<p>I can't give a good answer but I did find the documentary and out of curiosity, watched some of it, skipped forward and found the hologram section you're talking about, it's at the end about 1:18:40 in.  (I'm not going to post a link to the video cause I'm not sure it's correctly copyrighted by those who are showing it)</p>

<p>The video itself isn't bad, but it's basically a science channel level program, which is written to appeal to viewers and explanations are often over-simplified.   This video in particular seemed to try to cover so much ground that it explains very little.   But on the positive side, they have Brian Greene and Leonard Susskind discussing the hologram idea and those guys are both real physicists who've talked about this before.  I don't think it's a main stream idea, just an idea that a few people like.</p>

<p><a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/03-our-universe-may-be-a-giant-hologram" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's</a> a magazine article on the subject and an excerpt from Brian Greene's book.</p>

<p>and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DIl3Hfh9tY" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's</a> Leonard Susskind giving a talk on the subject at Stanford, not at a class, more of a lecture cause he mentions that not everyone in attendance might be a physicist, but I've since watched his lecture and he makes a few of these points more clear, at least to me.</p>

<p>And <a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/79198/what-are-the-implications-of-the-holographic-principle">Here's</a> a stack exchange question and answer on a similar subject.    There's also no shortage of articles that can be found on the Holographic principal or the "universe is a hologram", though I think the first is a better set of words to search and the 2nd might lead you to some sub-par articles.</p>

<p><a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/79198/what-are-the-implications-of-the-holographic-principle/79246#79246">Philip Gibbs - inactive's</a> answer (also in the link above) on what the Holographic Principal implies is better than anything I could say about it, so I'd start there.</p>

<p>As a rule, it's a good idea to post links and if the video is 2 hours long, the specific time as well.   YouTube links can also be removed so they're not ideal.</p>

<p><strong>Edit to answer questions.</strong></p>

<p>Had to think about this one a bit, and sometimes trying to answer "why" is opening a can of worms, but . . . here I go.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Why do they think that it is our Universe that is the Holograph?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm not a fan of the theory myself and I'd guess that not all physicists agree with it either.   One big problem with the theory is that it can't be proven, which really makes it more of a guess based off a mathematical model and not a good theory.  One definition of a good theory is one that can be tested.   If it can't be tested true or false, it's really more of an idea.</p>

<p>As for why Brian Greene likes the theory, you might need to ask him or search his interviews, but maybe he likes it so can sell books - I don't know.  Maybe he likes the idea of the Universe being a Hologram.   He's obviously a pretty smart guy.  You don't get a PHD in physics and get recognition and invited to ted talks and all that by being dumb, but smart guys are wrong all the time when it comes to new theories.  There's no evidence that this theory is true.  </p>

<p>Now, I should point out that the Holographic principal as it applies to black holes and the information paradox, all that stuff is good and valid theoretical physics rooted in ideas we understand such as entropy and time dilation and red-shift.   The Holographic principal seems a very reasonably deduced feature of black holes that also, cleverly answers the information paradox, but whether it can be extrapolated to apply to the entire universe is a whole different ball game and to me, it's basically a guess.  Not much more.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Why couldn't our Universe be reality and a Holograph exists of it
  somewhere else?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Well, I could say "you're right", but the truth is, you're just flipping around the question.  The more relevant questions are whether the theory is true at all, and as I said above (and Susskind said in his video), whether it can be tested.   Susskind's video is really quite good though he starts slowly, but if you're really interested in this it's worth watching.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>What makes them think that this is the Holograph instead of the
  reality?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>One thing about Physics to keep in mind.  It's often surprised us.  Physics has given us answers that physicists didn't expect many many times, perhaps more than any other field of study.  Physics is probably more likely to yank the rug of reality out from under us than any other field and with that in mind, it's not a subject to study if you want to feel secure in what you believe and know.    In the days after Newton, Physicists were very confident in what they knew and felt that nothing very new was out there, though the constant speed of light was a puzzle they'd not expected.  </p>

<p>Then Einstein came along and pretty much threw everybody's understanding out the window when he started to figure things out and not long after that, the quantum physicists came up with ideas that made Einstein's head spin and to which he directly disagreed.   After that the big bang was unexpected, background radiation was unexpected.  Dark matter was unexpected (except for maybe Fritz Zwicky) and dark energy was quite the surprise when it was discovered.</p>

<p>Being regularly surprised, of-course, doesn't make the hologram theory any more true or false, cause nobody knows, but good physicists these days try to keep an open mind to mathematically valid new ideas.</p>

