Recategorizing the Quark

Scientists understand a lot about the properties of quarks. However, there is much they don't know. For example, none of them truly understands what one is made of. They agree that they’re made of energy, but they don't know what energy is. I'm going to discuss some of the properties of quarks and argue that a quark has some unusual, mystical properties that distinguish it from a baseball.

This video might make some of you angry. Although a quark is a very scientific term, what I'm proposing is a philosophical concept that attempts to see the universe in a new light. If you believe my idea is incorrect, please explain why in the comments section.

The nucleus of an atom contains quarks, which are the building blocks of protons and neutrons. Electrons surround the nucleus, completing the atom. Thus, quarks and electrons are the fundamental building blocks of your world. They are commonly referred to as elementary particles, but I dislike the term "particles” because it implies that they are small, solid components of larger entities.

You've seen a baseball and probably held one in your hands. It is roughly spherical, with an edge and solidity. After holding it, or something similar, you develop an intuitive sense of it. Thus, when you think of it being made of something, you probably envision tiny pieces like it. It's strange that quarks and electrons are so different.

You might also believe that, similar to how the moon orbits the earth, an electron orbits the nucleus of an atom. However, macro-level concepts do not apply to elementary pieces. They are very different from little bbs buzzing around. Quarks and electrons are far more mysterious than you might imagine. Take a closer look at what we currently know about quarks.

A quark has no size. It's a point in space. A proton is made up of three quarks, and the size of a proton is known, so you can assume that a quark is smaller than a proton. However, the exact size does not apply.

A quark also lacks shape. They are not an extended object in space, like a blob that constantly reforms itself and has no discernible shape. It lacks shape because it is a zero-dimensional point like in mathematics. A sphere happens to be the simplest shape that can be formed around a point, which is why they are frequently drawn that way. However, it is more appropriate to consider them as having a "sphere" of influence or interaction with other elementary pieces.

Consider a quark more like this. Imagine that four members of The Water Project travel to Kenya to construct a well for a village. They work for a few weeks to complete the project of providing the people there with clean and safe water. During that time, the four volunteers are showing the people of the town a great kindness.

If I asked you to describe the size or shape of the kindness, you would be at a loss. You would argue that those descriptors don't apply to kindness. Kindness is not a size or shape-related concept, it’s in a different category. It is something that has an effect on everything around it but can't be seen or measured like a baseball.

A quark appears to be far more like kindness than a tiny baseball. It’s a size-less, shapeless entity that can only be observed through its influence on the other things.

Scientists started many years ago with a foundation of analyzing the world by studying macro events such as planet orbits, baseball velocities, and pool ball collisions. It’s not surprising  that approaching a quark, they make a categorical error. 

The same mistake occurs when they consider the mind and brain as distinct categorical entities. They can't see or explain the connection between them. However, if your brain is made up of quarks that are more akin to kindness than bbs, it appears that the distance between the brain and the mind is much closer than they perceive.