🚀 go-pugleaf

"charliew" <charliew@hal-pc.org> writes:

> [1  <text/plain; iso-8859-1 (quoted-printable)>]
> 
> Alan McGowen wrote in message <37E684FF.81B159A2@cup.hp.com>...
>     charliew wrote: 
>     There is a hidden assumption in this whole subject line.  The assumption is 
>         that there is an absolute "truth" that science can ultimately answer, if we 
>         pursue science long enough.  This way of looking at the world is probably 
>         flawed.
>         Let's bear in mind that a truth is  a  (necessarily finite) *description* of objective 
>     reality, and as such,  has a *resolution* or *precision*. It only makes sense to 
>     ask whether a map of the Himalayas is accurate at its scale of resolution, not 
>     at "infinitely fine" scales. 
>     (cut)
>     
>     charliew replies:
>     
>     I think you completely missed my point.  If you study such things as special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics, you quickly start realizing that the term "objective reality" is not really so objective after all.  Therefore, an "accurate" description of a somewhat subjective reality cannot be claimed to be an absolute truth.  In many ways, my "argument" has very little to do with *precision*.  If you don't believe me, merely go into the appropriate relativity text, and look up various descriptions of "simultaneity".  If you manage to understand the implications of what you read, I'll wager that you will not see reality as being so "objective" after all.  The most amazing thing about this line of reasoning is the fact that such non-intuitive results are derived from such apparently advanced science.

I took courses in relativity and quantum mechanics.  Informed opinions
differ about the Bohr somewhat subjective interpretation of quantum
mechanics, but I hold with those who regard quantum mechanics as
strange but objective, e.g. the Everett interpretation.  _Physics
Today_ had a recent exchange of opinions on the subject.

-- 
John McCarthy, Computer Science Department, Stanford, CA 94305
http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.