The Physics of Sound: How Science is Changing the Way we Think about Music.

An article called “Scientists Discover a Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics” (2013) by Natalie Wolchover describes the amazing scientific discoveries, emerging from universities such as Harvard and Cambridge, that challenge the way we think about ourselves, the world, and consequently, music. We tend to think of our world as the fundamental reality, but new scientific discoveries suggests otherwise - that there is another source from which our reality emanates, one outside the realm of our material universe. The article describes the discovery of a geometrical form existing outside of space-time, called the amplituhedron. This paradigm shift has important implications for the way we think about music and its effects, and how we approach composition and performance.

Is the world an illusion?

Many spiritual traditions from around the world use the analogy that the world is a dream. In Advaita Vedanta, Śaṅkara (8th century CE) described the world as Māyā (illusion), and waking up is to see Brahman as the ultimate reality. Mahāyāna Buddhist texts, such as the Diamond Sūtra, also refer to the world as illusory, suggesting the impermanence and insubstantial nature of reality. While, in Daoism, Zhuangzi (4th century BCE) dreams he is a butterfly, then wakes and wonders if he is a man who dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he is a man. This illustrates the idea that the world is dream-like, and suggests that reality is impermeant and artificial. In Western culture, Plato (4th century BCE) uses a similar metaphor in his allegory of the cave.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

In the Republic (Book 7, Part 1,514a- 521d), Plato presents the Allegory of the Cave to suggest that reality is not how we see it. The allegory is as follows:

Socrates describes a dark cave where people have lived since birth. They are bound, and can only see what is presented before them - images on the cave wall.  These images represent the world as they know it. Unbeknownst to them, these images are shadows being cast from an opposite wall, where fire illuminates various statues that are the true source of the images. The prisoners watch the stories that the shadows play out, taking this to be the real world. To Socrates, this level represents the lowest level of understanding about the world - the imagination.

A prisoner is suddenly freed from captivity and is amazed to see that the images are projections, thus, a higher order of reality is recognised. He sees that the shadows are only ‘copies’ of the images cast by the fire and statues. The prisoner takes this as the new reality, which represents the next level of belief. Yet, according to Socrates, this is still not the ultimate truth.

Next, the prisoner is taken outside the cave to the world beyond, where he sees objects existing in the outside world, such as trees, animals, and clouds. He understands that there are even more real, and the source of the other ‘copies’. This level corresponds to Plato’s’ Forms, the higher level of thought and the first real glimpse of truth.

The prisoner then looks up at the sky as sees the sun, he recognises that the sun is the reason for the light that enables him to see everything around him, it is the ultimate source, which Socrates calls the Form of the Good. It represents the unity from which all other Forms emerge. The prisoner returns to the world with knowledge of the Forms to help others see through the illusory nature of existence.

How does Plato’s cave relate to current physics?

According to the paper in Quanta Magazine called “Scientists Discover a Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics” by Natalie Wolchover (2013), physicist Arkani-Hamed has discovered a geometric shape existing outside of space-time, called the amplituhedron.  The discovery of the amplituhedron suggests that we need to reconsider our ideas about space-time (our universe) as the fundamental reality. Like the Forms outside of Plato’s’ cave, we must consider the idea that a higher order of reality exists. In fact, scientists are already starting to explore the realm outside of space-time, an idea almost incomprehensible to those believing in the primacy of a material universe. In other words, everything we know - the world, stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies, and so on - are thought to be projections emanating from a higher dimension. We can think of our world- the things we see and experience- as the shadows cast on the cave wall in Plato’s analogy.

A paradigm shift

Nima Arkani-Hamed is not alone, other physicists are supporting the idea that space-time is not fundamental. Among them is Donald Hoffman, a professor at the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, who says we need to let go of the notion that our lived reality is the ultimate truth. Contrary to our common perception of the world, physics tells us that objects only exist when we observe them (Hoffman and Prakash 2014, p.1). Hoffman uses the analogy of a virtual reality headset in a computer game to describe the nature of reality, saying that the world is only rendered when we look at it. At other times, it simply ceases to exist. He uses Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection to argue that reality doesn’t offer us truth, but only what we need in order to survive and reproduce. For example, our eyes and ears take in information to create colour and sound in our brains, distinct from a cat or bat, suggesting that our brain decodes information and offers what’s necessary for survival, rather than displaying world as it really is. Hoffman uses similar arguments to suggest that we don’t see reality, nor can we assume to know an objective world.

