What Exists II? | Episode 1906 | Closer To Truth 

Did any ideas about the fundamental kinds of things that exist stand out to you? Tell us in the comments. If you enjoyed this episode, give our excellent contributors a thumbs up! If you'd like to further explore the cosmos, consciousness, and meaning, please consider becoming a subscriber. For more episodes from Season 19, see our Season 19 playlist: bit.ly/38ZCxq9

I'm so grateful to Robert and the rest of the CTT team for taking the time to create and publish these incredible interviews. Thank you!

Thank you for posting these episodes here.🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

The most underrated RU-vid channel of all time but this channel has already about half million of flwrs which are curious so much to following this great Chanel

I came to the conclusion when I was 14 that many truths are paradoxical. It was such a huge moment for me that I remember where I was and what I was doing.

As a Zen master once said, ‘Too much Mind’. Everything is said.

Masterful! What a great production! Thank you for sharing so much knowledge with us!

Excellent video. You seriously need to make a full-length documentary brother; everyone with a splinter in their mind will flock to it.

He upholds all things by the word of his power.

Had to come to the comments to find out the real truth.

I dont know if youve done a segment on simulation theory or life as a game but it adds something to this. Everything is created for the game. If you go to the furthest reaches of the world you might just find a place where the edges are kinda blocked out or just out of reach. The more you explore this argument the more you see in everyday life.

so far in all these interviews in the last set of episodes, only George Ellis really says things that made sense to me.

The concept, or nature or definition of something is the most fundamental part of anything conceivable by the human mind, therefore every thing our mind perceives must be conceived and conceptions only happen in a mind.

One of the best episodes so far. And the one certainly closer to my own personal quest in Philosophy.

Barry got that scientist hair! Haha love it.

so glad you guys came to youtube

Great series.

These episodes are so good. Did God create constants or is he bound by them? Oh my.

I have a great time watching these intelligent people trying to answer unanswerable quiestions in a polite way and how many start to loose their patience when the can't, which obviously is the goal of the presenter.

Show is amazing

Sometimes, when there seems to be no satisfactory answer to a question, the reason is that it’s the wrong question; for example a fish asking “ Why is there only water?”

Philosophers are beings with evolved brains and satiated bellies. We forget how recently we climbed down from the trees.

I am hoping one day Khun also holds an interview with one of renowned Zen masters, such as Vet. Pomnyun Sunim, on his views on fundamental categories of existence basis Buddhist teachings and his perceptions of the world. Would be an interesting approach to seeing consciousness and theism.

First time I ever heard of possibilities space, must say it kind of makes sense

Here is something I noticed (apart from the birds) you went and had a walk, with this guy

George Ellis has a very clear way of talking about these subjects.

Consciousness, Mental space, Physical objects.

Why are these videos not being viewed millions of times?? I don't get it

A truly brilliant series..that we get to ask & ponder such questions ,experience the experience of life here (wherever here is) on Earth ,never seemingly able to grasp God nor gravity nor quantum states as we would wish for ..merrily merrily merrily ,life is but a dream~ or not .

Congrats on 100k subs.

Another question that to me sounds extremely simple. My answer...1. Time...2. Space...3. Energy. That's it. That's all. I love CTT.

What a time to be alive

Absolute Energy is the primal act of being. All else derives from this ground of Being.

Wonderful

adverts every 2 minutes really spoils the flow of experience

I think Aristotle's notion of forms (and developed by Aquinas), as distinct from Plato's ideas, are worth exploring. Part of what makes consciousness so interesting isn't just the experience of it but how it seems to render things intelligible, such that intelligibility itself needs to be explained. The argument against Platonic objects not being causally connected to the world is a good one. But if what is truly fundamental is the morphe, such that natures really do exist, then their relation to the material world could be entirely causal. Things do what they do because of their natures, where those natures would not be reducible to matter.

very good video. when I think about these things I always end questioning the meaning of the question. what does "exist" mean? I am not clear on that. What is the specific property that something that exists has and that something that does not exist has not?

