Entangled Realities: Bridging Physics, Cosmology, and Philosophical Insight

Dear Colleagues,

For a long time, introducing scientific arguments—especially from physics—into philosophical debate was considered a categorical error. However, times have changed, with the growing recognition of convergence between the mathematically conceptualized sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and computer science (informatics) on the one hand and philosophical conceptualization on the other [1,2]. Notably, cosmology and classical metaphysics now often argue along much more similar lines than previously assumed.

Both fields largely revolve around questions of (initial) emergence, the relationship between space and time, and the unfolding of evolutionary products of dynamical processes, such as the formation of structure [1,3]. A genuinely interdisciplinary approach thus allows insight into the fundamental structures of the Universe to be deepened by letting field inform the other.

From this perspective, ancient questions return to the forefront: Why is there something rather than nothing? What distinguishes the (physical) Universe and the World as a whole? Can knowledge of black holes, dark matter, or dark energy contribute to a more general understanding of existence? If we envision Nature as the set of boundary conditions to life, what ethical consequences follow [1,4]?

References:

[1] Zimmermann, R.E. Topoi of systems. On the onto-epistemic foundations of matter and information. In Information Studies and the Quest for Transdisciplinarity; Burgin, M., Hofkirchner, W., Eds.; World Scientific: Singapore, 2017; pp. 191–214.

[2] Zimmermann, R.E. What Is, and to What End, Do We Study (Western) Philosophy?; wvberlin: Berlin, Germany, 2024.

[3] Zimmermann, R.E., Zhang X. Beyond metaphorization: A Blochian view onto chaos and fractality. In Philosophy and Methodology of Information; Dodig-Crnkovic, G., Burgin, M., Eds.; World Scientific: Singapore, 2019; pp. 337-350.

[4] Zimmermann, R.E. Philosophical Aspects of Astrobiology Revisited. Philosophies 2021, 6, 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies6030055.

Prof. Dr. Rainer E. Zimmermann
Guest Editor

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• physics
• cosmology
• metaphysics
• philosophy of nature
• space-time
• gravitation
• formation of structure
• self-organization
• complexity theory
• theory of systems
• ethical implications