CAN WE KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COVID-19 CRISIS?

WHAT IS THE TRUTH?

© 2020 Edward R Close

In the current situation, with the world awash in conspiracy theories, how can anyone know what the truth is? Very often, the debunkers of conspiracy theories have fewer actual facts about the subject in question, than the conspiracy theorists do. So, what to do? One answer is to do your own research. Try to find an unbiased source, and look for the truth yourself. This sounds so simple and basic, but is it? How does one determine the truth for one’s self? What is the truth about 5G? Is there a deep state? evidence Does anyone really have the time, patience, brain power, and intensity of effort to search for and find the truth about any very complex question like this? Or do we have to settle for what we believe, or can be led to believe, as the truth? This is not a trivial question!

I have been told that I have one of the highest IQs ever recorded. If that’s true, shouldn’t I be able to get to the bottom of just about any reasonable question that anyone might ask? Marilyn vos Savant of St. Louis Missouri, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the highest IQ ever recorded, has implied that she can answer just about any question. She has written and published a column called “Ask Marilyn” since 1986, where she attempts to do just that. One of the greatest recognized genius polymaths of all time, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, said “For every question there is an answer”. Well actually he probably said “Für jede berechtigte Frage gibt es eine Antwort“ - because he was German. Anyway, what I want to ask, and try to answer here, is the question: Can the truth be discovered by force of pure intellect alone? The answer is NO! And, of course, as you might expect, I am going to tell you why the answer is no, just in case you might like to know.

Pure intellect operates on the principles of logic. And one proceeds from question to answer by one or both of two methods of reasoning that are called induction and deduction. Induction is reasoning from the specific to the general, and deduction is reasoning from the general to the specific. Together, with some additional conditions, they make up the scientific method.

Induction: start with observations > detect a pattern in the observations > describe the pattern in the form of a hypothetical theory > if all observations conform to the pattern, accept the theory as true.

Deduction: Start with a theory that has been confirmed by induction > form a hypothesis about a specific situation > make observations > if the observations conform to the theory, accept the hypothesis as true.

The Austrian-born British philosopher of science, Karl Popper, declared that for a hypothesis to be scientific, it must be falsifiable. This has been generally accepted by mainstream scientists as part of the scientific method. What this means, in plain English, is that if a hypothesis, - general or specific - can’t be tested by inductive or deductive reasoning, then it isn’t a valid scientific hypothesis. However, if the falsifiability requirement is rigorously applied, most of the basic concepts that mainstream science is based on today cannot be considered to be scientific! The basic concepts underlying physical, biological, chemical, medical, and especially psychological science were just feasible assumptions, not falsifiable hypotheses. That’s a topic that Dr. Neppe and I have already discussed pretty extensively. The reason I bring it up here is that it illustrates an unescapable fact: pure intellectual reasoning cannot be used to determine truth!

To really understand why this is true, we have to look a little deeper into intellectual reasoning. Take anything you consider to be true, and look carefully at why you accept it to be true. You will find one of two things: either you have accepted it from someone else who is considered to be an authority, or you figured it out for yourself. In either case, the reasoning can always be traced back to what logicians call at least one a priori assumption. What is an a priori assumption? It is something that is believed to be self-evident and untestable. In other words, something that either appears to be so obvious that there is no need to prove it, or something that is not falsifiable. But, of course in that case, it is also unscientific.

My point is that intellect alone, however powerful, cannot determine the ultimate truth or falsity of a statement, because something proved by logical reasoning, is only true if the a priori assumptions it is derived from are true. The inductive and deductive reasoning process used in the determination of truth or falsity always start with a priori assumptions. This is one reason why scientific truth is always changing. The history of science, just during the last seventy years, which is about how long I’ve been aware of such things, is sprinkled with concepts that were once considered to be either true or false beyond doubt, that are now considered to be exactly the opposite. Scientific hypotheses proved to be either true or false, have often been overturned after a major scientific discovery. Examples of such reversals include Earth-centered models of the universe, Darwinian evolution, continental drift, single point human origin, the fixed size of the universe, and our understanding of the nature of space and time, matter and energy! We like to think that intellectual reasoning and the scientific method are infallible and that their application lead to the establishment of  universal truths that will never change, but that simply is not true.