<ul>
<li>my 2 cents as a hobbyist.  Hope that wasn't too long and off the point, and please, take what I say with a grain of salt.   I'm not an expert.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-28T20:51:12.413Z
Why do they think that it is our Universe that is the Holograph ? Why couldn't our Universe be reality and a Holograph exists of it somewhere else ? What makes them think that this is the Holograph instead of the reality ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-29T00:05:00.737Z
@PeterU, I'll edit my answer, try to answer your questions, though I'm not a professional physicist.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-29T19:10:36.333Z
This is all very hard for a non physicist to comprehend, that an object that falls into a Black Hole leaves a copy of itself on the outside. I still do not even understand why it is that they think this is so ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-29T19:22:21.443Z
Is this connected with the experiment that was done where they showed that a sub atomic particle can be in two places at the same time. Also that the particle can travel into the future to know where it has to be at the present time ?
Peter U
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-29T19:28:28.597Z
Not connected to 2 places at once.  It has to do mostly with time slowing down at the horizon.   If you're outside a black hole and you see a friend fall into it, as he gets closer to the horizon, his time moves slower and slower compared to yours and you see him fall slower and slower as a result, and he never (not ever) completely disappears, though he does spread out and grow fainter and reder.   What he sees as his time slows down is he sees the universe outside of the black hole move faster and faster.  It's sort of a trick with the light and time dilation, more than an actual copy.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-28T09:26:29.907Z
2015-09-29T03:11:07.390Z
2017-04-13T12:40:15.377Z
userLTK
<p>I watched a documentary where I heard some very strange theories that are difficult for me to comprehend. It is even difficult for me to explain what I heard. "Objects that fall into a black hole leave a copy of themselves outside the black hole." "We are not living in reality but in a hologram ." Does any of this make any sense to anyone ? O.K. so I went to check the title of this documentary because how can anyone explain it without knowing what I saw. "Fingerprints of God -the Dark Universe" this is the title. I do admit that I did sleep through a good part of it because it was almost 2:00 a.m. Also if anyone wants to watch it then look for it on youtube because that is where I saw it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-29T05:41:47.473Z
While there is a good question lurking within here, it is poorly posed and constructed.  userTLK's answer has several links to Physics.SE threads on the holographic priniciple.  The title question is closer to philosophical, and what can be said about it may best be handled on the Physics SE.  My understanding is that the current standing of the holographic principle is "plausible, and at least intriguing, but not so convincing as to be the principle model we use".
zibadawa timmy
<universe>
Is our Universe a hologram?
Peter U
# Is our Universe a hologram?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-09-27)

I watched a documentary where I heard some very strange theories that are difficult for me to comprehend. It is even difficult for me to explain what I heard. "Objects that fall into a black hole leave a copy of themselves outside the black hole." "We are not living in reality but in a hologram ." Does any of this make any sense to anyone ? O.K. so I went to check the title of this documentary because how can anyone explain it without knowing what I saw. "Fingerprints of God -the Dark Universe" this is the title. I do admit that I did sleep through a good part of it because it was almost 2:00 a.m. Also if anyone wants to watch it then look for it on youtube because that is where I saw it.

**Tags:** universe

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: While there is a good question lurking within here, it is poorly posed and constructed.  userTLK's answer has several links to Physics.SE threads on the holographic priniciple.  The title question is closer to philosophical, and what can be said about it may best be handled on the Physics SE.  My understanding is that the current standing of the holographic principle is "plausible, and at least intriguing, but not so convincing as to be the principle model we use".  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-09-28. Score: 6

I can't give a good answer but I did find the documentary and out of curiosity, watched some of it, skipped forward and found the hologram section you're talking about, it's at the end about 1:18:40 in. (I'm not going to post a link to the video cause I'm not sure it's correctly copyrighted by those who are showing it)

The video itself isn't bad, but it's basically a science channel level program, which is written to appeal to viewers and explanations are often over-simplified. This video in particular seemed to try to cover so much ground that it explains very little. But on the positive side, they have Brian Greene and Leonard Susskind discussing the hologram idea and those guys are both real physicists who've talked about this before. I don't think it's a main stream idea, just an idea that a few people like.

[Here's](http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/03-our-universe-may-be-a-giant-hologram) a magazine article on the subject and an excerpt from Brian Greene's book.

and [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DIl3Hfh9tY) Leonard Susskind giving a talk on the subject at Stanford, not at a class, more of a lecture cause he mentions that not everyone in attendance might be a physicist, but I've since watched his lecture and he makes a few of these points more clear, at least to me.

