> ----- Original Message ----- > From: Patrick Leahy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Alastair Malcolm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: EverythingList <everything-list@eskimo.com> > Sent: 24 May 2005 22:10 > Subject: Re: White Rabbit vs. Tegmark > . >[Patrick:] > > This is very reminiscent of Lewis' argument. Have you read his book? IIRC > > he claims that you can't actually put a measure (he probably said: you > > can't define probabilities) on a countably infinite set, precisely because > > of Cantor's pairing arguments. Which seems plausible to me. > [Alastair:] > It seems to depend on whether one can find an intrinsic ordering (or > something similar), such that relative frequency comes into play (so prime > numbers *would* be less likely to be hit).
An example occurs which might be of help. Let us say that the physics of the universe is such that in the Milky Way galaxy, carbon-based SAS's outnumber silicon-based SAS's by a trillion to one. Wouldn't we say that the inhabitants of that galaxy are more likely to find themselves as carbon-based? Now extrapolate this to any large, finite number of galaxies. The same likelihood will pertain. Now surely all the statistics don't just go out of the window if the universe happens to be infinite rather than large and finite? Alastair