Dark Matter and the Unconscious

Sasha Manu
5 min readOct 19, 2018

The structural similarities between Carl Jung’s conception of the unconscious and the Dark Matter paradigm in modern cosmology

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Particle Physics Primer

According to our best physics, there are four fundamental interactions in the universe. The strongest of the four is aptly named the Strong Nuclear Force. This interaction dominates short range phenomena, and is the reason why positively charged protons are held together in the nuclei of atoms. The next force is Electromagnetism — one we are very well acquainted with. This interaction is the reason why our hands can’t go through walls, and why opposite charges attract. Next is the Weak Nuclear Force — responsible for the radioactive beta decay certain elements undergo. All of the above forces are mediated by the exchange of particles, meaning that in order to experience a force — the corresponding ‘force carrying’ particle must be exchanged. This class of particles are known as Gauge Bosons. Important for our coming discussion is the following fact: the force carrying particle associated with electromagnetism is the photon. This means that if something does not interact electromagnetically, it will not give off photons, and thus will not give off visible light.

Gravity

The final, and most perplexing of the four forces is Gravity. We have yet to discover its force…

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Sasha Manu

MA Buddhist Studies | BSc Physics | RYT200 | Newsletter @ apsis.substack.com | Personal Site @ sashamanu.com