So, what is truth? From an intellectual point of view, there is no such thing as absolute truth. What might be even more surprising to many, is the demonstrable fact that almost everything we think we know about physical reality is illusory. The idea that a physical object, like your physical body, is can ever be at rest in space and time, is perhaps the most beguiling illusion of all. I may think I am sitting completely unmoving and still in my chair in my home, but at this latitude, I am actually racing around the center of the earth at about 800 miles per hour, and at the same time I am moving around the sun at about 67,000 miles per hour. Why don’t I feel the effects of this motion? Experience with lesser motions tell me that I should. I certainly feel the effects of going around a curve in an automobile, or changing direction in an airline jet.  

Why don’t I feel the effects of whirling around the curvature of the earth or the curvature of the earth’s orbit around the sun? There is an answer for this question, having to do with the way the human body compensates for the effects of those motions, but it would take several pages to explain, and for the purpose of this post, it would be a side-track, so I’ll leave it for you to reason out for yourself, if you want to. The point is that things that we assume to be true in the physical world are often illusions created by our physical senses. There is growing evidence that neasrly everything we once thought we knew is wrong, and even what we believe now about physical reality we exist in may be illusory. This is at least part of the reason that scientific truth is a moving target.

There are many examples of how scientific truth changes over time. Modern science has revealed that, contrary to what our senses tell us, matter is not solid, space and time have no independent existence of their own, and we have no idea where everything came from, or where it’s going. The only thing about the physical universe for which we have indisputable evidence, is that it is dynamic. It is constantly changing. If some of those changes, like the movements of the sun, moon and planets weren’t cyclic or periodic, science wouldn’t be able to predict hardly anything, and our understanding of physical reality would be like shifting sand beneath our feet.

Mainstream scientists, philosophers and logicians would have you believe that there really is no such thing as absolute truth. Adding to this uncertain state of affairs, lawyers, politicians and liars, (but, as Mark Twain famously said, I repeat myself!) tell us that reality is whatever they can make us believe it is. They seek to persuade us to believe in realities that doesn’t actually exist. So, if our physical senses, lawyers and politicians work in ways that fools us, hiding more about reality than they reveal, where do we go to find the truth? The answer to this puzzling question is as simple as it is profound: We mut look to that which we experience directly.

We certainly do not experience the physical world directly. The sonic and optical sciences and related neurology make that clear. Our sense organs receive impulses of energy bouncing off of physical objects which travel along neurological paths to our brains, where images are formed that we take to be consistent with reality. But as we noted above, this process often creates illusions. What do we experience directly? That would be consciousness. But consciousness has been very carefully deliberately kept out of science and intellectual analysis throughout the history of modern civilization. The creation of a truly quantum calculus (see earlier posts) leading to the discovery of gimmel, the non-physical part of reality, changes all that. It allows us to put consciousness into the equations of science, and expand our analyses beyond the physical. Thanks to this discovery, we are now at the point where Nikola Tesla’s prediction may actually come true: "The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.”

Question: How does all this help us find the truth about the COVID-19 crisis? Answer: It gives us a way to determine the validity of any hypothesis, even a conspiracy theory. How it does this will take a little more explaining, but the effort on my part to present the explanation, and the effort on your part to read it, is, in my opinion, worthwhile. It will serve as another example of the power of quantum mathematics in the form of my Calculus of Dimensional Distinctions (CoDD), and as another validation of the Close-Neppe paradigm shift to a consciousness-based model of reality known as TDVP (the Triadic Dimensional Distinction Paradigm).

The good news is that once the most accurate, validated model of the crisis, developed in conventional math, has been converted to a corresponding quantum math model, and a specific conspiracy theory has also been converted into the quantum math as a hypothesis, that specific conspiracy theory can be falsified or validated very quickly and easily. The bad news is that the conversion of the model and the conspiracy theory to the equivalent quantum math forms can be very difficult and time consuming. To understand why this is so, see my introduction to the CoDD in Appendix B of the AAPS Vol. 1, Is Consciousness Primary? and George Spencer Brown’s Interpretation of the calculus for logic, in Laws of Form.

Finally, when the truth is known, what can we do, and what should we do? These are important questions that we must find a way to answer. TDVP and the discovery of gimmel gives us hope, and a new, more powerful way to solve such problems. 

ERC 4/11/2020

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, EVIL AND GOOD

THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP STATE

Do they exist, and are they behind the COVID-19 Pandemic?