Space time is an illusion.

Universes are a separate category (and the most fundamental)

In computer programming we commonly create instances of classes, which I think is somewhat analogues to the categories you describe. Instances and classes exists in different domains/realms and are only related by definition. We also use abstractions and inheritance but as I see it this is only relationships within the same realm and has nothing to do with reducibility of category. A "class" in programming also have a category in another realm but in programming we never go that deep. We only stay in two realms, the realm of classes and the one of instances. My belief is that nature might be constructed in a similar way where particles are just instances of field classes. But of course also a field should have some kind of category, maybe in a pure mathematical realm.

NEWS BREAK! Physicists just discovered that the fundamental basis of universe and all reality is LOVE!!

I don’t know if it’s a catagory but I’ve characterization in simplest terms, the universe. The universe is characterized by something that is sometimes lazy, as seen in the principle of least action. Much of the characterization seems to occur at a microscopic level where definitions, rules, and methods simply might not work, too small, or quantum then, we turn to expression instead of normal physics. The expression I find most common in our characterization of the universe is mathematics. It is the language the universe prefers when elaboration and complexity is expressed. The universe speak in Mathematics as it is used in every chemistry and physics analogy ever. I see a universe where where because of the Pauli principle, things do have rules and the observation of superposition is another but, it’s where the rules seems more an expression, characterized and probability, another mathematical analogy. I see a universe whose reason for being is to explore for the balance between persistence and change. This balance is looking for the same thing scientists are, the balance of what is verses what might become all based on the past. Exclude the expression of time with the mathematical and persistence wins. So Chang e is fundemental as the ingredient of all.. Simple enough. A category that personifies the universe not as a God but as a system with definite behaviors both by rule and by choice. Yes it’s an exploration of pre-determinism verses free will. The universe must have a point where things are not fixed and are actively being explored and expressed by these characterizations in absence of full laws and rules. Thats what we are witnessing. The mathematical expression of probability to evade the stringent expressions of scientific law because the sphere of influence of the universe hits a limit somewhere is why. Thats why.

So I enjoyed this guy for some reason

A very interesting quest. But surely there is only one possibility regarding the question of "what exists?"......"I"

In the phenomenological ontology of Samkhya Philosophy of India there are 23 categories or tattvas that arise out of the interaction of two fundamental potentias. Samkhya philosophy has two major forms, classical, which is atheistic, and a theistic form. The two most fundamental potentias are Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha is the conscious potential and in the classical form of Samkhya they are innumerable, while in the theistic form of Samkhya Purusha is one and is equated with either an impersonal absolute or as a personal God. The other fundamental potentia Prakriti is the objective potential, and is constituted by what are known as three gunas or modes, which are the modes of clarity (sattva), passion (rajas) and inertia (tamas). When Prakriti is in it's potential state those three modes are in equipoise, but when the two potentials of consciousness and objectivity interact the equipoise of those three modes is disturbed and cosmic consciousness becomes manifest as pure I-Am-ness and this is the first tattva or category known as the Mahat tattva in it's macrocosm aspect while reflected in it's microcosm aspect, it is called Buddhi (intellect) tattva. From this Mahat evolves the ego known as the Ahamkara. This Ahamkara is the pure I-am-ness further identifying it's self and thus is no longer a pure I-Am. It is qualified by the three modes. From it's state dominated by the mode of clarity, propelled by the mode of passion, arise the reflective mind (manas), the five knowledge gaining instruments (jnanendriyas) and the five action instruments (karmendriyas). The knowledge gaining instruments are the faculty of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling. the five action instruments are the faculty of grasping, locomotion, speaking, procreating and evacuating. From the Ego (Ahamkara) dominated by the mode of inertia, propelled by the mode of passion, evolve the five fundamental types of sense data (tanmatra) which are sound, tactile, form/color, flavor and odor. From these data bites evolve the five elements of aether, air, fire, water and earth. So to sum up these 23 tattvas or categories, which arise from the interaction of the two fundamental potentials of Purusha (conscious potential) and Prakriti (objective potential) from the bottom up, we have the five elements, the five types of sense data, the five instruments of action, the five instruments of knowledge, the data receiving mind, the identifying ego, and the cosmic consciousness or universal I-Am-ness.

