For an embarrassing collection of questions ordinary physics has not yet produced fundamental explanations; what we have are mathematical relationships and consequent tautologies. We fit together more and more subparts of a jigsaw puzzle called physics, but we have no idea of the big picture! A wonderful example of such progress is the Standard Model. This was a fantastic accomplishment and it put into one coherent theory a great many disparate observations. But it isn’t the final answer; it’s just one more piece of the puzzle, as was Quantum Electro Dynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Maxwell’s Equations, Thermodynamics, Newton’s Laws, etc. We would like to believe that at some point physics should get simpler, but we aren’t there yet. The important thing that DP shows us is the possibility of a different kind of theory that might tell us exactly what things are and exactly how they work. DP could be consistent with common sense and most importantly, it might not leave any unanswered questions at the most microscopic level. If DM is ever a good model of physics, we can expect to eventually know and understand the most fundamental processes of physics exactly. But there will still be plenty of mysteries. Most importantly, DP teaches us that it may be possible for us gain a new level of understanding as to how things work.
When Newton came up with the calculus, mechanics and a theory of gravity, various critics raised some interesting objections. It seemed contrary to common sense that a force called gravity could act by unknown mechanisms through vast regions of empty space to keep the Planets confined to their orbits around the sun. Newton’s response to his critics was “I make no hypotheses.” This was tongue in cheek, as Newton had by then already devoted considerable efforts to trying to find a mechanism that explained gravity; he and everyone ever since have come up empty handed. Newton had developed a set of laws that were descriptive and predictive. This was a good thing, much better than the pre-Newtonian state of affairs. Nevertheless, if one can now throw off the shackles of a life-long indoctrination as to what we shouldn’t question in physics, we observe that universally accepted models of most physical processes contain aspects contrary to common sense. Remarkably, by allowing us to develop one ad hoc, incorrect partial model of physics DP reveals to us that modern science, physics, and mathematics have so far offered no complete, logical, microscopic process-models for relativity, quantum mechanics or even Newtonian mechanics. The truth of this revelation does not depend on whether or not Digital Mechanics can actually model physical reality.
The greatest flaw of conventional physics is the acceptance of magic that has been forced upon all of us by our ignorance of the science of informational processes. This is particularly true with respect to Newtonian motion. We have no right to complain about the fact that nowhere in all of contemporary physics is there a common sense model of motion. We haven’t had a way to know better. Newton swept this matter under the rug and Einstein and Poincare convinced us that we must believe that there is nothing under the rug. Intoxicated by all our fantastic accomplishments since Newton, it is human nature to avoid dwelling on dead-end issues. So, as smart as we all are, concepts of motion have remained in a state similar to the vitalistic theories of life that flourished in the past. “Things move.” “Mass has inertia.” “Like begets like.” The idea that physics can get along without a fixed reference frame is utter nonsense from an informational point of view. It doesn’t matter how brilliant and convenient the theory of relativity is or how many experiments validate its formulas. It is our collective misfortune that, until recently, no one has ever had any competent idea of what an informational point of view is.
If nothing else, DP shows us that there are new ways to think about such things. DM incorporates a new kind of mathematics that illuminates new possibilities that can help us understand the world. Whether or not there can ever be a valid DM models of physics, there is no doubt that the principles of Digital Philosophy must change our ideas about physics.
