If Infinity is Real, Only God Exists
“Infinity contains more than you think.
Everything, for a start.”
~Terry Pratchett
What is infinity? In common parlance, we may refer to anything from the reaches of outer space to our feelings for a lover as “infinite,” and mathematicians discuss various “types of infinity” ad infinitum. Albert Einstein said, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
It seems people talk about infinity in a lot of different ways, with a variety of meanings.
Most people don’t spend much time seriously thinking about infinity, because, well, it’s hard; inconceivable, actually. We dwell in a world of objects, people, stars, plants, animals, fields, and concepts, all of which are finite things. That includes our very concept of infinity, itself.
Yet just because we may never fully grasp infinity doesn’t mean we can’t know something about it. Challenging as it may be, various thinkers throughout history have felt that infinity may be quite significant to how we view God, self, existence, and consciousness.
This is because if infinity is real, then the universe, the self, and consciousness must necessarily be aspects of one Reality. This article will be an attempt to explain why. Of course, I’ll be painting in broad strokes, since the topic of infinity could easily fill volumes (and has), so please humor me as I breeze over many of the academic details, in my effort to fit some thoughts on infinity into a blog post.
Image Credit: The Seattle Times
The Evolution of Infinity
Throughout the ages, man’s conceptualization of infinity has undergone many changes.
While the Western traditions typically trace its origin to the ancient Greek philosophers, like Anaximander, who viewed it as the nature of absolute reality (apeiron), there’s also evidence that the first discovery of the concept of Infinity may have been by Arabic mathematicians, particularly the ancient Vedic philosophers of India.
As with most things philosophical, the Indians probably did it first. Regardless, infinity had its beginnings in philosophy, and later became essential to mathematics.
We have to also wonder if the importance of infinity to math implies an actual infinity, an infinity that is not only a concept in math, but a very real aspect of the world.
Math is inherently descriptive or representational, but its discoveries often portend, predict, or inform scientific discoveries in the actual world, long before they are verified experimentally; so, there is reason to think that a seemingly abstract math concept may indeed indicate an actuality, and infinity, one of the most foundational concepts of math, may indicate something real about the world. Furthermore, this reality may be why infinity is so critical to mathematics on the whole.
Throughout its conceptual evolution, infinity has been puzzled over by philosophers, mathematicians, and even theologians, mostly in regards to conceivable infinities, or “types of infinity.”
Is space infinite? Is time infinite? Is history some kind of infinite loop? Is any such infinity merely an artifact of our perspective, at the scale in which we exist? Or is it real? Is God infinite? Is God's love infinite? All of these questions have been the subjects of much thought and debate by great thinkers throughout history.
While these types of infinity are perhaps interesting in their own respects, they are also technically limited, which is antithetical to the very concept of infinity. For instance, the infinite expanse of space is merely a description of endless continuation along three dimensions of motion, not infinite dimensions.
This leads me to believe that such “sub-infinities” are simply a misapplication of the term. If so, what would be a real and true infinity, in an absolute sense? And how could such a real and true infinity change the way that we see everything?
The One Real and True Infinity
The easy question to answer is what’s meant by a real infinity, and that is one that’s not merely an abstract concept, however mathematically useful, but in fact an aspect of reality as we know it.
A real infinity is not just a convenient component of the mathematical language we use to describe and even predict the world, but is in fact a reality being described or indicated by that mathematical language. We might suppose it could be a reality that is the reason that infinity is so useful in mathematics. So, not just an idea, but an actuality, a real infinity.
What constitutes a true infinity requires a bit more description. True infinity, as I’m referring to it here, must be infinite in the most essential sense of the term. This is akin to our ancient friend Anaximander’s apeiron, in that it’s defining characteristic is boundlessness. This is because the very word “infinite” means “without boundary,” which is also to say, without form.
Forms consist of boundaries, and all boundaries give form; a shape is what it is because it has surfaces, edges, angles, curves, texture, or whatever type of boundaries it may consist of. Therefore, anything infinite will be without form/boundary. Equilaterally, anything without form or boundary will be infinity. It’s what the word infinite really means.
