Roger Penrose suggested the Andromeda Paradox because of the Rietdijk–Putnam argument from Special Relativity in Physics.
2 people are passing each other on the street. Both look up at the Andromeda galaxy at the same time. But they’re each moving at different speeds relative to Andromeda and each other. Because of the large scales, they could be “seeing” hours or even days difference in Andromeda.
The argument says that each observer has their own “plane of simultaneity” (sense of now and space), relative to others. They suggest our universe is four-dimensional, the fourth containing all the unique 3D spaces of each experiencer. But does all space fit into a single further dimension? I’ve seen some pretty cool illustrations of 4D space, but not like this.
This also implies that there is no common “now” as time and space are relative to the observer.
However, I don’t think this is the right way to frame it.
First, space arises in consciousness becoming aware of itself. Time arises from the process of experience. Even though they are both dimensional, they are not dimensions of each other. i.e.: time is not a 4th dimension of space, for example. (This can be experienced directly.)
Second, consciousness continues to flow and curve back on itself. This means it becomes self-aware repeatedly on multiple scales. (Flowing consciousness forms even the energy channels (nadis) of our body, curving back on itself in a spiral.) Put another way, consciousness is nested and the space and time that arise from it are also nested. Spaces within spaces, time within time. The Vedic model of time recognizes this. This means we each have our own space and time while simultaneously also living in a shared space and time. That is within a universal space and time (for this universe).
However, each scale is not another “dimension” as it’s not a distinct direction. It’s all one space, nested in scales of consciousness.
Third, scientists forget that “3D” is just a cubic convention to measure space. Space itself has no fixed dimensions. Buckminster Fuller proposed a “4D” model based on the tetrahedron. It evidently makes for superior mathematics.
This nesting is also what leads to the koshas or progressive layers of creation. But the above issues lead to the idea that they’re different “dimensions.” This is a relative mistake in perception because of our specific vantage point. Like leaning out the window of a house and seeing other windows and thinking they lead to different spaces. It’s all one house. We just haven’t exited our room yet.
Thus, while we do have a personal now, that is distinct from others now, we also live in a deeper shared present moment. They’re not exclusive.
That shared space is at both ends – deep within, and our physical body in the physical world. Sometimes, this is illustrated like an hourglass. The sense of individuality brings things to a point in the centre, but it expands out to infinity at both ends. We’re all of it.
Davidya