Galt's Gulch

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  • Posted by johnmahler 11 years, 2 months ago
    I would replace human perception of time. Sequentiality as opposed to history and prophesy; which is what consideration of time realizes. Tense is only a grammatical construct for ordering sequential events within printed word. Other terms are meaningless across the mean of time in an infinite Universe.
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  • Posted by JBW 11 years, 2 months ago
    Friends.

    The physics we have now is OK except that they have added fantasy to it and expect that we accept that, too, as physics. E.g., an Expanding Universe; Black Holes; a limited Universe; etc, etc, in the other diciplines. But: As Ayn Rand observes, in her philosophy, "Existence is an axiomatic concept" and all flows from that fact, whether intellectually or physically.

    Existence exists. It this is so, existence exists everywhere, in all directions to infinity. And, if it exists now it must have existed from an eternity past and will presumably exist for an eternity into the future. Furthermore, if it exists now, despite an eternity of the burning of galaxies, there must be a mechanism throughout that renews these galaxies at an efficiency of 100%. This describes the Universe we should be searching for. It precludes magic. And all must be totally reasonable.

    Any of you who may be interested in a paper I've written having to do with just such a Universe, please write me at jamesburtonwright@gmail.com.

    Jim Wright



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    • Posted by dbhalling 11 years, 2 months ago
      Hi Jim,

      I think there are a number of problems in modern physics and I don't appear to be the only one. There are several books on point. Including Carver Meads, which I have not read yet.

      I agree with you about existing infinitely, but Rand and some objectivists have problems with infinite things.

      What is your concern with Black holes? Infinite point masses?

      Infinite sets are not all equal, so I am not sure about the 100% efficiency of galaxies. But I also not sure the 2nd law of thermodynamics makes any sense in an infinite universe.

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      • Posted by JBW 11 years, 2 months ago
        As for infinity or eternity consider: "Existence cannot be juxtaposed with non-existence (out there some where) either in space or in time." Reason demands that existence is and was.

        Try "Cosmological Musings" via Google.

        Jim Wright
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 11 years, 2 months ago
    I would change nothing about physics. A = A. However, I might change how it is taught. Rush Limbaugh has often remarked about "making the complex understandable". That is a rare gift that I use as often as I can.
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    • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 2 months ago
      Where were you when I was in school? oh yeah, probably not born yet.
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      • Posted by $ jbrenner 11 years, 2 months ago
        I'm only 47, Herb. I probably wasn't born yet. Making the complex understandable generally isn't the way most college professors work. They think that their objective is to make the complex obscure to protect their positions of Robert Stadler-like academic authority.
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        • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 2 months ago
          It's truly a wonder that I ever got through school at all. With a few notable exceptions I was always at war with my teachers. One of the reasons, I understand now, is what you just expressed. At the time, I thought that either there was something wrong with the teachers or something wrong with me.
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          • Posted by $ jbrenner 11 years, 2 months ago
            I was at war with my teachers, too. A couple of times I challenged them to let me teach the class. Needless to say, the students said they learned more from me than they did the rest of the time.
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            • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 2 months ago
              I never had quite that much nerve. I did challenge an Economics prof. who defined socialism as follows: "It cuts off the top and bottom of the economic ladder." It was so stupid that I remember it to this day. I started going into the means of production from the meager knowledge I had at that time, but was shut down at once. I got a good grade , but I think only because he didn't want to get me in his class again.
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              • Posted by $ jbrenner 11 years, 2 months ago
                My favorite story is when I looked at my friend and asked him whether I should ask to teach the class. We were in first grade, and the teacher had made three mistakes of 9 + 9 or less in the last couple of days. Needless to say, I got paddled, and enjoyed getting it.
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  • Posted by $ DriveTrain 11 years, 2 months ago
    I would only change it to make warp drive and transporters possible.

    Hey, once a geek, always a geek, and "I'm gonna wave my geek flag high," as Jimi put it. Kinda.

    But yes, a wish is just as valuable as a wish - which is to say: not very - and in context of wanting to change physics, a wish for a shortcut to effort. IOW, I'm confident we'll get something very much like ST's warp drive (it's already in the works, with promising prospects - http://www.geekologie.com/2012/09/to-inf... ) and maybe even a matter-transporter, though this latter would raise some interesting dilemmas vis-à-vis bank vaults (or any other store of valuables, like one's home or business,) teenagers and the opposing sex's locker rooms, etc.
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  • Posted by Madanthonywayne 11 years, 2 months ago
    Not sure if this would be a change or if we just haven't figured it out yet, but with a universe this vast; to not have faster than light travel seems like a waste.
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  • Posted by BradA 11 years, 2 months ago
    It might be interesting to eliminate the 1st law of thermodynamics (you can't get more energy out of a system than you put in - conservation of energy). Our evolution is a direct corollary of the scarcity of resources which follows from this law. I often wonder what things would look like if there wasn't a constant competition for various scarce resources.
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  • Posted by MBar1956 11 years, 2 months ago
    Would work to show terrestrial science that properties such as inertia and that many of the observable "laws" that apply to and on this planet do not necessarily apply beyond earth
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 11 years, 2 months ago
    The essence of genius is the ability to isolate simple rules from the complex chaos presented to our senses.This is the reason that we study Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein but don't study Buridan. This professor seems to be substituting subjectivism for objectivism. I'm with you pre, the one we got is tough enough.
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  • Posted by starguy 11 years, 2 months ago
    Nobel Prize winning physicist T.D. Lee wrote a book in the 1980's (Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory) that outline the concept that the so-called "constants of nature" COULD be engineered.

    Interesting thought.
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  • Posted by barwick11 11 years, 2 months ago
    Are you kidding? The creator of the laws of this universe is so infinitely more wise and intelligent than I am that I wouldn't dare touch a single thing, lest I break the whole of creation.

    Seriously, the way everything is so intricately balanced and tweaked, if one little aspect was off by just a few fractions of a percent, we wouldn't have things like stars... it's really really incredible.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 11 years, 2 months ago
    I would formulate a system allowing you to step "outside" of time in order to travel through space many times faster than the speed of light. However, I fear that programs of this sort can have the effect of the user eschewing reality by acquiring god-like powers that make reality seem dull. It could be easy to slip into unreality and get lost there. Also, I don't think that this program is for the weak minded or unimaginative, but the smarter you are, the more susceptible you'd be. Look art me -- I just got sucked in at my very first sentence. Wouldn't everyone like to be Alice if you could
    control the wonders?
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