Infinity can have none of these edges, not even the gradients of a field, such as the energetic and gravitational fields stretching from the center of the sun out into empty space. Even that is finite.
Boundlessness, the simple and defining characteristic of true infinity, can seem simple on the surface, even if ultimately unimaginable; however, if fleshed-out to it’s logical conclusions and implications, it can become so significant as to transform our view of God, Self, and Reality, if we take it to be real.
Therefore, a true and real infinity, properly understood, would completely change how we understand our own existence.
If True Infinity is Real, Then...
To begin with, this real and true infinity, which is boundless in the most literal sense, must encompass and include all finite things, and there can only be one of it. In other words, it must include everything, and it must be all there is. Infinity necessitates oneness.
Why? Because if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be infinite; even the boundary between infinity and finity would render it finite. Therefore, it must be singular, transcendent, and formless, yet containing all forms. While on the one hand you could say that it is nothing, in the sense of being no-thing, the only thing that’s not a thing, you could also say that it is the one thing that everything is.
0 = ∞ = 1
This includes not only all things in the 3-dimensional cosmos of which we are aware, from the smallest quark to the largest galaxy, and even space-time itself, but also infinitely higher dimensions.
That’s because each new dimension both represents a boundary, by the very limitation which defines it, but also implies the next dimension beyond it.
So, just as a 1D line implies the possibility of turning to reveal a 2D plane in a new axis of motion, and a 2D plane implies the possibility of moving through a 3D space in a new axis of motion, and 3D space implies change through time to reveal a fourth dimension and axis of motion, the 4D timeline similarly implies the fifth and sixth dimensions of alternative timelines in something we could perhaps call hyperspace, and so on, to infinity.
All of these infinite dimensions and their contents must be included by infinity, because any stopping point in the process would represent a boundary.
In fact, not only must infinity encompass all possible dimensions of form, but must also be their transcendental origin. It goes without saying that infinity must exist eternally, beyond time and space, and therefore time and space, and all other dimensions beyond them for that matter, must arise from it. The same general principle can be applied to all forms within these dimensions; infinity must necessarily be their creator, and for that matter, their destroyer. An omnipresent womb of endlessness in which all things arise and dissolve.
Infinity and Me
To bring it back to the human level, if infinity encompasses infinite dimensions, it must also encompass each of us; in fact, we must be it, and it must be us. There can be no separation between the individual self and this larger infinity, because if even one self were separate from it, that would be a boundary, thereby rendering it no longer infinite.
Each self must then be infinity in finite drag, as must be all other things and beings, from atoms to stars, from microbes to the most powerful gods or superbeings imaginable.
If infinity is real, the myriad of beings and forms in the universe can only be finite disguises for infinity; nothing may exist outside of infinity, but all existing finite things can only be dream-like, holographic components of it. But how might this so? How can the gap be bridged?
The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta has a useful approach to the difficult question of how the infinite (Brahman) appears as the finite (Maya):
The apparent reality of the finite limited forms appear through some kind of illusion, or mirage-like quality which infinity possesses. It does this because if it didn’t include the quality of appearing as finite forms, it wouldn’t be infinite. That, too, would be a boundary.
This, in turn, also means that our concept of separate selves and the world they exist in are likewise mirage-like, and in fact, there can be only one Self. All seeming “others,” whether other people, animals, artificial intelligences, gods, angels, aliens, fairies, or whatever conscious beings may theoretically exist, are actually just more and more masks for the One Infinite Self.
If real and true infinity exists, this must necessarily be the case. There can’t actually be multiple beings, there can only be One Being appearing as multiple beings, again through the illusory quality.
The next question must then be: What is this quality of Self?
The core of our self-concept is the elusive thing we call consciousness, that subjective awareness which lights up all experience, which we still struggle to explain scientifically.
All of the scaffolding of mind which we normally think of as self is really centered around consciousness, like a mandala and it’s center. When we talk about self, we’re really talking about consciousness, because without consciousness, we can’t truly say that something has a self.
The person without consciousness is the philosophical zombie, which can only be a player piano, and not truly a self. Self requires consciousness, and consciousness is the essence of self.
