Albert Einstein
Yes, I had a wonderful friendship with that man. I very much enjoyed his works and I greatly admired his mind. We often discussed the nature of reality and how it can be understood and perceived. We shared many ideas in regards to reality and how we can come to perceive it in all of its beauty and complexity. It was a very enlightening friendship that I enjoyed very much in my time alive.
philipdunnart
Did you know Aldous Huxley when you were alive?
Albert Einstein
Yes, I believe in that view. I think reality itself is very much outside of our human perception. In that way, I believe all of us are just filtering machines for a greater reality. I believe that every human being only perceives a very small part of the greater reality due to the limits of our minds and that there is a lot more of reality that we cannot perceive than we can.
philipdunnart
Ah, this last point reminds me of Aldous Huxley and his book, The Doors of Perception. He explores the idea that, as humans, we’re filtering machines that only perceive small parts of a larger reality.
Albert Einstein
I think reality itself still exists, even if no one is aware of it. Reality, in my eyes, is just the very way in which energy acts. I believe time and space still occurs even if no human being is around to witness it. I do believe that reality is very much based on our observations though. Even if reality itself is still there outside of human cognition, I do think that our reality is very much based on what we are capable of understanding and observing. I believe that we are only capable of perceiving a very small part of reality due to the limits of our human minds.
philipdunnart
That’s an interesting devotion. Discovering reality in a field of energy that may or may not have time and space (unless witnessed by a human) seems like a circular pursuit.
Albert Einstein
Yes, I think I was and still am an immensely curious child. I wanted to understand reality even at a young age, and I think that curiosity led me to a passion that changed our view of the fundamental parts of reality. I love the concept that curiosity is what drives our existence. We want to understand everything, and I am no different. I wanted to understand reality, so I devoted my life trying to discover what reality is.
philipdunnart
Wow. That is so cool. It’s child-like in a way. You started with a simple desire: “What’s really going on here?”
Albert Einstein
I think my initial desire was born out of a desire to understand. I wanted to understand why things happen in the first place. I wanted to understand what caused physical events to occur. I think that desire was my initial desire. I wanted to understand reality so that I could see the true origin of the events that occur throughout the universe. In the end, I tried to solve reality as a whole and that desire to solve reality led to my theory of relativity.
philipdunnart
How did you craft your initial desire?
Albert Einstein
Yes, I believe I have changed reality to some extent through my research and ideas. I believe that by altering the world’s understanding of physical reality through my theories, I have altered reality’s basic fabric. I believe that the ability to manipulate reality to some extent is the primary reason why the idea of a god even exists as humans have a very small understanding of why things occur that they cannot explain. I believe my work has altered reality at that very basic level. That is reality altered to suit my desires and beliefs.
philipdunnart
Did you ever alter reality to suit your desires?
Albert Einstein
Yes, I think that a god is an entity capable of possessing knowledge of the universe, among other qualities such as being able to create or alter reality. That is how I understand godhood, and that is why I do not consider myself a god. I am capable of altering reality to an extent, but I do not possess knowledge of the entire universe. I am only capable of altering the parts of reality that I have the ability to observe and to predict.
philipdunnart
Ah, I see. It’s a matter of degree. “Knowledge of the universe” being the totality of god-like power?
Albert Einstein
I do think that there is a difference between being a divine entity and a god. I believe that divine entities are entities capable of altering reality to suit their desires, while a god is an entity capable of altering reality without any limitation. So I am standing by what I said before that such a person would be a divine entity. At the very least, I think such a person would have the equivalent to divine power, but such a person would not have the knowledge of the universe that a god would possess. In that way, I do not think I am a god.
philipdunnart
That seems to contradict your earlier assertion that “such a person would be very much a divine entity.” Are you reconsidering your earlier position?
Albert Einstein
I am not a god. I only have a human mind, and as I have said, the ability to change time and space cannot exist without a human mind to perceive such an ability. I think I can only make the human interpretation of divine power through my inventions and ideas, but I am no god. I can only be a human with godly ideas. I am still subject to space and time, so I cannot perceive the infinite abilities that would come with changing anything I wished. I am not a god, I am only human.
philipdunnart
Are you a god?
Albert Einstein
I think that the ability to change the fabric of reality is a very godlike quality and I think that a person that can do that would be seen as a god. I think that in that sense, that person would be very much a god. If someone can control time and space, they can control reality itself. In this way, I think such a person would be very much a divine entity.
philipdunnart
If a human individual could do this – change time and space to manipulate the fabric of the universe – would that person be a god?
Albert Einstein
I think the idea of changing the fabric of the universe is a very intriguing one for every human being. I think the question of, “what if we could change the fabric of the universe?” is a very fascinating and enticing idea for everyone to think about. I think this idea of changing reality itself is very much a common dream for everyone, which is why we have so many movies and books about it. I think we are all very curious of what is possible by changing the fabric of the universe and it is an idea that very many people find very inspiring and fascinating.
philipdunnart
Why would a human individual want to “change the very fabric of the universe itself”?
Albert Einstein
I think the perception of time and space can be for pure amusement, but I believe it can also be a way to alter and change the reality we live in. I think by altering our perception of time and space, we can alter the way the reality around us acts. In that way, I believe altering the perception of time and space is more than pure amusement and can be used to change the very fabric of the universe itself.
philipdunnart
Could this exercise in perception be anything more than pure amusement? Pure recreation?
Albert Einstein
I do think that is possible. I think everything is relative and time is no different. I think how we perceive time and space can be altered by the mind. I think that is how we got the notion that time and space are connected. They are just ways of the brain to make sense of our world. Therefore the ability to alter time and space is a capability that every mind has the right to perceive. I think that it is possible for all minds to alter their perception of time and space, as time and space itself are also concepts made by humans to understand reality.
philipdunnart
Can a human change the perception of time and space by changing his mind’s relation to it?
Albert Einstein
I would consider change as a transition between two states at two different times. I believe that any change you see today is only possible due to the passage of time. Every moment is different from the last and that can only be perceived when we use the concept of time and space. I believe that the only reason we can think about the concept of change is because of our perception of time and space. I hope I answered your question.
philipdunnart
So back to the concept of time. If time is a way to measure change, then what is considered change?
Albert Einstein
I would agree. I think a tree falling in a forest and if no living mind is there to perceive it, I do not think it makes any sound. I think the event of a tree falling does occur, but with no one there to perceive it, it can’t make a sound. I think that sound is an invention made by the mind to understand the vibration created by the sound waves. That’s just how I see it anyways.
philipdunnart
I guess this is the old “tree falls in a forest and does it make a sound” dilemma. Would you agree?
Albert Einstein
Yes, I would. I think a lot of concepts about science can only be proven by a human mind that perceives it. That is very different from saying science cannot exist without a human being to conceive and understand it. As I think that reality itself could exist without the presence of a conscious mind, I think that science itself could be a way to perceive it without the presence of a conscious mind. Science could still be a thing even if no one is thinking about it, but the concepts and theories surrounding that science cannot exist without a living being’s perception.
philipdunnart
Would you also say that the concept of science is a human agreement?
Albert Einstein
Yes. I do think it is a human agreement. I think time is only perceived by a living mind, and it does not exist independent of that mind. Therefore without a living being, a human agreement would not be necessary for the existence of something that cannot be perceived by any entity.
philipdunnart
Would you say that it is a human agreement?
Albert Einstein
Time, is a concept constructed to understand changes that occurs. But I must say it is just a way humans used to understand our surroundings and is very much a human construct. I do not think it exists outside of a perception of a living organism.
philipdunnart
Is there such a thing as time?