Matter is commonly referred to as the substance of which physical objects are composed. It constitutes the observable Universe. According to the theory of relativity there is no distinction between matter and energy, because matter can be converted to energy (see annihilation), and vice versa (see matter creation). Philosophically, matter constitutes the formless substratum of all things, which exists only potentially and from which reality is produced. In the sense of cont ...

Including:

• Matter - Matter in Science

Read more here: » Matter: Encyclopedia - Matter

Read more here: » White matter: Encyclopedia - White matter

In physics, it is everything that is constituted of elementary fermions. Matter occupies space and has mass. It is composed predominantly of atoms, which consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons. All gauge bosons (of which the photon is one), which mediate the four fundamental forces, are not considered matter, even though they certainly have energy and some also mass. Matter thus consists of quarks and leptons. There are six types of quarks (strange, charm, top, bottom, up, and down) which combine to form hadrons, primarily baryon ...

See also:

Matter, Matter - Matter in Science

Read more here: » Matter: Encyclopedia II - Matter - Matter in Science

Some Gnostics, again in common with such Neoplatonic philosophers as Plotinus, held matter to be evil, but only as a method of depicting its extreme distance from the monadic source of the universe (which is, of course, supremely good). Thus matter is not evil in and of itself, but only in its distance from and its contrast to its monadic source (compare summum bonum). Many Gnostics also made use of ritual; these rituals being the manipulation of material objects in imitation of divine events or occurrences, this presupposes at least the abi ...

See also:

Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Matter

Some Gnostics, again in common with such Neoplatonic philosophers as Plotinus, held matter to be evil, but only as a method of depicting its extreme distance from the monadic source of the universe (which is, of course, supremely good). Thus matter is not evil in and of itself, but only in its distance from and its contrast to its monadic source (compare summum bonum). Many Gnostics also made use of ritual; these rituals being the manipulation of material objects in imitation of divine events or occurrences, this presupposes at least the abi ...

See also:

Gnosticism, Gnosticism - Overview, Gnosticism - Etymology, Gnosticism - Background and origins of gnosticism, Gnosticism - Theology and cosmology, Gnosticism - The classic gnostic myth, Gnosticism - The Valentinian Gnostic creation myth, Gnosticism - Matter, Gnosticism - Gnostic conceptions of humanity, Gnosticism - Lifestyle, Gnosticism - Gnostic sects, Gnosticism - Sources, Gnosticism - Gnostic texts, Gnosticism - Notable Gnostics, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in modern times, Gnosticism - Gnosticism in popular culture

Read more here: » Gnosticism: Encyclopedia II - Gnosticism - Matter

Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the DNA, presented what he called the “Astonishing Hypothesis”: Human behaviour is merely the sum of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. But, can human consciousness be explained in physical terms?

Those who embrace challenge the validity of Crick’s astonishing hypothesis.

Scientists, however, claim that mind and consciousness are only a pack of neurons, made up of a chain of lifeless molecules and atoms. Therefore, it can be fully explained in terms of “lower level sciences” of chemistry and physics.

(See also: Consciousness, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

edit In cosmology, dark matter refers to hypothetical matter particles, of unknown composition, that do not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be detected directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter such as stars and galaxies. The dark matter hypothesis aims to explain several anomalous astronomical observations, such as anomalies in the rotational speed of galaxies (the galaxy rotation problem). Estimates of the amount of matter present in galaxies, ...

Including:

• Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter
• Dark matter - Galactic rotation
• Dark matter - Structure formation
• Dark matter - Composition
• Dark matter - Alternative explanations
• Dark matter - Dark matter in popular culture

Read more here: » Dark matter: Encyclopedia - Dark matter

We shall now take it for granted that matter, physical objects, the external world exist e.g. that there is a real table which exists independently of our sensations and of which the sensed qualities are the appearances.

The question is then: What is that matter like? To this question science provides one answer and it is very different from the answer of common sense belief.