Yes a possible category has been missed. Information. Consider information may exist as a permutation of the arrangement of physical objects. A permutation of physical objects is not itself a physical entity. Nor is a permutation metaphysical since permutations can occur with nothing but physical objects (and I'm talking about an actual arrangement, not a mathematical representation of it). Therefore it is a separate category.

To know" cause" you have to be" cause" and since knowing is the prerogative of consciousness alone it is consciousness that represents causation.

@CloserToTruth My own take on it; albeit I'm nowhere as eloquent as the people in the video. The "beginning" as we can ever hope to dig towards should have been in some non-physical (as we understand physical) state where only the Impossible exists. Where the Impossible is defined as [1] beyond our understanding of explaining and [2] fundamentally, regardless if defined as one or more separate entities, sharing the property that it defies Absolute Perfect Nothing. A by "defy" meaning it's either [a] either as a thing that coexists or [b] an "Absolute Limit". In other words the Impossible are the things that don't care for the state of "nothing" and neither care for "something" either (or at least the Impossible we are talking about doesn't care for the state of "something"), among other properties it might have. Impossible might be be acting as a "Limit" or "Brink of Absolute Perfect Nothing" for example. As for why the Impossible exists, perhaps because "impossible" is what you get when Absolute Nothing becomes Perfect Absolute Nothing (play on words but philosophically "if there's nothing, everything is impossible"), or maybe because Impossible and Absolute Perfect Nothing are not mutually exclusive. Either way it's hard to say "the Impossible can't exist in Absolute Perfect Nothing", by our definition of Impossible at least. By saying you have PERFECT Nothing, you implicitly have created a primordial cauldron so-to-speak for "everything" to be "easy", since forces to counter anything-at-all-happening do not exist by the definition of Perfect Absolute Nothingness; the only missing component is what that something is, and the impossible is the only seemingly available candidate. Following that you have Absolute Perfect Nothing and the Impossible, there is only one outcome and that is the Impossible becomes Possible (the Unreal becomes Real as it were). Since Absolute Perfect Nothing, as the name implies suggests absence of everything so that means the more nothing the more absence (remove physical, laws, concepts, etc) therefore Impossible, no matter how "weak" even if equivalent to 0, becomes "larger" or "more probable" then Absolute Perfect Nothing. Similarly for nothing to go to more nothingness it has to give way, otherwise it's "something" (eg. if it counter acts impossible it's something, since it acts like a force). I would say "eventually" but fundamentally "Time" doesn't exist here, so any "transformation" is not something that happens the way we would perceive a transformation, something that not even the word "instant" could properly express. For the sake of clarity we'll say "it resolves to" that. As for how does "resolving" fits in, we can just call it just another part of the Impossible-and put that problem to the side for now. We can assume Perfect Absolute Nothing to be the beginning "state" or at least we see no reason why "nothingness" isn't at least part of the Origin of Existence of Everything, since it's the only state with out questions or other assumptions attached. The "resolution" of Impossible once this Perfect Absolute Nothing state becomes "unstable" / "loses" (not to be confused with physics concepts of symmetric or the like) to some subset of the Impossible, as the "First Choice." Given an "infinite" set of Impossible, it's not clear if the first choice results in all possible combinations, some or just one outcome. This question largely falls into if there are differences or if all Impossible things are "the same". Given we assume Impossible things don't follow convention it means it's not something