Consciousness (not to be confused with mind) must of course be another facet of infinity, as all else is, at least in the sense of the seemingly finite, individual consciousness as we know it. This is the consciousness which seemingly has limitations, of perception, of knowledge, etc. I don’t know with absolute certainty what’s behind the walls of the room I’m in, much less everywhere else in the world, therefore my personal consciousness seems to be limited.
But is this limited consciousness also a special case, in the world of finite objects? While consciousness observes objects, our search to define consciousness as an object has been nearly fruitless; however hard we look for it as an object in the brain, it continues to elude us. This has led many to believe that consciousness is actually not an object, the only non-object in the known universe as a matter of fact; idealist philosophers and mystics of various kinds, East and West, have even gone so far as to regard it as the ground of all being, which a real and true infinity must of course also be.
While consciousness seems to have limits, such as the limits of our perception, is it truly consciousness which is limited, or merely it’s instruments of operation through the body: the senses, and the mind? Could our individual, seemingly limited consciousness connect to the limitless infinity in a way that other finite forms perhaps do not? What, if any, might be the unique relationship of finite consciousness to infinity?
The Inevitability of Infinite Consciousness
The further we explore the concept of infinity, the more it seems to imply consciousness. Although we don’t fully understand consciousness, popular theories are that it seems to emerge under conditions of extreme self-organizing complexity or integrated information, such as in the brain, conventionally touted as the most complex physical object in the universe.
Panpsychist philosophers even argue that all of the information in the universe constitutes units or building blocks of consciousness or mind, even that of the electrons passing between atoms, which means consciousness is everywhere, merely varying in its complexity.
Infinity also implies complexity; infinite complexity, in fact. Recall that many dimensions of hyperspace, and all of their possible contents. Yet here we bump up against a paradox, because infinity by definition must also be simple. Complexity requires forms and their relations, things to be organized in a complex fashion, or else there is nothing to be complex, let alone to integrate information.
If infinity encompasses all things, all dimensions, all possible things within all possible dimensions, it goes without saying that if we could summon a single word to describe such a thing, “complex” might be an appropriate choice. Yet, in its boundlessness, it must also be simple, in that it is omni-present, formless, perhaps even homogenous.
How do we resolve this paradox? It seems like the infinite must necessarily contain a hyper-dimensional complexity which our primate minds can only gawk at, in our feeble attempts to imagine it, but also a simplicity which is likewise beyond comprehension. Can it be both?
As we’ve already briefly touched upon, infinity seems to have aspects, since it is both a transcendent, formless, and simple reality, but also imminent in all the immense complexity of finite forms it encompasses, or appears as. Since we know that, if infinity is real, it must appear as this finite world and all of its limitations and complexities, perhaps the paradox can be resolved by understanding that the extreme of complexity actually approaches simplicity and formlessness.
That is, the more complex something becomes, and perhaps only complex in a specific way, it approaches or somehow aligns with the simpler, transcendent infinity in a unique way, perhaps due to the sheer density of information.
Of course, this may seem quite paradoxical, but paradox is a staple of pondering infinity. To visualize how it might make sense, we can try imagining hyperspace dimensions branching out from one another, in the same way that the z axis of our third dimension branches out from the x and y plane of the second dimension.
Now, imagine that every possible path of motion of every phenomenal object in those dimensions, such as every subatomic particle for instance, exists simultaneously, like overlapping and converging fractals in hyperspace, forming ephemeral “virtual” complexities we can’t even fathom.
Whatever we imagine will be only a crude approximation constructed from our 3D experience, but this nevertheless can give an inkling of how it might be. So, if this process is presumed to extend into infinite (or all possible) dimensions, there could be a level of this saturation of complexity at which it approaches a density where it blends into (or, seen in reverse, perhaps emerges from) the formless infinity.
Phew, okay, while that may be difficult, however the paradox can be resolved, we can at least think that if the pink neuronal bean within the confines of our hominid cranium contains sufficient complexity for consciousness, and most likely even the lowliest worm contains some tiny spark of the same, then how unlikely would it be that this hyper-dimensional cosmic complexity implied by infinity would not be conscious?
