The Concept
Space and time are great inventions of the mind to help it comprehend the
world, at least in the scale range of our experience. But what could be the
source in nature that led to the evolutionary development of these two
tenacious and extremely useful perceptions? I have hypothesized that a
single entity in nature , which, for convenient reference, I will call “tise,” underlies both of these perceptions. Tise is all of
what we perceive as space and time. Tise is comprised of infinitesimally small
quanta, which I will call “tisons.” I introduce the words “tise”
(from TIme SpacE) and “tison” reluctantly, but necessarily, because tise is
conceptually very different from the spacetime of modern physics.
If we could somehow observe tisons, they would appear to us to travel in a
straight line at the speed of light. In a sense, we can observe them as light
rays, which, in this concept, are comprised of energized tisons. (To be more
precise in reference to this concept, I should use the term “speed of tisons” rather
than “speed of light," but will stay with the latter, more familiar, term.)
Although tise is based on probability rather than determinism, it may not
conflict with the predictability of relativity theory as discussed later, and,
on a small scale, it may ultimately offer a solution to the need for
background-independent formulation of string theory.
In this concept, tisons are the carriers of light and all other
electromagnetic energy. A light photon, for example, may then be considered as a
string of tisons energized by a quantum of light. Neutrinos, in this concept,
also consist of energized tisons. Although tisons are too small to ever be
detected, we can visualize tise simply by seeing light in a new and radically
different way. Instead of thinking of light as energy quanta emitted from a
source such as a lamp, we can visualize it as energy quanta transferred from the
source to the innumerable tisons passing through the source in every direction.
Tise, then, is what radiates throughout the universe, and radiant energy is
composed of energized tisons. Electromagnetic energy then has no inherent
velocity and the term “radiation” takes on a different meaning. It is tise that
radiates; energy gets a free ride.
In the generation of electromagnetic waves by an antenna, whenever a charged
particle is accelerated, it is said to radiate energy. In the tise concept, it
simply releases energy to tisons passing through in all directions.
This question naturally arises: how can tisons be carriers of energy if
tisons appear to travel in straight lines at the velocity of light while energy
is so easily redirected, slowed or absorbed? In this concept, energy quanta
exchange among tisons whenever the energy is redirected by any means, such as
reflection, refraction, diffraction or dispersion. The tisons maintain their
directions as the energy transfers to other tisons having the new directions of
the energy quanta, or as the energy quanta are slowed or absorbed while passing
through any form of matter. Just as certain electromagnetic energy (e.g. light)
quanta are released by matter and, in this concept, transferred to tisons
passing through, other arriving energy quanta are absorbed by matter.
If space and time are not part of nature, why do we perceive them? As
the brain evolved various perceptions of energy such as color and "solid" matter,
it also evolved the perceptions of tise as space and time. Assuming that the
tise concept is valid, I cannot imagine any different result of evolution of its
perception in conscious beings with senses such as ours. Certainly, because such
beings could not sense tise or tisons in any way, evolutionary development of
direct perception of the nature of tise would be impossible.
Because of our ingrained evolved perceptions, it is not easy for us
to
visualize space and time, on a small scale, as different perceptions of a
single entity. However, let us consider that we have no difficulty in
thinking of the distance to a star in a time-related term, i.e.
light-years.
Tise is, of course, entirely different from the discredited static ether
concept of old. Tise is the dynamic fabric of the universe. In the following
text, I will discuss the tise concept as not only an alternative to the concept
of spacetime, but also as a quantized modification of both special and general
relativity.
Although the tise concept may be indistinguishable from the relativity
theories in respect to predictability, there are two fundamental differences
between them. One is that the spacetime of relativity was derived mathematically
not from any basis in mind-independent nature but rather from the evolved
perceptions of space and time, whereas, conversely, the tise concept is based on
the hypothesis that tise is the source in nature of those evolved
perceptions. The other difference is, of course, that relativity is based on
determinism whereas tise is probabilistic.
The tise concept, incidentally, conforms to Occam's razor, one translation of
which is: “One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of
entities required to explain anything.” This concept requires only a single
entity to explain the nature of our space and time perceptions. Even spacetime
requires two entities (space and time) for its derivation.
In this concept, since all electromagnetic radiation is energized
tisons, the
somewhat abstract concept of electromagnetic field might be replaced by
the more
concrete concept of electromagnetically energized tise. In any case,
Maxwell's equations, as well as many other basic equations of
physics, would need to be reformulated, for basic science purposes, to
obviate the perceptions of
space and time, which are incorporated in existing formulations.
I do not mean to imply that the concepts of space, time and spacetime should
be excluded from all scientific studies. However, in the search for the ultimate
unification of physics, I submit that space, time and even spacetime, as
perception-based concepts outside the scope of mind-independent nature, should
be put aside.
I submit that Einstein might have arrived at this tise concept if he had not
been so sure that “God does not play dice”, and if he had considered more fully
the role of evolution of the brain in perceptions of nature. Indeed, he appears
to have come close to the tise concept in his statement:
“But it must now be remembered that there is an infinite number of spaces,
which are in motion with respect to each other .The concept of space as
something existing objectively and independent of things belongs to
pre-scientific thought, but not so the idea of an infinite number of spaces
in motion relative to each other. The latter idea is logically unavoidable,
but is far from having played a considerable role even in scientific thought.”
(Einstein, p.139, my italics.)
If Einstein had just thought instead of “the idea of an infinite number of
quanta of the source of our space and time
perceptions, in relative motion to each other,” he may soon have achieved
his goal of a unified theory.