(See also: Metaphysics, Metaphysical Principles, Definition of Metaphysics, Metaphysical Techniques, Miracles, Creating Miracles Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, Peace of Mind, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Results of recent studies published in the British Journal of Psychiatry pronounce that diet has a direct bearing on the behaviour of juvenile delinquents. Certain types of food brought about - though very gradually - distinct changes in the behavioural pattern of the delinquents.

Foods affect animal behaviour as well. For instance, a dog fed on raw meat for any length of time turns out to be more ferocious than a similar breed fed on vegetarian foods. Sastras explain that mind is also matter, albeit subtle, and, like the body, is nourished by food. The Chandogya Upanishad says: "Mind consists of food, prana (life force) of water and speech of fire."

(See also: Body mind and soul, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic physical properties of matter. In particular, it is concerned with the "condensed" phases that appear whenever the number of constituents in a system is extremely large and the interactions between the constituents are strong. The most familiar examples of condensed phases are solids and liquids, which arise from the electric force between atoms. More exotic condensed phases include the superfluid and the Bose-Einstein condensate found in certain atomic s ...

Including:

• Condensed matter physics - Topics in condensed matter physics

Read more here: » Condensed matter physics: Encyclopedia - Condensed matter physics

Our fixed point of reference is the existence of our sense data, and what they are like.

But the existence of the Self, the 'subject' of those sense data, is as questionable as that of the physical objects, the 'objects' of those sense data.

Different people looking at the same thing consider the physical object as accounting for the unity of various perspectives.

This begs the question, as to whether anything at all exists beyond my sense data.

(See also: Metaphysics, Metaphysical Principles, Definition of Metaphysics, Metaphysical Techniques, Miracles, Creating Miracles Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, Peace of Mind, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Cold dark matter (or CDM) is a refinement of the big bang theory that contains the additional assumption that most of the matter in the Universe consists of material which cannot be observed by its electromagnetic radiation and hence is dark while at the same time the particles making up this matter are slowly moving and hence are cold. As of 2004, most cosmologists favor the cold dark matter theory as a description of how the universe went from a smooth initial state at early times (as shown by the cosmic microwave background radiation), to the lumpy distribution of galaxies and their clusters we s ...

Read more here: » Cold dark matter: Encyclopedia - Cold dark matter

Arthurian legend or the Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, especially those centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. The twelfth century French poet Jean Bodel created the name in a chanson de geste he wrote, the Chanson de Saisnes, in which appear the lines: Ne sont que iii matières à nul homme atandant, De France et de Bretaigne, et de Rome la grant. (There are but 3 literary cycles that no one should be without: the ...

Including:

• Matter of Britain - Themes and subjects
• Matter of Britain - Legendary history of Britain
• Matter of Britain - The Arthurian cycle
• Matter of Britain - Characters and subjects
• Matter of Britain - Legendary kings and founders
• Matter of Britain - Arthur and his entourage
• Matter of Britain - Knights of the Round Table
• Matter of Britain - Other important figures
• Matter of Britain - Noteworthy authors
• Matter of Britain - Medieval
• Matter of Britain - Modern
• Matter of Britain - Anonymous
• Matter of Britain - References and sources

Read more here: » Matter of Britain: Encyclopedia - Matter of Britain

matter: Substance, especially of the physical world. May also refer to all of manifest existence, including the subtle, nonphysical dimensions.

See: maya.

(See also: Matter, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

In 1913, Norwegian explorer and physicist Kristian Birkeland may have been the first to predict that space is not only a plasma, but also contains "dark matter". He wrote: "It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. We have assumed that each stellar system in evolutions throws off electric corpuscles into space. It does not seem unreasonable therefore to think that the greater part of the material masses in the universe is found, not in the solar systems ...