we can ever answer. If there are differences then it's more believable that there is just one outcome, if there are no differences within the Impossible then it's more believable that after Perfect Absolute Nothing all possibilities exist at all times (the complete opposite state). We will go with the simpler outcome to avoid verbosity, that there is at least one and just talk about said outcome from the perspective of it's history. Since for all we know even if all possible Impossible happened, we can only at best say that "at least ours didn't collapse back into nothing, yet" Taking one outcome as the answer the First Choice thus becomes The Start of Destiny in the sense of how we perceive "Destiny" as a concept. Which is to say, whatever the information that determines how things will be in the future is already encoded in the First Choice. Of course this "encoding" for all intents and purposes might be unfathomably complex, too profound for us to ever understand, as simplistic as 1+1=2 or combination of all three. Most probably is a combination; or at least the idea that we're not doomed to never understand is harder to swallow. So to recap, in this transformation: There is sill Absolute Nothing, but some/or-all Impossible has "resolved", so now nothingness should be Imperfect. A question that can be posed at this point is in the "edge" between Absolute (Imperfect) Nothing and Reality (as we might perceive it, with physicality, space, time, etc) how do we get there. To answer this we have to attempt to resolve the very hard problem of how do you distinguish between Laws that are part of the Impossible made real, and what are just superfluous laws that site on top. To this effect there are easy answer and hard answers. It's not easy to tell what is an illusion of several laws and what is an Impossible Law/Concept and what is just a consequence of said Impossible that we just gave a convenient name to. For example the following concepts are likely rooted in the Impossible: Infinity, Finite, Zero, Transformation, Inequality, Concept of Math, Choice. While the following are harder: - space, maybe just an illusion we use to get by - time, maybe just the illusion of the physical world - laws of physics, maybe fundamentally they have a root, but unlikely the ones we see now Going back to the state of the First Choice, all subsequent choices are simple. Since even if a system has zero "energy" having "anything" is equivalent to having some (if not an infinity; for all intents and purposes it may very well be perceived infinite by entities created by it). The question of energy, matter and other aspects just boils down to what transformation the either chosen Impossible produces. While the word "energy" is used here, it's not energy as physics might define it, and there's no clear definition. It could very well be just the "will, as resulted by all impossibilities combining", "power of probability", "a form of actual energy" or something else entirely. The important part is only that "something" (as we understand it) is now present. Presumably once a set of Impossible becomes "powerful" within Absolute Nothing, existence and everything is the only possible outcome. No matter what recognizable or unrecognizable shape it might take. In our case, following who knows what transformations, Time, Space, and such existed in some form, and whatever the events that lead to what we now refer to as "Big Bang" (although it might not be a singularity at all since we're just extrapolating backwards) happened to lead to our little corner of nothing. So in short we are all just the impossible manifest "inside nothing", and the trivialities we work with day to day (gravity, matter, space, time, etc) and the physical world we love so much, should we consider ourselves separate from them for a moment, are just the winners of the impossible made real, transforming before us as we speak. And if there is an ending, then it's clearly Nothing. Of course if there's something both the science and religious people agree with is that they don't really like Impossible things. It's not the orderly they both like after all.