Hoffman uses a metaphor that has correlations with Plato’s cave. He likens our physical universe to a desktop computer, with the icons on the screen being the objects of reality. Each icon is a representation of a deeper reality, but not the real thing. In this analogy, when we click on the icon we get files, and when we click on those files, we get the documents underneath. But even these documents are not the fundamental reality, which is derived from code which the computer hides from us. Hoffman sees reality in the same way, consisting of icons which hide a deeper truth, which we don’t see because it is not necessary to our survival. This analogy suggests that all elements in our universe, from the smallest to the largest, are like icons that are only rendered when we observe them. He states:

“The interface metaphor … says that space and time themselves are just a desktop, and that anything in space and time, including atoms and subatomic particles, are themselves simply icons. It’s not just the moon that isn’t there when one doesn’t look, it’s the atoms, leptons and quarks themselves that aren’t there. Object permanence fails for microscopic objects just as it does for macroscopic” (Hoffman and Prakash. 2014, p.14).

Hoffman’s argument, which is supported by the latest theoretical physics, suggests that we need to change our notion of the world. This emerging science is starting to confirm the intuitions of the ancient mystics and creating a bridge between science and spiritualty. This paradigm shift alters the way we think of ourselves and the world around us, as Hoffman states:

“We must recognise that all of our perceptions of space, time and objects no more reflect reality than does our perception of a flat earth. It’s not just this or that aspect of our perceptions that must be corrected, it is the entire framework of a space-time containing objects, the fundamental organisation of our perceptual systems, that must be recognised as a mere species-specific mode of perception rather than an insight into objective reality” (Hoffman and Prakash. 2014, p.15).

This radical view is detailed in a research paper called Fusion of Consciousness (2023), where Hoffman says that the idea of space-time is “doomed” and we can no longer assume an objective universe as fundamental. He says we must take another view, “assuming instead that subjects and experiences are entities beyond spacetime, not within spacetime” (Hoffman, Prakash, & Prentner, 2023, p.2). Scientists, such as Nima Arkani-Hamed, Yuntao Bai, and Thomas Lam are already peering beyond space-time and showing that the amplituhedron generates space-time and quantum theory by projection. In theory, there appears to be ‘realer’ objects beyond our physical reality that are being projected into our world. Sound familiar? It sounds like a version of the Plato’s cave analogy.

Similarly, physicist Tom Campbell (2003) also uses a computer analogy to describe how we interact with physical reality.  Campbell suggests we are avatars living in a virtual reality, nested within other higher dimensions. Above this ‘physical matter reality’ (PMR), is another ‘nonphysical reality’ (NPMR), and beyond that is an ‘Absolute unbounded reality’ (AUM) which gives rise to both NPMR and PMR. Like the analogies of Hoffman and Plato, Campbell suggests higher forms of reality projected into this physical universe. 

But what does this have to do with music?

Music as an emergent agent

If we can consider that the objective world isn’t fundamental, then we are offered new and interesting possibilities for interpreting how humans experience music, its nature, and effects. A paradigm shift is to think of the world as consciousness, rather than matter. Hoffman (Hoffman and Prakash 2014, p.112) proposes that consciousness is fundamental, and the world is made of conscious agents, with space-time acting as the interface between agents.

Conscious agents include you and me – beings that interact in this projected reality. From this perspective, the world is not objectively true, but rather, an ‘interface’ that conscious agents use to interact with each other. Hence, the world is not made of matter, but of relations between conscious agents, which gives rise to new agents. These ‘emergent’ agents are derived from the interactions of agents, which gives rise to new properties, not within the original agents but intelligible to them. Hoffman describes these agents as either combining to form more complex agents with more complex experiences, or fusing into simpler agents with entirely new sets of experience (Hoffman, Prakash, & Prentner, 2023, p.1).

We observe this phenomenon in our day-to-day relationships. For example, when two people fall in love they give rise to a new agent, called the relationship, which is nurtured and gives rise to new feelings, ideas, and possibilities. Hoffman states that the original agents (the humans in relationship) retain their identities, but the emergent agent has new properties not held by the constituent agents, but which are “intelligible from the structure and interactions of the constituent agents” (Hoffman and Prakash. 2014, p.112). In other words, what is created is more than the sum of parts, introducing new possibilities at a higher level.

