posted
Dagsie, thou speakest humbug. There is a finite amount of energy in the Universe, and its configurations are quantised. Therefore there is a limit to the number of facts in the Universe, and it is possible to enumerate them. To be sure you'd need a nice compression algorithm. Nevertheless, the Universe is in principle knowable.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Nope - the organizing of the facts themselves would change the configuration of the universe.
Further, while I believe in the soundness of quantum theory, I have zero confidence that there's not something "deeper" we haven't yet discovered. Even if there isn't, we clearly can't know things outside out space-time cone, right?
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
If you are referring to hidden variables, they are refuted by Bell inequality unless they get seriously weird. And since our space-time cone includes the entire Universe if you wait long enough, that's not much of a limitation.
Also, note that I said 'it is possible to enumerate all allowed configurations of the Universe'. The Universe in which a large part of the energy has been used in that enumeration is a conceivable configuration, yes. That doesn't in any way change the original assertion.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm not talking about "hidden variables." I'm talking about a new paradigm as fundamentally altering of our view of the world as quantum mechanics and relativity were.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Such a theory would have to include quantum mechanics. In any case, how does that invalidate what I said?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Because I don't think we'll ever be to the point where such a revolutionary discovery is not forthcoming.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
No I don't - I don't believe there are finite configurations. I certainly don't believe they are knowable, even theoretically.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Then we must either agree to disagree, or begin arguing from authority. It won't matter in either of our lifetimes.
However, I will make a slightly less general prediction : The inflationary theory will be straightened out in our lifetimes. That is, we will have a good understanding of the mechanism, extent, and duration of inflation, arising from a fuller exploration of physics at TeV energies.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
skillery and I went around for a while about a finite versus infinitely knowable universe in this thread. Just in case you were interested in other people's arguments on it.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
quote: creationists suggest that most dinosaurs died as a result of the great flood described in Genesis 6-8. Dinosaur types which were preserved on the ark probably faced severe climate changes following the flood.
from the answersingenesis website. That's a first for me, I'v never heard of anybody saying there were dinos on the Ark. I'd've hated to have been the stable boy on that trip.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
The Anthropic Principle has been used by both sides in debates, with varying degrees of logic and applicibility.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
So it was all just speculation, with no paper submitted to a journal? Then what a waste of 4 pages of discussion...oh, wait. We hardly stayed on topic anyway, no harm no foul. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Evil Laugh]](graemlins/evillaugh.gif)
