved to experience time at a rate that is useful, that feels normal, natural, where you can react to things, but everyday actions run at a comfortable speed.

I disagree. The cells in your nevous system can only operate up to a certain amount in a given period of time. Neurons use Ion pumps and Ion channels to operate and it takes time for these to work and for Ions to be generated and replaced. Increased work by these cells, even if it is possible, would generate more heat, use more energy, have more wear and tear, and etc.
 
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  • #32
Drakkith said:
This would require a 60-fold increase in communication speed between neurons and such in your brain. That simply isn't possible.
I'd guess that some drugs (e.g. cocaine) and some practices (e.g. yoga, meditation, whatever) can increase state of human awareness/perception, but I'd agree that it's hardly something like 60-fold increase... even increase of two seems difficult, yet I'd say possible.

Since we know how our life style is speeding up, and that brains seems to have more potential than it's currently used, perhaps through natural evolution our brains shall evolve in direction so they work on "higher frequency" than they do today...

So, potential extra-terrestrial beings that might be intelligent and very small in physical size (I'm just guessing that, because in that way higher brain activity can be in better balance with higher body activity) might have a mind which operates at much higher "frequency" than that of a human being. Such mind might not be based on something like physical human brains as we know it but be built in a different manner, maybe something alike computer's CPU (central processing unit)...

Well, nowadays computers are still in some operations, mostly parallel ones, slower than the human brains, but as technology develops I'd say CPUs will become faster and better than a human brain in all aspects (there are already experiments on using quantum states and light communication instead of electricity for much faster computers, which might become available in relatively near future). And of course, CPU is just an example... such "advanced brains" might be based on some completely unknown "construction" to us.

And perhaps when we know enough what consciousness is we might make computers/robots self-aware, and thus create "advanced self-aware intelligent beings". The thing is that such beings might well already exist, yet, we think that they don't because if they did they'd already come in contact with us, but on the other hand, we didn't even consider that they might operate/think at much higher frequency. If that's the case, I'd guess they have no interest in "talking" to us, either for (im)practical reasons (too different time perception) and/or because we are just still too ignorant for them...
 
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  • #33
This should really have been posted in the biology section so that we can have a stab at it there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_perception" . There is clearly a limit to how much perception can change, whilst sleep can sometimes shrink hours to instant this does not happen when one is awake.
 
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  • #34
ryan_m_b said:
This should really have been posted in the biology section so that we can have a stab at it there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_perception" . There is clearly a limit to how much perception can change, whilst sleep can sometimes shrink hours to instant this does not happen when one is awake.
¸
Much thanks for your post with links. If someone can move this over to the biology section please do.
 
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  • #35
Boy@n said:
¸
Much thanks for your post with links. If someone can move this over to the biology section please do.

No problem. I'm afraid it's unlikely you will get a comprehensive answer as we don't have a good enough understanding of the underlying processes.
 
  • #36
Also, be VERY careful with how you word your question and make sure you are asking the right questions. It helps to start with specific questions about the more basic aspects and build up from there. Otherwise the thread won't get anywhere!
 

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