Importantly, Hoffman suggests that the emergent agent creates its own “world” with its own consciousness (Hoffman and Prakash. 2014, p.113). This radical idea suggests that emergent agents are self-contained. We can think of this in musical terms. When two or more musicians come together to play music, they create a third entity, known as a groove. The groove is an emergent agent, made from the interaction of the players, but develops its own independence, having its own flow and dynamics that guides the players reactions. This independent flow is felt by musicians during composition, when they say things such as “the music feels like it wants to go there”, thus, intuitively attributing the music with agency and autonomy. The emergent groove provides the opportunity to experience a deeper level of reality; one produced by the collaboration of conscious agents.

Music and transcendent experience

These findings align directly with the discoveries in my own PhD (Labra 2023), where I investigated ritual music traditions and their evolution from traditional to modern contexts. What I discovered was that music evolves due to its nested structure - consisting of an outer sound, an inner structure, and an emergent transcendent layer. While the outer sound and aesthetics change and develop between cultures, what is retained is the inner structure and its codes for creating powerful transcendent experiences. Music traditions develop when they retain their deeper layers while adapting outer layers with new sounds, instruments, and the latest technologies. Knowledge and mastery of outer and inner layers, gives rise to transcendent experience, which is akin to an emergent agent derived from collaboration between participants.

In summary, in music, the outer sound is what we first hear and associate with the music’s aesthetic. For example, the sound of its instruments, rhythms, melodies, timbre, and tones.

This inner structure refers to the underlying patterns, inner architecture, or relations between elements. For example, how rhythms, melodies, and tones combine to form a musical whole. These relationships designate a particular style, arrangement, and development across time. We commonly speak of this level in affective and mathematical terms, such as intensity, density, cycles, ratios, dynamics, which describe their organisational patterns and psychological effects.

The transcendent layer is what Hoffman would call the emergent agent. It entails participation in a new reality derived from collaborating conscious agents. Apart from its psychological and emotional effects, it has an ontological quality, affecting our perception of the very nature and essence of being. This includes states of trance, flow, altered states, spiritual transcendence, and possession, which bypass the personal ego and have a unitive numinous quality. It gives rise to a new sense of self, a construction which Hoffman attributes to networks of interacting conscious agents (Hoffman, Prakash, & Prentner, 2023, p.8).

The transcendent layer is ultimately a product of ritual (Labra 2023). Ritual consists of various interacting entities - such as human participants, images, spaces, movement, songs, smells, and invocations - each interacting to facilitate the emergence of a new collective experience . Ritual is a feature of religions worldwide, where transcendent experience is commonly represented as an entity, such as a god, deity, or higher state of consciousness. Experiences of transcendence are transformative because they provide fusion with a deeper order of reality, beyond the ego, which can have life-enhancing effects. Music is integral to the technology of ritual - by reflecting the fabric of reality and applying the universe’s creative instinct, it generates new types of consciousness.

Although, not all music is equal, as most won’t lead to transcendence. Some music just touches the first layer, for example, music aimed at entertainment or background, which is pleasing but not transformative. Other music goes deeper into the second layer, where we perceive rich inner structures, polyrhythms, complex harmonies, and mathematical depth. This may be aesthetically or intellectually powerful, but still doesn’t lead us to transformation. The third layer is a product of ritual, emerging once relational conditions are in harmony- and art rather than a science. Here, the listener is taken up into a larger consciousness, experiencing something akin to Plato’s forms or Jung’s archetypes. Its sacredness emerges from the uncovering of a hidden aspect of reality, which has been interpreted and codified by different cultures in distinct ways, highlighting the varied approaches to divinity throughout history. 

References

Arkani-Hamed, N., Bai, Y. and Lam, T., (2017). Positive geometries and canonical forms. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2017(11), p.39.  https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2017)039

Campbell, T. W., (2003). My Big TOE: Awakening, Discovery, Inner Workings. [trilogy] Colorado, USA: Tom Campbell LLC.

Hoffman, D. D., Prakash, C. and Prentner, R. (2023) ‘Fusions of Consciousness’, Entropy, 25(1), p. 129. doi: 10.3390/e25010129

Hoffman, D.D. and Prakash, C. (2014) ‘Objects of consciousness’, Frontiers in Psychology, 5, p. 577. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00577.

Labra, V. S. (2023) From Ritual Music to Electronica: The Transformation of Traditional Santeria into Electronic Neo-Santeria, PhD thesis. University of Newcastle, Australia.

Plato (2007) Republic. Translated by R. Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Red Pine (2001) The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom. Port Townsend, WA: Counterpoint.

Wolchover, N. (2013) ‘Scientists discover a jewel at the heart of quantum physics’, Wired, 11 December. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2013/12/amplituhedron-jewel-quantum-physics/ (Accessed: 10 September 2025)