The presentation is attached here – Cognitive Status of Scientific Laws

Introduction

“All things, from Brahma the creator down to a single blade of grass, are… simply appearances and not real.”

- Shankara, Hindu philisopher

Cognition is the process of how we percieve and experience reality. It is how we perform experiments, which are the basis for judging the best of scientific theories.

In this report, we start by discussing some problems in understanding cognition. Next we study the role of cognition in the context of quantum mechanics. Eventually we try to find out where it fits the puzzle of science.

Cognition and Reality

We experience reality through our cognitive abilities. Through these, we percieve and interact with what we term as “reality”. In our quest for the study of the natural world, our senses serve as the first stepping stone. There was a time in history when experiments did not require a lot more than sensory observation followed by rational deduction or verification of a prior hypothesis. Even when sophesticated instruments are used, the ultimate idea is to bring out a projection of some real phenomena onto a plane where we can directly observe it. We can clearly see the essential importance of cognition to the act of carrying out any experiment, which form the basis of the best of empirical or theoretical laws. Since the “goodness” of theoretical laws rests upon the correctness of the results it predicts in observable experiments, the role of the window through which we assimilate reality becomes ever more important.

Unfortunately, we do not have satisfactory theories about cognition. Our understanding of the senses is satisfactory as far as their mechanism is concerned. But how exactly do we assimilate this knowledge and view it as an individual self is a question which can only be answered by a good theory of consciousness. One such problem with cognition is that it is relative to the individial. You learn what you are taught at birth. You learn to associate “entities” that you can sense with “concepts” that are taught to you in primary school. Let us look at Fig. 1.

Figure 1

The first row of those three colors is what we are aware of. But what if a nursery child saw what is seen as the second row. His teacher had learnt it in her childhood as Red, Blue and Green and that is what she calls them. But he doesn’t see the same exact “colors”. Moreso, he still associate them with same color name, as his teacher teaches him. Thus he would still call leaves “green” and the sky “blue” as is clear by the illustrations which follow.

Figure 2 – as seen by the author

Figure 3 – as seen by the nursery child

Note that this is not an exception. Atleast we don’t have any reason to suppose so.  There is no possible way to find out if this actually happens in the case of every individual.

This was only an example, concerning the perception of color. Such a phenomenon can occur with the perception of sound or vision in general as well. We can only realize from this, the little understanding that we have of cognition and peception.

Realists vs Instrumentalists

An “Instrumentalist” subscribes to the view that in science theoretical sentences lack truth-value, that theoretical terms do not denote, and that theories are “material principles of inference” in accordance with which we move from observation to observation. Thus scientific theories are mere instruments for prediction or understanding of observable reality. The theoretical constructs themselves do not represent anything as such.

A “Realist” on the other hand holds that theories are true or false, and from this generally he draws the corollary that the elements of a confirmed theory possess “a physical reality at least on a par with the physical reality commonly ascribed to familiar objects such as sticks and stones”. Theoretical constructs for a realist represent real existing entities.

Although the realists and the instrumentalists describe scientific theories differently, it is clear that they both use scientific theories in exactly the same way, to formulate empirical laws to make predictions about the real world. Thus the role of cognition for both is equally important.

Cognition and Modern Scientific Theories

Quantum mechanics and special relativity are the two cornerstones of modern physics. Each of these two theories is applicable in its domain and provides very accurate empirical predictions. Here, we explore the role of congnition in context of quantum theory.

Quantum Mechanics

We can summarize a popular standard formulation of this theory (the Copenhagen interpretation) in terms of the following points:

1. Possible states of a system are represented as vectors in Hilbert space.
2. Observable properties are associated with linear operators which act on the vector representing the system, to give out the required property.
3. The dynamics of the system can be in two ways :
   1. Linear Dynamics: If no measurement is carried out, the system, as a superimposition of possible states, continuously evolves according to deterministic dynamics depending upon the energy properties of the system and its environment.
   2. Collapse Dynamics: If a measurement is made on the system, the system randomly acquires a particular state.

