The Holographic Universer

Holographic Universe

In the book Holographic Universe (Talbot, 1992) the author's premise that the universe and all matter are part of an integral, unified and synchronized ecosystem that defies easy categorization through the use of frameworks and taxonomies. One of the most contentious areas of this book is the refutation of any type of entity relationship or structural integrity to reality, with the point made that holographic integrity of reality defies categorization or containment (Talbot, 1992). The author makes liberal use of examples from many of the worlds' most noted physicists including Dr. David Bohm from the University of London to further support his premise of reality being based on holographic ecosystems tightly intertwined with each other. One of the more effective strategies the author uses to bring the abstract, theoretical aspects of the volumes of material aggregated and used to define and support the premise of the book is the tendency to attempt to shock the reader. His description of how molecules can communicate with one another regardless of distance is a case in point, as his scholarly yet at the same time sensationalistic approaches to obliquely refutating Einstein's theories of relativity (Talbot, 1992). All this makes for fascinating reading and an impressive level of scientific showmanship, yet the author only passingly defines how advanced taxonomies and frameworks are woefully anachronistic and even myopic by his books' premise to fully explaining reality (Talbot, 1992). These foundational elements taken together are the analytical framework used to complete this analysis of the book.

Challenging the Stereotypes of Perception

Reading Holographic Universe (Talbot, 1992) at a cursory level yields an entirely different analysis and critique compared to one defined by a systems-based or causal definition of reality. At the cursory level the author continually strives to provide evidence of how the more traditional, and from his perspective, myopic and incomplete, view of reality is entirely missing the point of holographic associations of data across the ecosystem defined in the book. Using research from Dr. Aspect to further show and imply strongly that objective reality, often defined by tight, well-orchestrated taxonomies and the perception of solidity and predictability of cause-and-effect is an illusion (Talbot, 1992). While Talbot does not descend into is a debate over the nuances of scientific theory or the scientific method that is heavily predicated on the foundation of an empirical perception of reality. Instead he argues that the universe is actually "a gigantic and splendidly detailed hologram" (Talbot, 1992).

What Talbot does do well in this book is show how the most fundamental building blocks of the holographic theory he has written the book to support integrate together and create a unified framework that is beyond perception today due to the focus on the structural alone. This analysis shows that the dimensionality of data falls short, taxonomies are limited to only the observable, with the implication being that there is a vast holographic dimension that is completely being missed today due to lack of perception of its entities and characteristics (Talbot, 1992). This aspect of the book is supported through medical research of how the brain stores memories, created and monitors free associations of facts, opinions, interpretations of events, perceptions and intuitive insight based on cognitive and experiential learning. What emerges from this analysis is the observation that the brain actually performs more like a hologram and at one point the author declares all brains and entities, people and things are part of a universal hologram (Talbot, 1992). The medical research cited brings greater credibility to the premise of the book, however it doesn't completely close the gap left by a lack of empirical data on a holographic universe. This is one area of the book that Talbot excels at however, as he intricately weaves the medical research to support his positioning of the holographic universe.

It is ironic that the book is so adept at using medical research yet fails to bridge the gap to make a convincing argument that a holographic universe has all the sensationalist claims the author uses to keep the reader engaged. The concept of distance and time becoming immaterial, while making for fascinating reading, aren't carried through to their logical conclusion. This is the most disappointing part of the book as the medical research creates such a compelling argument for a holographic universe yet the continual theoretical discussions fail to deliver on that promise with conclusive results. Talbot would argue that criticism is guilty of the very nature of the book's premise, and that taxonomies and structural dynamics are mere facades to the broader holographic reality that is just beyond the grasp of even the most advanced researchers due to the lack of contextual intelligence. This is where the book could be expanded in further volumes, and the concept of how a given situational series of factors define holographic meaning.