126
8 The Universe Observed and Unobserved
overshadowed those regulating the behavior of elementary particles, and a new
kind of physical order emerged at the macroscopic scale. 2
I shall not go into the physics of this metamorphosis, because that is not the
topic of the book. Rather, I will discuss how the characteristic properties of
matter in the macroscopic world influence what Gestalt observers are able to
perceive. In this context, the most important property of material objects at the
middle level of physical reality is that objects are rigid, that is, they retain their
form and structure over time. In addition, bodies can be moved and rotated
in space, which means that potentially, comparison between different objects
is physically possible.
Does such a thing as a triangle exist in primal reality, that is, outside the
purview of any observer? It is quite possible that there might be a rigid piece of
matter of triangular shape, but how could it be a triangle in the absence of any
standard for an angle, for a straight line, or for the cardinal number 3? This
is where the properties of rigid objects comes into play, because rigid objects
may be compared with one another. Hypothetically, we might have a template
for triangular shapes which would serve as a standard to define triangles. Since
objects are physically comparable, it would be useful (and possible) to have
templates for different angles and for straight lines.
The most significant fact about the universe at the midlevel scale is that
rigid objects are comparable to one another in their shape and structure. It is
hypothetically possible to select given objects as standards, and classify other
objects by their accord with the standard items. This fact turns out to be so
important in the pre-physical behavior of rigid bodies that we shall name this
phase of cosmic evolution the Template Age.
In the universe of the template age, you might characterize a straight line as
the shape of a taut string. Or perhaps it is the path of an object in free fall. To
us it is both, because we have a visual picture of what a straight line is, and we
confirm by sight that both a taut string and the path of a falling stone have that
shape. But we cannot rely for scientific evidence on our subjective perception:
Instead, we define a line to be the shape of a taut string, then confirm by
experiment that a plumb line, or the trajectory of a freely falling object, are
the same.
It is similar with our notion of force: Force is what is needed to extend a
flexible spring. Also, force is required to lift a heavy object, or to accelerate
a body in motion. Thus, you may define force in terms of the spring, and
then show by experiment that the same effect is needed to accelerate a body in
motion or lift a weight.
In each of these examples, a physical procedure is used to define a magnitude:
For instance the taut string defines what a straight line is, and the power to
8 The Universe Observed and Unobserved
overshadowed those regulating the behavior of elementary particles, and a new
kind of physical order emerged at the macroscopic scale. 2
I shall not go into the physics of this metamorphosis, because that is not the
topic of the book. Rather, I will discuss how the characteristic properties of
matter in the macroscopic world influence what Gestalt observers are able to
perceive. In this context, the most important property of material objects at the
middle level of physical reality is that objects are rigid, that is, they retain their
form and structure over time. In addition, bodies can be moved and rotated
in space, which means that potentially, comparison between different objects
is physically possible.
Does such a thing as a triangle exist in primal reality, that is, outside the
purview of any observer? It is quite possible that there might be a rigid piece of
matter of triangular shape, but how could it be a triangle in the absence of any
standard for an angle, for a straight line, or for the cardinal number 3? This
is where the properties of rigid objects comes into play, because rigid objects
may be compared with one another. Hypothetically, we might have a template
for triangular shapes which would serve as a standard to define triangles. Since
objects are physically comparable, it would be useful (and possible) to have
templates for different angles and for straight lines.
The most significant fact about the universe at the midlevel scale is that
rigid objects are comparable to one another in their shape and structure. It is
hypothetically possible to select given objects as standards, and classify other
objects by their accord with the standard items. This fact turns out to be so
important in the pre-physical behavior of rigid bodies that we shall name this
phase of cosmic evolution the Template Age.
In the universe of the template age, you might characterize a straight line as
the shape of a taut string. Or perhaps it is the path of an object in free fall. To
us it is both, because we have a visual picture of what a straight line is, and we
confirm by sight that both a taut string and the path of a falling stone have that
shape. But we cannot rely for scientific evidence on our subjective perception:
Instead, we define a line to be the shape of a taut string, then confirm by
experiment that a plumb line, or the trajectory of a freely falling object, are
the same.
It is similar with our notion of force: Force is what is needed to extend a
flexible spring. Also, force is required to lift a heavy object, or to accelerate
a body in motion. Thus, you may define force in terms of the spring, and
then show by experiment that the same effect is needed to accelerate a body in
motion or lift a weight.
In each of these examples, a physical procedure is used to define a magnitude:
For instance the taut string defines what a straight line is, and the power to