In the above formulation, 3.a. (Linear Dynamics) cannot determine whether a system will have a particular state or not, since the vector representaion is a superimposition of many states. Thus we require the Collapse Dynamics or “popping of the wave-function” to yield a particular state of the system and hence observable properties. Thus it is Collapse Dynamics which provides us with the statistical predictions which when tallied with experiments, make quantum theory a successful empirical theory. However, linear dynamics is still required to study the continuous evolution of a system which has not been measured yet.

The quantum measurement problem threatens the theory with inconsistency. What does it take for an interaction to count as a measurement? Unless we define this, we cannot we sure whether to use Linear dynamics or Collapse dynamics.  The problem in defining a measurement arises when we consider that even measuring devices are essentially physical systems interacting in usual deterministic ways and hence linear dynamics should apply to them. So what is so special about these devices as physical systems which make them alter the measured system such that it now collapses to assume a particular state? As Pauli argued, for a particle initially in a superposition of different locations,

“It is not reasonable to invent a causal mechanism according to which `looking’ fixes the position”

While the instrumentalists would say that the wave function is a mere instrument and does not represent any reality at all, Pauli the realist concluded that the collapse dynamics cannot describe a real physical process. He believed that the theory should somehow be a representation of percievable reality. Similar were the objections of Albert Einstien when he boldly stated:

“God does not play dice.”

As we can see, most of the problems that arise can be traced to the act of measurement. However, it is these very acts of measurements which are responsible for the empirical solidification of quantum theory. It explains how the sun shines, how molecules bond together, how iron is magnetized, and even why objects are hard. This is the physics that gives us computer chips, lasers, and atomic bombs. There have been alternative formulations of quantum mechanics which suggest radical metaphysical commitments concerning the nature of the physical world. The extent of such attempts can be exemplified through one such example of DeWitt’s spllitting world’s theory which explains the “popping of the wavefunction” by stating that whenever an act of measurement is carried out, the universe splits into an infinite number of parallel universes. In each unvirse, the system assumes a different state, from the given superimposition of states initially. Interestingly, surveys show that theory rates highest amongst the many variations when it comes to acceptance amongst researchers.

So why does a system assume a particular state only? Moreso, what is the reality of wave functions themselves? The only way we option observations of real phenomena is through collapse dynamics. So does a wavefunction even exist? Bohr is said to be of the opinion that in the wave function of an election there is nothing really “out there”, which means that detecting an electron at a certain position “creates” the position of this electron. The statement itself is an outrageous claim that we normally live in the delusion that there is a real objective world. Since this seems to be in blatant contradiction with both our immediate experience and everything most of us were ever taught, our natural response is to dismiss it as ludicrous.

The Important Role of Cognition

While the role of cognition in earlier scientific theories was limited to observation and experiment, quantum mechanics has made the role of cognition ever more relevant. We no more study an already existing world by carrying out some experiments. Infact, the very act of experimenting or measurement results in the creation of reality!

The measuring devices themselves are quantum systems and hence must follow deterministic Linear dynamics. So is it the very act of reading out properties from the display of these measuring devices the act of measurement which creates reality? But aren’t we humans who read these quantum systems as well? Eventually, it all comes down to that little window through which we observe the physical world. The earlier trivial discussion we had about a good theory of consciousness and cognition now is ever more relevant.

Conclusion

The realists have always assumed the world’s existance on its own. We merely interact with it and study its laws through experiment. In the context of earlier theories, this was debatable. Hoever, it seems that quantum mechanics is guiding us towards a very important realization. Under its context, the observer is extremely special. It is only when the observer pops the wave of probabilty that a dice is tossed in heaven and reality is realized.

May be we missed out on this very important detail when we set out in our quest for the ultimate physical law. What we can conclude with confidance is the fact that the scientific theories of the future would certainly take into account, this part of the puzzle which has not yet been touched upon. A theory of cognition must be a very important part of the theory of everything.

References

1. “A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science” – John Loose
2. “The Emperors New Mind” – Roger Penrose
3. “Nagel on the Cognitive Status of Scientific Theories.” – Henry Byerly
4. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/)
5. Stanford Encyclopaedia on Philosophy (http://plato.stanford.edu/)

The week passed by really fast. Most of my time was spent in office. I actually worked till 11pm on one of the days. Never thought I could do so. The best part is it didn’t feel as hectic as it sounds. I guess I am just discovering the workaholic within me.