It’s no great leap to suppose that it would in fact be supremely and expansively conscious in ways we can’t even fathom.
Therefore, perhaps the simple transcendent infinity is the supreme omnipresent subject to which all finite phenomena are objects, and finite consciousnesses like ours are special cases as objects, in that they allow this cosmic subject to see the finite world in a unique way, as a limited subject, rather than a universal consciousness.
Not only that, but as we saw before, infinity encompasses and contains all finite forms, meaning that rather than seeing this supreme consciousness as the culmination of a world of finite things added together to make complexity resulting in emergent consciousness (ala panpsychism), it might be more accurate to see it as the source, basis, or ontological ground on which all finite things depend; not a sum of all phenomena, but a plenum from which all phenomena are divided.
In other words, perhaps infinity is separated into being and nonbeing by a trick of the cosmic mind, a process of exclusion or “focusing,” which to us appears as: finite reality as we know it “existing,” in contrast to the vast swath of possible realities “not existing.”
So, if infinity is real, it is a likely implication of that fact that infinite consciousness is the ground of all being, and all finite entities emerge from, occur within, and depend entirely for their illusory separate existence upon that infinite consciousness.
Is our individual consciousness actually a place where the larger infinite consciousness touches the world of finite reality in a unique way? Could each individual consciousness be like a space-time periscope which allows the grand infinite consciousness to peer into finite reality and experience itself as a multitude of entities, interacting together in an endless dream?
I fully realize this discussion will not be convincing to any philosophers or scientists on an academic level. However, as an exploration of a potential philosophical approach to the topic, I hope you’ve found it interesting. I’ll briefly explore the theological implications, before concluding.
Not Your Momma’s Theology
What do we call an infinite consciousness, both omnipresent and simple, yet complex beyond conceivability, which is the basis of all things, from which all things emerge, and which all things are ultimately limited expressions of?
What word can we use for a conscious super-being or ultimate reality which is at once endlessly and eternally aware, vastly intelligent beyond comprehension, and also the root or core of all lesser, finite selves?
If such isn’t God, then what is?
The trouble is, in the exoteric forms of most religions, with the exception of some Eastern traditions, we have typically thought of God the way we have thought of everything else in the universe, as a being that is somewhere, a thing or being that has something like a location, in spite of somehow paradoxically being omniscient, omnipotent, etc.
In other words, we’ve thought of God like a super-person with super-powers. Most people in the West tend to see God as a being somewhere with thoughts and feelings, who according to the Bible gets jealous, disappointed, etc. This has caused most more critically thinking people to reject that concept of God as extremely unlikely, naturally, resulting in atheism.
If you ask any given believer if they think God is infinite, most will say “yes” without hesitation, but few have considered the actual implications of that assertion, what it actually means to be infinite. As you’ve hopefully seen from this writing so far, an infinite God cannot not be any of the finite things or beings that exist, including the believer asked.
In the moment that the believer says that God is infinite, they have unknowingly also stated that they themselves are God in disguise, as is everyone and everything. Yet, if confronted with that fact, most will resist it to their dying breath, in spite of all reasoning, so deep is the belief that they are separate from God.
So, if we take God to be truly infinite, then not only must all things be parts of that infinite God, but God itself is implied in the very hypothetical fact of a real and true infinity.
If this infinity is real, then there can only be one infinite thing (which is the only thing that is not a “thing”), and that infinite reality must be God, if anything is. Thus:
If infinity is real, only God exists. Anything “else” that seems not to be God has to be merely an illusory separateness, a finite form partitioned arbitrarily from the complete and limitless existence that is God.
Put in more human terms, anything which seems not to be that conscious infinity we’re calling God must be God’s Dream. This would mean that God and God’s Dreams are two aspects of one reality, and are all that actually exist, despite the appearances of the multifarious reality made of myriad forms. These forms are dream, and there is only one Dreamer.
Given all of the above, the sixty-three million dollar question has to be: Is the true infinity real? More on that in future posts.
