Thank you oh so much, A-G, for your kind words!
Yes, I think my choice of language – “medium of propagation” – may have set off alarm bells -- that I was trotting out that hoary old canard, the “ether,” one more time. But that wasn’t my intention or meaning. You’re correct that my argument is that I think the zero-point field might be the medium of the expansion of the “inflationary universe” evolving from itself, of which ZPF is carrier (and I imagine also conserver) of information within the universe.
But there is a difficulty here. It relates to Newton’s concept of absolute space -- infinite, undivided, empty space, which he further characterizes as sensorium Dei of divine Immensitas.
It seems the “inflationary universe” cannot fully be explained by the accustomed space-time description of 4D reality. It seems that your speculation is correct: “perhaps the ZPF is (or is like) the firmament – as a field, not a geometric location but everywhere, a separation between natural and supernatural, and the backdrop to quantum fields (like a canvas or chalk board).” I’ve read elsewhere in recent times that the ZPF has been described as “the mother of all fields.” It also seems that ZPF is not subject to known time conventions, especially if such are to be measured in terms of the velocity of light as currently defined.
One might think that a purely “inflationary expansion” taking its point of departure from the singularity of the “big bang” (holding out this theory for further test here) does not self-evidently seem to require either absolute space or absolute time. This may be the crux of the dispute that “theists” and “atheists” interminably have with each other.
Yet somewhat surprisingly, it does seem that, “stepped down” to the natural world, the two – space and time -- are mutually interdependent – whether contingent or absolute, they seem to be a “pair.” Which from the human standpoint immediately introduces the idea of contingency, not the idea of the absolute: Space and time within the 4D block are mutually contingent. That being the case, neither can be “everywhere” without the other. Yet theoretically, absolute space – in order to be absolute – would have to be “out of time,” or independent of time as we humans experience it in the 4D block.
And yet the concept of absolute space itself – even if set in its own separate dignity -- would seem all the more to confer a special privilege on absolute time – which, it seems to me, is but another name for eternity. For “absolute space” would seem to require an eternity of time to complete its mission….
Yikes but these seem to be the problems….
So in my fevered brain, I found your quote of an abstract from California Institute for Physics and Astrophysics both inspiring and weirdly comforting:
“Kaluza-Klein theory (which can be viewed as the low-energy limit of even higher D theories) produces not only a small cosmological constant associated with the vacuum, but also acceptable real matter in 4D from empty space in 5D.”
Thus it appears that at least certain scientists in our day are prepared to say, presumably on the basis of independent analysis and experiment, that 5D just might possibly be a “going concern,” judging by tangible, observable effects in the 4D natural world….
I take this as evidence tending to support the model of Newton’s absolute space…defined as sensorium Dei, in the sense of God active in creation by means of his “property” and “effect,” the Zero Point vacuum field.
Time for sleep. Good night, and God bless you, dear A-G – and to all visitors to this thread.
Sleep tight, all!
You have already underscored the geometric physics in post 72, namely that matter in four dimensions will arise from a vacuum in a higher, fifth dimension.
For Lurkers interested in this, please check out the publications on this website, whose introduction reads:
The other supporting view, the ancient Jewish mysticism, garners much suspicion mostly because so many “new age” enthusiasts and even some Christians have woefully misappropriated the ancient thoughts to support their own belief systems. Worse, the ancient thoughts themselves wander beyond meditations into bizarre “magics”.
Thus, by even mentioning it here, I subject myself to the same potential criticism of misappropriation or delving into magics. However, my interest in the ancient Jewish mysticism has only to do with forming my own musings on creation which is addressed in general terms in Scripture. The Jewish mystics have been “at” this for millennia and thus I wished to meditate on their meditations. The other areas of Jewish mysticism I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole (LOL!)
Having gotten all those disclaimers out of the way, here is the “gem” that supports the view of God and the null beginning.
EN SOF
Cabalistic term for the Deity prior to His self-manifestation in the production of the world, probably derived from Ibn Gabirol's term," the Endless One" (she-en lo tiklah). It was first used by Azriel ben Menahem, who, sharing the Neoplatonic view that God can have no desire, thought, word, or action, emphasized by it the negation of any attribute. The Zohar explains the term "En Sof" as follows: "Before He gave any shape to the world, before He produced any form, He was alone, without form and without resemblance to anything else. Who then can comprehend how He was before the Creation? Hence it is forbidden to lend Him any form or similitude, or even to call Him by His sacred name, or to indicate Him by a single letter or a single point. . . . But after He created the form of the Heavenly Man [ ], He used him as a chariot [] wherein to descend, and He wishes to be called after His form, which is the sacred name 'Yhwh'" (part ii., section "Bo," 42b). In other words, "En Sof" signifies "the nameless being."EN KELOHENU (A) (see image) EN KELOHENU (B) (see image)
In another passage the Zohar reduces the term to "En" (non-existent), because God so transcends human understanding as to be practically non-existent (ib. part iii. 288b). The three letters composing the word "En" () indicate the first three purely spiritual Sefirot ("Shoshan Sodot," 1b). Judah ...;, in his commentary "Min...;at Yehudah" on the "Ma'areket Elahut," gives the following explanation of the term "En Sof": "Any name of God which is found in the Bible can not be applied to the Deity prior to His self-manifestation in the Creation, because the letters of those names were produced only after the emanation. . . . Moreover, a name implies a limitation in its bearer; and this is impossible in connection with the 'En Sof.'"
And yet the concept of absolute space itself – even if set in its own separate dignity -- would seem all the more to confer a special privilege on absolute time – which, it seems to me, is but another name for eternity. For “absolute space” would seem to require an eternity of time to complete its mission….
But expanding the view to higher dimensions – and particularly higher temporal dimensions – everything changes. What special relativity gives as a worldline – or what we sense as a timeline – is not a line at all from the extra higher temporal dimension, but rather, a plane. The same anomalies exist in the spatial dimensions as well: The curse of dimensionality.
Therefore, if we view Newton’s “absolute space” as higher dimensionality there is no conflict. Nor is there a conflict with between such dimensionality and God as the infinitely incomprehensible and incomprehensible infinity – the En Sof.
All of this brings me back to the subject of the zero point field. Again, I agree with your sense of the relevance of the zpf as the medium of expansion, of communication and whose resonance may well yield our very sense of "physical reality" in four dimensions.
The Scriptures are quite clear on the “how” of His creating, i.e. that He spoke it into being. That He speaks from beginning to end. So we ought not be surprised to find resonance underlying our physical reality or the artifacts of sound in the cosmic background radiation.
The peaks indicate harmonics in the sound waves that filled the early, dense universe. Until some 300,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe was so hot that matter and radiation were entangled in a kind of soup in which sound waves (pressure waves) could vibrate. The CMB is a relic of the moment when the universe had cooled enough so that photons could "decouple" from electrons, protons, and neutrons; then atoms formed and light went on its way.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. – John 1:1-3
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. – Acts 17:27-28