Other that that, I’ve started Tweeting again. Also started following some very interesting blogs. One of them that I’ve been reading is Ramdas’s blog.
This made me realize I forgot to add a blogroll on my website! Lets see when I can find the time to do so.

As a final note…
I can recall what Thakur Sir (of JEE Maths fame) once said –

“Life isn’t fun. Life is work.”

I am slowly realizing what he meant.

Twish

A very interesting video. There is a lot of significant matter in what he is trying to convey!

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It is only when you lose something that you realize its importance. -(1)

No wait, this post is in general. Not contextual, like you‘re thinking.

This is the first weekend since my internship began. It is 2 am now and I am still wide awake chilling out. But never have I rejoiced being free to relax all through the night so much. After being deprived of it all through the week, I can relate a whole new joy to it today. All this life, I have slept through daylight and woken up at night. Insomniac by choice and then by habit. The average time I slept in my hostel has always been 4-5 am… pretty late by the standards of humanity and slightly late by IIT standards. This is not really an option now. No wonder I am thanking god its Friday. Weekends have never been this important before.

Early to bed and early to rise. No other option. Compromise. Internships are pretty awesome means to align yourself with the world. Firstly in terms of routine. Secondly, in terms of thought. My first week at Morgan Stanley has just ended. So I thought I would key down some of my thoughts about the same. Firstly, I now know why this organization is known for what it does. Yes,  I have worked with other firms in the past. But I can certainly see the difference.

The infrastructure for everything is superb. Be it emails, IM, calls, conferencing, or anything you might think up of. Without these, it is impossible to think of development teams of 4-5 people working together on an agile development paradigm when all of them are dispersed all over the globe ! (NY, London, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Pune etc. all in one team of 5-6 !). If there are problems, they get solved within a working day! There are always people to help you. There is always a way to get through problems in the most organized and efficient fashion. Resources are plentiful and are actually used.

The second most important detail? The work cult here. There is no fixed time. You can drop by and work almost anytime. But the level of self-motivation and dedication that can be witnessed in the work that people do here is something I can only idolize. I have developed a whole new understanding of what it means to work in a firm with a flat-structure. The environment is extremely friendly.

Experiencing all of this and more actually reminds me of the Rocket Singh funda: Businesses do not run on profit, but on building relationships. And relationships are built with  integrity, trust and mutual respect. This now reminds me again, of the first line I wrote – (1)…

So for now, as the week has gone by, I am feeling very good about staying awake so late. It has a whole new meaning today just because I have been deprived of it. But thinking of it from a neutral perspective, is it something which is good or bad? I think I am really happy with my new routine and would be glad to pursue it further. Just because you get used to something… doesn’t make it absolutely right. A good choice is both objective and rational. But it should not be biased by immediate experience. Only then is it the right decision. So its time for a change now. This in turn, reminds me of these words from one of the greatest songs ever

Lost in thought and lost in time.
While the seeds of life, and the seeds of change were planted.
Outside the rain fell dark and slow.
While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime.

I took a heavenly ride through our silence…
I knew the moment had arrived…
For killing the past and coming back to life…

Twish

PS: Remember when I said this post wasn’t about it. It actually is about more that what you think.

Sunset

The sun has set.
A long day passed by.
Half a thousand days,
Felt like half a lifetime.

Darkness pervails.
Anxienty abounds.
For this night shall be cold,
Colder than ever.

I can see the tornado,
Me with my umbrella,
Approaching it,
As the wind gets colder.

Anxiety creeps all over,
Amounts to fear.
Uncertainity , indecision.
Those dark black clouds.

The devil has arisen,
And we shall face it with zeal
For this storm shall decide
When the sun would shine.

The night would soon pass by,
Our courage rewarded,
with the morning light,
The ray of hope.

For those sufferers,
A prayer, a wish, a belief,
The night may be long
But the sun must shine,
Brighter than ever tomorrow.

Twish

It gets really hot in Patna in the summers. Resultantly, while listening to a popular hindi shloka or day dreaming amidst the tunes of those bhajans and speeches, you could hear an occasional ”THUMP” behind you. On turning back, you’d realize that your poor classmate had fainted. Tch Tch.