See also:

Dark matter, Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter, Dark matter - Galactic rotation, Dark matter - Structure formation, Dark matter - Composition, Dark matter - Alternative explanations, Dark matter - Dark matter in popular culture

Read more here: » Dark matter: Encyclopedia II - Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter

Data from galaxy rotation curves indicate that nearly 90% of the mass of a galaxy cannot be seen. It can only be detected by its gravitational effect. Several categories of dark matter have been postulated. Hot dark matter Warm dark matter Cold dark matter Baryonic dark matter Hot dark matter consists of particles that travel with relativistic velocities. One kind of hot dark matter is known, the neutrino. Neutrinos have a very small mass, do not interact via either the electromagnetic or ...

See also:

Dark matter, Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter, Dark matter - Galactic rotation, Dark matter - Structure formation, Dark matter - Composition, Dark matter - Alternative explanations, Dark matter - Dark matter in popular culture

Read more here: » Dark matter: Encyclopedia II - Dark matter - Composition

Data from a number of lines of evidence, including galaxy rotation curves, gravitational lensing, structure formation, and the fraction of baryons in clusters and the cluster abundance combined with independent evidence for the baryon density, indicate that 85-90% of the mass in the universe does not interact with the electromagnetic force. This "dark matter" is evident through its gravitational effect. Several categories of dark matter have been postulated. Hot dark matter Warm dark matter Cold dark ...

See also:

Dark matter, Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter, Dark matter - Galactic rotation, Dark matter - Structure formation, Dark matter - Composition, Dark matter - Alternative explanations, Dark matter - Dark matter in popular culture

Read more here: » Dark matter: Encyclopedia II - Dark matter - Composition

The organization was founded in 2001 by NBA player and Colgate alumnus Adonal Foyle, with the assistance of his parents Jay Mandle (professor of economics at Colgate) and Joan Mandle (professor emeritus of sociology at Colgate). For reasons in beginning Democracy Matters, please see Ms. Mandle's "Why We Need Reform". Democracy Matters - Adonal Foyle. The NBA has twice recognized Foyle for his commitment to democracy with nationally televised presentations of their “Community Assist Award.” The Greenlin ...

See also:

Democracy Matters, Democracy Matters - Origins, Democracy Matters - Adonal Foyle, Democracy Matters - Tackling Corruption, Democracy Matters - Cleaning Up Our Elections, Democracy Matters - Campaign Finance Reform, Democracy Matters - Clean Elections, Democracy Matters - Differences Between CFR & CE, Democracy Matters - Opponents of Campaign Finance Reform, Democracy Matters - Raising Awareness, Democracy Matters - Growth

Read more here: » Democracy Matters: Encyclopedia II - Democracy Matters - Origins

The first few pages tell of Nariman's subjection to increasing decay in physical health and stinging insults (revolving around his cost of medicine, lack of space and privacy, the daily routine of bedpans and urinals, sponge baths and bedsores) from his step-daughter. Very soon, the focus shifts to Roxana's household. With Nariman's inclusion, however, deterioration and decay creep into it. As Yezad comes to centre stage for the following part of the book, the author explores the problems faced by an average middle class family. Financial problems lure hi ...

See also:

Family Matters, Family Matters - Plot, Family Matters - External link

Read more here: » Family Matters: Encyclopedia II - Family Matters - Plot

An alternative to dark matter is to suppose that the inconsistencies are due to an incomplete understanding of gravitation. One task could be given through the need of conciling gravitation with quantum mechanics and to explain mass and its creation (Higgs) within gravitation, as in some scalar-tensor theories, which couple scalar fields like the Higgs field to the curvature given through the Riemann tensor or its traces. In many of such theories, the scalar field equals the inflaton field, which is needed in some theories for explaining the inflation of the universe after the Big Bang, as t ...

See also:

Dark matter, Dark matter - Evidence for dark matter, Dark matter - Galactic rotation, Dark matter - Structure formation, Dark matter - Composition, Dark matter - Alternative explanations, Dark matter - Dark matter in popular culture

Read more here: » Dark matter: Encyclopedia II - Dark matter - Alternative explanations