Why should randomness be the ultimate goal of existence? Why couldn’t perfect order be that ideal state of existence? If “nothingness” represents perfect order, then it possesses lowest possible entropy, and lack of any randomness. Why couldn’t “nothing” be satisfied with this arrangement?
One thing “nothingness” eliminates, along with everything else, is probability. In the case of “nothingness” with perfect non-randomness, it represents the lowest possible probability. There is one possibility. There are no other options. There is only a state of perfect order. “Nothing” is nothing. It can never be something else. And this represents the highest possible energy level.
However, all existence moves toward maximum entropy, or disorder. It moves toward perfect randomness, maximum probability, and maximum possibilities. The purest probability represents entropy, and maximum possibilities. This includes “nothingness.” You may argue that “nothing” is nothing, it doesn’t exist. And you might be right. But could “nothing” move toward a lower energy level or lazier existence by producing more and more randomness, moving toward entropy? It could do this by forming opposing identical pairs of “somethingness” so that if these pairs were combined, they would once again form “nothingness.” This may be the earliest ancestor of entanglement.
But, we can discuss this production of pairs of “somethingness” (e.g., electron and positron, etc.) in a future blog. For now, let’s focus on randomness, probability, and possibilities.
Consider the double-slit experiment. Photons or electrons are “shot” at the double-slits and exist in any number of possible positions. The “particles” apparently exist as wavelike structures that pass through both slits at the same time, showing up as interference patterns on the screen behind the double slits. The interference pattern looks just like the pattern that would be created by waves of water flowing through the double slits and hitting the screen. The strongest interference pattern exists at the center of the interference distribution and the patterns get weaker outward from center, analogous to a “normal distribution.” The particle can exist in any position along this normal distribution, but has the highest probability of existing near the center of the normal curve and less and less probability of existing outward from the center. So the particles shot through the double slits possess a degree of probability in terms of position. For each particle, it’s position has a lot of possibilities governed by probability.
When a device measures which slit the particle passed through, then an odd thing happens. The pattern on the screen consists of two dominant lines only, as if solid objects passed through the two slits. There is no evidence of wavelike behavior. There is only evidence of solid objects passing through one or the other slit. In this case, the position of the particle has only two possibilities: the particle passes through the left slit or it passes through the right slit. In this case, there is less randomness, less entropy, and few possibilities compared to the unmeasured particles that, for some reason, pass through the slits as a wavelike structure.
In terms of particle position, the wavelike structure passing through both slits at the same time has greater randomness, greater entropy, and more possibilities than when the position of the particle is measured with a detector. When the position of the particle is measured, there is only one possibility. It has passed through one of the two slits. When its position is measured, all the possibilities of its position have collapsed into one possible position – the position at which it was observed. In the case of measured position, there is less randomness, less entropy, and only one possibility.
So the wavelike structure exists at the lower energy level while the particle, once observed, exists at a higher energy level. So, at least in this case, the wavelike structure is the preferred existence, since it has greater randomness, greater entropy, and more possibilities. It exists at a lower energy level.