I liked the part about the relative interaction/influences/relations between distinctly significant scales (my way of saying/summarizing it). I think it is very important. What occurs on greater scales can have a dominant over influence on the overall conditions of smaller scales, while having a relatively minor influence compared to dominant (local?) native smaller scale influences/forces. There seems to be a mutual interaction/influence & interdependency. I have some philosophical ideas & concepts & models based on this, including with respect to many models in science.

The truth is we are God

There are only three things that exist. 1: FAITH . in the thoughts we have as memories (number one law of physics, of the conservation of information). 2: HOPE in the thoughts plans and intentions of a future not yet carried out as an expression of the 3:NOW which we LOVE because it is all that exists of us as a SINGULARITY of the energy that just keeps changing form. ... The process works like this. NOW we think about our past memories of now experiences and action reaction kicks in and we execute our plans of the future while at the same time creating new plans. IOW, we are currently creating plans (future) based on memories (past) and executing them NOW. This validates the conservation of energy and information and the laws of motion all at once, which of course solves the issue of quantum entanglement and why light has properties of wave and particles and the observer effect all at the same time.

One thought i had while listening to these interviews is .... just as we have realised that there are alternatives to current physical laws, IS there any alternative to mathematics as the language of science. What if anything, can substitute mathematics in its current role ?

The Absolute is beyond doubt and consciousness prior to consciousness. The absolute is eternal no beginning no end

Keep it real

I/ my mind exists because “I question”, therefore... ...all minds exist.... therefore.. ...new minds (babies) exist... therefore... ...other people exists because they have minds, therefore... ...other animals exist because animals are people too, therefore... ...all life exists....therefore... ...all material/space/time exists because all life is made up of these things...therefore... ...”Everything Exists”!

What exists? All in One, One in all:)

There is no primary category (or type of object) in this world, every category is primary. Every phenomenon in the reality is a "first-class" citizen. And even a gust of wind is a category on its own. But to see these things clearly, we must put aside everything that we have learned.

Answer: everything :-)

I think its funny. He describes many of his questions as his biggest/favorite question

The foundation is Nothingness / Emptiness with infinite possibilities.

❤ Very good 👍🏼

Great stuff. Question: if the patterns of the universe are seen as laws then surely we can take all seeming regularities as laws. I think we humans take something like gravity and say it's a law because to our puny and short lives it really does seem that way, but there's no evidence any god put them there nor that they are eternal or absolute in any way.

The ultimate stuff is the elements of Nature. All these elements exists, exists in an inner or outer exists.

" The senses meet the object and from their contact sensation is born. Thence results recollection. Thus, as the sun's power through a burning-glass causes fire to appear, so through the cognizance born of sense and object, the mind originates and with it the ego, the thought of self..."

You missed one, the only one, consciousness/self-awareness. Everything else is nothing more than thought/vibrations.

Please do a 1-2 minute summary at the end of these videos which simplify the topic just presented for those of us who want to understand but aren't smart enough to grasp what you're talking about.

You forgot Volition as a category

I know what the fundamental particle of existence is, unfortunately I cannot put it into words

I think it is sheer hubris to think we can know for certain what exist. There may be realms of existence or knowledge that will be forever beyond our grasp. Moreover, we may be completely wrong about what we think we know today.

This video serves as a perfect demonstration of what happens when the mind attempts to come to an understanding that can only be achieved tacitly. This is what the Zen notion of “no-mind” expresses. Or as Ramana Maharishi said, “Silence is the language of the Self.” Philosophy refuses to recognize the limitations of mind. Science is too impressed with itself to recognize them.

Make a program series about spiritual enlightenment

Well, we definitely missed the metaphysical realm's ... that's for sure. 👽

Indians know it and try to experience it. Some of them experience it which require pure state to experience it. It is swayam sidh (existance) swayam prakshit (Gyan prakshi) swasanvedhya. (swayam pulsiv)

Not being helpful is not necessarily the same as not being true.

Mathematics is a pattern. It exists in the same way that music exists.

Reality/Life = That which is/That I am. That which is (Life), that is nothing in particular (actual), is by definition everything in general (potential).

“What exists?” I suggest that anything that resides on the opposite side of absolute and utter nothingness - “exists” in some form or context.

Assume that “time” is not “relative” or necessarily “directional”, but rather found to be a primordial foundational element of the multiverse cosmic landscape. Then, it seems to me, time would also be another bedrock of what actually exists.

15:55 wasn't he in Game Of Thrones?

12:57: Does it really need to exist before it exists? Maybe Plato was wrong.

You have missed the contrariety of Arrow and Lace, both in the grand category you seek (Lace as fundamental physics and Arrow as Intelligible ideals drawing out evolution) and the myriads of smaller scale Arrow and Lace oppositions throughout science and the evolution of existent things.

I don't think I heard any mention of dark matter and dark energy which make up 95% of what surrounds us.

Its space. Moving space. Areas of space move relative to other areas. Time dilation and space contraction results in huge areas of "empty" (slow moving) space and tiny areas of "solid" (fast moving) space. Everything is a field of space.

