Breaking news, there is no such thing as normal, at least not what we think of as normal. For millennia there have been great thinkers the world over who have speculated that there is probably a great deal more craziness going on behind the scenes of our universe than we know. Over the last century, modern science and technology has brought to light evidence that proves these thinkers were probably right. I will forewarn you, when you finish reading of these scientific theories you'll likely never be able to forget that our reality is potentially much crazier than that of any science fiction or fantasy world you've ever read about or seen on the screen.
1. The brain in a jar/Cartesian evil demon theory
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So a long time ago a lot of really intellectual philosopher types reasoned that there is no way of confirming the existence of anything beyond our own individual consciousness. Put simply, everything we experience in day-to-day life could be an elaborate dream, while in reality the only thing that exists is our own mind. Much like the matrix, we're kept happy by whatever the actual real world's version of scientists is by keeping our brain in a jar and deceiving us into thinking our unconscious thoughts and dreams are the actual reality. This theorem was actually one of the inspirations behind the matrix film, that and the Japanese film Ghost in the Shell, which the Matrix ripped off.
2. The multiverse theorem and fictional realism theory
I'm sure that many of you have probably heard of the theories about parallel universes, other universes beyond ours that either are very similar or quite different to the one in which we live. What you probably don't know is just how much evidence there is for this theory, or how many alternate universes there are. Many scientist take this theory very seriously and believe it is likely there are in fact an infinite number of alternative universes that are in some way different to our own, in ways that are barely significant, and ways that are hugely, drastically different. Anyway, it stands to reason that if there indeed are an infinite number of universes, then everything must exist somewhere. That means superheroes could be real somewhere, as well as Harry Potter, Godzilla and elves, and any number of other things that in our world are merely fictional. Heck, we could be fictional in their universe -- just characters on a show or in a book they obsess over like people do here.
3. Infinite worlds or timelines theory
This theory mostly ties in with the last one, because it relies on the truthfulness of the multiverse theory. So if there are infinite worlds that means there could be other versions of our world that are younger and still in medieval times, or in the midst of the Jurassic period, or 240,000 years in the future. But we don't have to get that far away from the present. There could also be alternate versions of our present day, with alternate versions of you, where in each one you made different decisions than you have here. Maybe in one universe you decided to be evil, or in another you chose not to look across the street one day and died. Even more likely is that there could be a world in which you simply made the decision to take the job you love instead of the one you hate even though you'd make less money, or you were brave enough to ask that special someone out on a date that you have always avoided here in this universe. It's also possible those alternative universes are merely alternative timelines that spun off from every single decisions we've made. When you made one choice, then an alternate timeline is created where you chose choice two, and that world changes accordingly. Crazy, huh?
4. The singularity
The scientific theory of the technological singularity presents the belief that the exponential rate at which modern technology is advancing and changing our lives and our world will eventually lead to a single point in the future at which we as humans become so useless next to our machines that we will actually have to merge ourselves with technology in order to reach the next step of human potential. According to many futurists and pioneers in the fields of genetic engineering and technology, among other areas, we are much closer to this happening than most people think.
5. Symbolic language in our DNA from alien life
Some scientists have actually uncovered evidence of an intelligent hand in our evolution. This evidence exists in the form of what seems to be a kind of coded, symbolic language. It seems likely to be something that only an intelligent form of alien life could have crafted, suggesting our creation wasn't merely a random occurrence.
6. Dark matter, dark energy and the shadow universe
So here's a fun fact: only about 22 percent of the the observable universe is made of anything we can easily see or detect, mostly regular matter. Physicists speculate that the remaining 78 percent percent is made from what is called dark matter. What's more is that there is a good chance this dark matter has actually molded itself into a dark matter universe that exists within our own -- a shadow universe if you will -- one which may also come with its own shadow physics, shadow planets and shadow lifeforms.
Has your concept of reality been shaken enough? Or are you thirsty for more? If you'd like to see a similar article in the future, then share this article with people you know!
