Is knowledge possible?

Recent news that a fifth force is likely in the universe (1), upending generally accepted standard model, poses a larger philosophical question. Is knowledge possible? A related question is if the universe is simulated by a process with knowledge. Over the eons, it has been clear that the simulator moves the goal posts as human information gets close to replete, a process that has now become reasonably predictable. That’s to say in any field when the experts get convinced that they have understood a phenomenon, it is likely that a hitherto unknown dimension is added to make it more complex.

This could be evidence that phenomenal understanding is not possible as the presented phenomenon is not static and will be changed or made more complex in the future. Such a process is more likely if the universe is simulated with a goal of experimentation. A simple scenario could be that the simulator is measuring the duration and velocity of reaching knowledge of the presented phenomenon by the participants. Then the phenomenon is made more complex by either tweaking the parameters or adding new dimensions to continue.

The simulator does appear to have a goal. If so, she may have divided the universe into exclusive space-time buckets with multiple experiments running across the universe. There appears to be no intention of mixing (at least till now), as space-time constraints appear impenetrable. It is possible she could relax that in the future, allowing mixing of results for more complex experiments. Till then, humans are unlikely to see any “extra-terrestrials.”

It is likely that knowledge is not possible, and information will remain partial at all times in a dynamic and evolving process. It is possibly programmatic in a simulated universe with an external goal of the simulator, with complete control over localized experiments.

(1) Scientists may be on brink of discovering fifth force of nature | Particle physics | The Guardian