My answer to both questions is yes, I believe so, but not necessarily in the way that you might expect. Let me explain by starting with my definition of good and evil: My research, discoveries, and thinking over more than 70 years have convinced me that the only reason there is something rather than nothing, i.e., the only reason that the physical universe exists at all, is for the purpose of the conscious beings within it to learn and grow, from being barely self-aware, to the transcendental state of Cosmic Consciousness. Anything that enhances that growth and moves us toward that goal is good, and anything that hampers, prevents, or moves us away from that goal is evil. For each of us, in my opinion, life is about how we make the choices confronting us that affect our spiritual growth and understanding of reality.

In my last post I suggested that if you believe “that there is no such thing as evil in this world, the coronavirus crisis is a wake-up call!” Does this mean that there is an actual entity called Satan, or ‘the Devil’ working behind the scenes to defeat us in our efforts to grow spiritually? How one answers that question depends on whether one thinks that Biblical scripture is literal or not. Most scholars believe that the Bible is more metaphorical than literal, and it appears that most Christians today must believe that too, otherwise why would there be more than 500 different versions of the Bible, in English alone? In my opinion, the reference in the original biblical scriptures to Satan as a “Fallen Angel” refers to the broken symmetry of physical reality that creates the illusion of duality, in terms that could be understood by people of Jewish and early Christian culture at the time the scriptures were written. But, while certain individuals act in ways that impact human spiritual growth negatively, it seems too severe to call those individuals incarnations of evil.

Certain historical figures are routinely thought of as evil because of evil things attributed to them, but it is questionable whether those people thought of themselves as evil or not. Adolf Hitler is a prime example. Most people today do not hesitate to think of him as an example of pure evil. However, the historical record shows that he certainly did not consider himself to be evil. He considered himself to be a devout Catholic throughout his entire life. And others of that era, like General Franco, the National Socialist dictator of Spain from 1939 until 1975, and the Pope of that era also considered him to be a Catholic Christian. Along with Franco and Italy’s ruler, Benito Mussolini, he signed agreements with the Vatican to protect the Catholic Church as the state religion of the Third Reich.

My point is that there probably has never been an individual, even one who committed reprehensible acts, now universally recognized as evil, who, in his own mind, was an agent of pure evil. In most cases, individuals committing actions against the spiritual advancement of humanity, do not think of themselves as evil, and may even logically justify their actions as “for the greater good”. That is probably true of those who may be behind the current coronavirus pandemic, and/or may be exploiting it for their own egotistical and political purposes.

Since I’ve been commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic, which is turning into an economic disaster affecting the lives of millions of people very negatively, several people have sent me links to video and audio interviews with a number of conspiracy theorists. I will not list them here, or quote them, because I do not want to be labeled as a supporter of any specific conspiracy theory. My desire is to present the facts as I understand them, and let others draw whatever conclusions they like. You may wonder why I am bothering to make the effort to comment on the current pandemic at all. Why should anyone care what my opinion might be? I am taking the trouble and time to write these posts because I believe that I am uniquely qualified to comment on the state of affairs today, for the following reasons:

·       I am a professional mathematical modeler by training and experience, and have made a living creating and applying mathematical models for more than 50 years. This is relevant because the current governmental shut-down is driven by mathematical models.

·       I was one of the seven charter members of the US Department of Interior Systems Analysis Group in 1969. This is relevant because it was a state-of-the-art modeling group, and it required me to be on the cutting edge of hierarchical modeling then, and I have endeavored to keep up with the art and science of mathematical modeling ever since.

·       I have studied theoretical physics at the Masters’ and PhD levels. This is relevant because it gives me a unique perspective on micro and macro mathematical modeling.

·       I have been involved in consciousness studies and research for more than 25 years. This is relevant because I have studied biology, neurology and psychology in the process of studying consciousness, which also gives me a unique perspective on the scientific modeling of human socio-political processes.

·       I earned a PhD in environmental engineering and have been a licensed and certified environmental professional (PE) for more than 40 years. This is relevant because it has made me uniquely aware of environmental sustainability problems, and as a PE, I have to adhere to rigorous professional and ethical standards.

·       I have studied and applied complementary allopathic and alternative health modalities for more than 20 years. This is relevant because the current crisis involves complex health and health-care issues.

·       I am a member of several of the most restrictive high IQ societies in the world. This is relevant, not because it makes me infallible - it certainly doesn’t - but because it indicates that I am capable of analyzing, understanding and solving complex problems.

·       I have travelled and worked internationally. This is relevant because it gives me unique insights into global environmental health, economic and political issues.

·       Finally, I am a human being, at least as deeply concerned as anyone else, about the future of life on this planet.