I'll help you with a new category that like Bohm, should be the most fundamental; That categorical/ fundamental space is Illusions; that are really there but less real (,being roots or holes in the foundation catagory spaces), than that which generates illusion in all we see or know. See what you do with that. Robert.

I've thought about macro math . Approximation paints a picture also.

What about if we consider INFORMATIONS as the ultimate reality!

I think you don't want to understand what are things for you, but to cathegorize the ways things can be cathegorized.

OK, missing category - the (potential) unknown. What are we completely blind/oblivious about? Look how much has been discovered & created/defined, that we were completely or almost completely blind/oblivious about before or in past, throughout our history; I'm confident we likely continue to do this. ALso, the enhancements/improvements about what we know, expanded greatly beyond our past knowledge & concepts & understandings & models/stories, for the same observable/sensible/detectable knowns. & how we know (origins, foundations, paradigms, dependent conditions, etc.). The ultimate preface to anything any one has ever thought/said/communicated/experienced/cognized/felt - "According to what ____ knows/known ...". ALso, abilities & limitations/boundaries of the sensing/detecting/perceiving/cognizing system (like our brains & minds). I conject we may not be able to make complete accurate statements about what is known & how, unless the system doing this is accounted for in the description. Like our brains & minds, or computers or other information systems. Alien information systems (including brains & minds & perception/cognition systems) are not necessarily the same as ours; perceptual abilities & limitations could be very different even surrounding the same sense/sensation (source). I have many more ideas/concepts/models about this. We are all informational/(re)presentational systems, including communicating with each other; a compatible net system. Other information/sensory-perception/cognition/symbolic/(re)presentation systems may not be compatible; compatibility is important, and the degree/measure. Can anyone join me in striving towards the limits/boundaries of our abilities, & try to extrapolate beyond them as much as possible? We impose so many assumptions & presumptions of our abilities & conditions on everything we sense & perceive & know.

Thoughts are Things things are thoughts

Why I didn't find you sooner?

"There are no 'laws' that phenomena 'obey'!" -- Nietzsche

i lean toward the theory of everything. everything exists and always will. if there is nothing well nothing means it dont exist and this can be emphasized dividing lets say 2. divide that into 1 then didvide 1 in 0.5 then divide it until you get 0 but you will never get 0 because 0 does not exist. we created the thought of 0 only.

One of the best episodes, probably my favorite one.

Laws and events are created simultaneously.

How about just two categories of existence? That which can be observed or measured (or the observable or measurable results of such things), and the opposite of the observable/measurable (i.e. everything else).

The will of God is to achieve all possible states.

I’ll offer one other primordial, bedrock “category” of existence to think about. A paradoxical category. The category of “non-existence” and all objects, persons, things and sub-categories found in non-existence. A case can be made that all reality comes in pairs - positive/negative (matter, energy or anything else); electron spin up/down; mind/body, good/bad; yin/yang and so on. Why not things in existence vs. non-existence? Just my musings.

Space time exists, energy exists and i guess concepts exists

Esthetics is build into the very fabric of time and space, like the physical laws of Nature and the Laws of harmonious interaction as in ant colonies are a win/win produce and also in the symbiotic relation of algae and fungi in Lichen. You can see this etched into the very fabric of the interaction of cells in a living organism the way in which harmonious interaction between the individual cells of a healthy organism function. You could argue that on a higher more complex dimensional level of the human organism that ethics are being learnt to make our society level more harmonious and healthy, and this is where spirituality plays a role in conscious growth in awareness. Hence Nature produces mainly through the plant world Psychedelics to nurture that process, as it nurtures the human animal world with food, oxygen, medicines, shelter, fire, weapons and clothing,

How could you have a world without definitions? And what does it mean to define? To define means also to differentiate. And if you differentiate between things, you create polar opposites. Between these polar opposites the experience is made. Could this now be a basic category?