While some of those assembly-fainters were caught, others weren’t as lucky. However, it sure was funny to some extent. I always wondered what it felt like, to suddenly lose control and drop by.

And from then on, we were told before every assembly – ” Move your toes in your shoes!”. Apparently, it’s supposed to let you survive assemblies longer. Yes, we did move those toes. Once in a while though, I would keep them as still as can be, testing for the reverse effect. Ceteris paribus, the converse of what we were told was definitely not true.

When I come to think of it now, it sure would’ve been interesting, had I thumped once or twice. But there is only so much that you can experience in life, and are left to wonder what it would be like otherwise.

Random Nostalgia.

Twish

Lyrics:
Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse… mere naina
Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse… mere naina
Daras tu dikha ja, Yeh bole… mere naina
Kab tum aaoge? Kab tum aaoge?Yeh poochhe… mere naina
Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse mere naina…

Tum aa gaye ho.. chalne sang mere
Rang bhar gaye hain… duniya mein mere
Tum aa gaye ho.. chalne sang mere
Rang bhar gaye hain… duniya mein mere
Ya Palaken ye meri,
Hain sapno se mili,
Ya dekhe… mere naina

Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse… mere naina
Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse… mere naina
Daras tu dikha ja, Yeh bole… mere naina
Kab tum aaoge? Kab tum aaoge?Yeh poochhe… mere naina

Khwaish ke ye baadal, Andheron se bane
Rimjhim se yeh baarish, nam yeh gham kare
Khwaish ke ye baadal, Andheron se bane
Rimjhim se yeh baarish, nam yeh gham kare
Yeh palke yeh meri, hain moti se bani ,Ya bheege… mere naina

Kaise main bataaoon, Kyun tarse… mere naina
Daras tu dikha ja, Yeh bole… mere naina
Kab tum aaoge? Kab tum aaoge?Yeh poochhe… mere naina
Kab tum aaoge? Kab tum aaoge?Yeh poochhe… mere naina

by… Etch Terah
Lyrics and Vocals: Saurabh
Keyboard: Twishmay
Guitar: Prasoon
Bass: Karkare
Drums: SP

Hope you like it

Other than that, Ive also changed those out-of-place serifs on my blog headers. May the subtle difference in clarity work wonders.

As of now, life is good. Only to get better in the coming months.

Signing off.

Twish

We landed in Chennai at 7 pm. This was my first time here in 15 years. There is something very strange about the Tamil script. It looks tougher and way more complex than Traditional Chinese (which, I can somewhat make sense of, thanks to Segreta and The I Quest ).

The city itself is fairly large. It took me an hour to get to the guest house from the airport. The next challenge – conversing with the people. My driver had no understanding of English or Hindi.  Most of the communication here is guided by power-words like “left” “right” “more” “less” etc. It is certainly not a good idea to ask the whereabouts of good restaurants from the locals. A possible result can be the torturous experience of eating raw crab meat off a banana leaf and then searching for Hajmola all around the place the next day.

We didn’t get to see much of Chennai. The flight to Port Blair takes about 2 hours. We had to leave at 6am. The Air India breakfast was unexpectedly nice. I wonder why they don’t have Wifi in the hotels here. Thankfully, my first scan led me to this network coming from a nearby building. God bless Unsecured Wifi and their Admins.

The drive around the island is a scenic appetizer. There is this road from where you can see Ross Island amidst the blue ocean which reminds you of those Windows XP wallpapers. An amazing jumble of colors in nature over the purest blue right out out of a Photoshop palette.

Of course the Juhu beach rates on a different scale all together, but the beaches in P. Blair are anything but clean. You can find shards of broken bottles, pieces of cloth and polybags lying all around in the waters. The better ones are located around the other islands of the group ( Havelock, Jolly Buoy etc.).

The highlight of the day of course was the .75 feet King Crab that was so brutally murdered in front of my eyes, which I later ate, with lots of gravy and sauce. Lesson learnt – however big the crab, eating one is a bad idea. You work your way through those tough shells only to half as much meat as that on a chickens neck. Butter chicken so… so… rocks.

So that was the Andamans in a day. The real trip begins tonight at midnight, when we leave for Kuala Lampur. Malaysia… truly Asia :-p Lets See.

Awaiting the next Unsecured Wifi,

- Twish

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