And [Here's](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/79198/what-are-the-implications-of-the-holographic-principle) a stack exchange question and answer on a similar subject. There's also no shortage of articles that can be found on the Holographic principal or the "universe is a hologram", though I think the first is a better set of words to search and the 2nd might lead you to some sub-par articles.

[Philip Gibbs - inactive's](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/79198/what-are-the-implications-of-the-holographic-principle/79246#79246) answer (also in the link above) on what the Holographic Principal implies is better than anything I could say about it, so I'd start there.

As a rule, it's a good idea to post links and if the video is 2 hours long, the specific time as well. YouTube links can also be removed so they're not ideal.

**Edit to answer questions.**

Had to think about this one a bit, and sometimes trying to answer "why" is opening a can of worms, but . . . here I go.

> Why do they think that it is our Universe that is the Holograph?

I'm not a fan of the theory myself and I'd guess that not all physicists agree with it either. One big problem with the theory is that it can't be proven, which really makes it more of a guess based off a mathematical model and not a good theory. One definition of a good theory is one that can be tested. If it can't be tested true or false, it's really more of an idea.

As for why Brian Greene likes the theory, you might need to ask him or search his interviews, but maybe he likes it so can sell books - I don't know. Maybe he likes the idea of the Universe being a Hologram. He's obviously a pretty smart guy. You don't get a PHD in physics and get recognition and invited to ted talks and all that by being dumb, but smart guys are wrong all the time when it comes to new theories. There's no evidence that this theory is true.

Now, I should point out that the Holographic principal as it applies to black holes and the information paradox, all that stuff is good and valid theoretical physics rooted in ideas we understand such as entropy and time dilation and red-shift. The Holographic principal seems a very reasonably deduced feature of black holes that also, cleverly answers the information paradox, but whether it can be extrapolated to apply to the entire universe is a whole different ball game and to me, it's basically a guess. Not much more.

> Why couldn't our Universe be reality and a Holograph exists of it
> somewhere else?

Well, I could say "you're right", but the truth is, you're just flipping around the question. The more relevant questions are whether the theory is true at all, and as I said above (and Susskind said in his video), whether it can be tested. Susskind's video is really quite good though he starts slowly, but if you're really interested in this it's worth watching.

> What makes them think that this is the Holograph instead of the
> reality?

One thing about Physics to keep in mind. It's often surprised us. Physics has given us answers that physicists didn't expect many many times, perhaps more than any other field of study. Physics is probably more likely to yank the rug of reality out from under us than any other field and with that in mind, it's not a subject to study if you want to feel secure in what you believe and know. In the days after Newton, Physicists were very confident in what they knew and felt that nothing very new was out there, though the constant speed of light was a puzzle they'd not expected.

Then Einstein came along and pretty much threw everybody's understanding out the window when he started to figure things out and not long after that, the quantum physicists came up with ideas that made Einstein's head spin and to which he directly disagreed. After that the big bang was unexpected, background radiation was unexpected. Dark matter was unexpected (except for maybe Fritz Zwicky) and dark energy was quite the surprise when it was discovered.

Being regularly surprised, of-course, doesn't make the hologram theory any more true or false, cause nobody knows, but good physicists these days try to keep an open mind to mathematically valid new ideas.

* my 2 cents as a hobbyist. Hope that wasn't too long and off the point, and please, take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm not an expert.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Why do they think that it is our Universe that is the Holograph ? Why couldn't our Universe be reality and a Holograph exists of it somewhere else ? What makes them think that this is the Holograph instead of the reality ?  
> **username_2**: @username_0, I'll edit my answer, try to answer your questions, though I'm not a professional physicist.  
> **username_0**: This is all very hard for a non physicist to comprehend, that an object that falls into a Black Hole leaves a copy of itself on the outside. I still do not even understand why it is that they think this is so ?  
> **username_0**: Is this connected with the experiment that was done where they showed that a sub atomic particle can be in two places at the same time. Also that the particle can travel into the future to know where it has to be at the present time ?  
> **username_2**: Not connected to 2 places at once.  It has to do mostly with time slowing down at the horizon.   If you're outside a black hole and you see a friend fall into it, as he gets closer to the horizon, his time moves slower and slower compared to yours and you see him fall slower and slower as a result, and he never (not ever) completely disappears, though he does spread out and grow fainter and reder.   What he sees as his time slows down is he sees the universe outside of the black hole move faster and faster.  It's sort of a trick with the light and time dilation, more than an actual copy.  

---

