Backreaction: Physics and Philosophie

Backreaction: Physics and Philosophie.

1. Are there limits to what we can possibly know? The human brain has a finite capacity and computing power. What limits does this set? Is it possible to extend? What is consciousness?

1. Why is the past different from the future? What is “The Now” and why do we have an “arrow of time”? (Or several?)

1. Is there a fundamental theory that explains everything we observe and experience? Is this theory unique and does it explain everything only in principle or also in practice?

1. Do we have free will? And what does that question mean?

1. Are there cases where reductionism does not work? And what does that imply for 3?

1. What is the role of chaos and uncertainty in the evolution of culture and civilization? Is it possible to reliably model and predict the dynamics of social systems? If so, what does that mean for 4?

1. What is reality? What does it mean to “exist” and can an entirely mathematical theory explain this? Does everything mathematical exist in the same way? Why does anything exist at all?

1. And Stefan submits: What is the ontological status of AdS/CFT?

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