Because I have been self-quarantined for the last 26 days, for reasons explained in previous posts, I have been listening to the daily press conferences on the COVID-19 pandemic every day. Yesterday, two of the most highly-qualified doctors on the President’s panel of advisors told the press corps that the data input into the mathematical models being used to describe and predict the course of the pandemic, includes all the deaths of patients who tested positive for the coronavirus as deaths from the COVID-19 virus, regardless of what their state of health was prior to contracting the virus.

I almost immediately had several conflicting thoughts about this: 1) This data input choice means that the models are producing very highly inflated pictures of the nature and future course of the pandemic, because many of the people with pre-existing life-threatening conditions like heart disease and cancer, probably actually died from those diseases rather than the COID-19 virus. 2) this approach might be justified as providing a “worse-case” scenario. 3) If this was the justification for biasing the model so radically in this way, they should have explained that, but they did not. 4) This choice illustrates how mathematical models can be used quite easily to portray disinformation, especially if it is to the political advantage of someone who controls the modeling efforts. Let me explore this a bit farther.

As someone with a lot of mathematical modeling experience, I know that one of the most important steps in the mathematical modeling of complex environmental systems is the careful running of sensitivity analyses. Running sensitivity analyses for each of the input variables is an effective way of determining which of the variables have the most impact on the outcome predicted by the model. To be effective, a model as complex as those being used to model the COCID-19 pandemic, must have as many environmental, medical, logistical, demographic, and detailed patient data-input variables as possible. Every measurable variable that could have an impact needs to be included, and once the model is operational, sensitivity analyses can be performed by making incremental changes in the input data for each variable separately, and seeing how it affects the outcome. Very small changes in some variables may cause large changes in outcome, and large changes in other variables may not cause much change at all in the outcome.

Mathematical modelers should be focused on the construction, accuracy and precision of their models, and should never allow pre-conceived notions or awareness of preferred outcomes to have any influence on the development and application of their models. However, modelers are human beings, and such ideal attitudes and conditions are not always met. Modelers are often influenced by the desires and motives of their employers. The hiring and funding of modelers for industry, university or government projects quite often actually depend on the results of the modeling. A government agency, for example, especially one with political bias - which is often the case - will not use a modeler unless the expected outcome is favorable to their agenda; and if the first results from a model developed by a modeler they’ve hired is not to their liking, future funding of that model will not be forth-coming. Unfortunately, it is sometimes all too easy to tweak a complex model, in ways that are not obvious, to obtain desired outcomes.

The point here is that we should never trust a mathematical model funded by profit-motive industry, a government or group with a political agenda. Such models should be viewed with suspicion and analyzed, re-run and tested by independent modelers with no profit motive or political agenda before we place much confidence in their predictions. Unfortunately, in the case of a publicly declared pandemic like the current one, we do not have that luxury. As I have indicated in previous posts, I see a number of reasons to suspect that the COVID-19 shutdown of Western Civilization may be a deliberate strategy carried out by covert entities for specific economic and political goals. 

My conclusion, after carefully examining all of the available information, is that the COVID-19 crisis is man-made and that it was either created, and/or leveraged, for evil purposes, by evil people. Those people, operating covertly and lying to cover their actions, probably don’t think of themselves as evil, and may even think that they are acting for the greater good of mankind. But the outcome is evil, causing unnecessary death and suffering.

There is ample evidence that there are covert groups, existing both within and outside of the legitimate governments of Western Civilization – many of us have had contact with at least one or two of them - that want to implement a global social organization that will effectively destroy our way of life and restrict freedom of thought and expression of any ideas or ideologies other than those they expound. So, yes, the Devil and evil do exist. They exist in the hearts of those would control and enslave us! But, fortunately, we have the power to prevent them from taking over our world, as long as we don’t succumb to fear, which is their strongest weapon.

Despite their beliefs, they are weak, because they seek to hide the truth and promote evil. They lurk in the shadows; we rejoice in the light of the glory of God! We are the strong ones because our focus is on realizing the glory of God. Our strongest weapons are the freedoms to worship God in any way we please and to openly speak our minds. Their schemes to control us through hate and fear will fail. Our love of life, freedom and Spirit will prevail. This dark shadow of global pandemic will pass, truth will out, and the God-given opportunity to love, live, and openly pursue the happiness our hearts’ desire, will return. This is certain. Our prayer should be that it happens sooner, rather than later, to avoid more unnecessary human suffering.

ERC 4/9/2020