On 2/2/2012 12:32 AM, meekerdb wrote:
On 2/1/2012 8:34 PM, Stephen P. King wrote:
On 2/1/2012 8:08 PM, meekerdb wrote:
On 2/1/2012 12:35 PM, Stephen P. King wrote:
On 2/1/2012 10:57 AM, Jason Resch wrote:
On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 10:47 PM, meekerdb <meeke...@verizon.net
<mailto:meeke...@verizon.net>> wrote:
On 1/31/2012 8:43 PM, Jason Resch wrote:
Regarding the "philosopher's nothing":
This present moment exists, and it has no cause since our
universe is a four dimensional structure (time is a
subjective phenomenon). This timeless existence of this
moment establishes that "nothingness" cannot exist. In
short: It is an impossible state. The question then becomes:
"Why should this present moment exist, and what else might
also exist?" So far, the answer suggested by our latest
discoveries and reasoning suggests: a lot.
Jason
Or to paraphrase Quine: What is there? Everything. So what
isn't there? Nothing.
Brent
I don't quite agree with that paraphrasing. My point was that
there is no such thing as a philosopher's nothing, not that
everything exists. Such a leap would require the additional
assumption that "Nothingness" is only thing that does not exist.
All I said was that "nothingness" is an impossible state. This is
the conclusion of accepting a four-dimensional/atemporal
existence, as suggested by relativity.
Jason
Hi Jason and Brent,
I hope that you both realize that the "four dimensional
structure" does not take QM into account as SR assumes that
observables all commute and there is no Plank's constant. Why this
is not more widely understood is mysterious to me! It is as if a
simple error keeps being repeated over and over and no one has the
temerity to point it out and offer a correction. Maybe people want
the idea to be true so they ignore the inconvenient facts.
Onward!
Stephen
I'm not sure what your point is. QFT is done the "four dimensional
structure". Or are you complaining that we haven't considered the
yet-to-be-discovered quantum theory of gravity/spacetime?
Brent
--
Hi Brent,
Take a look at exactly what is going on in QFT. Yes, a *flat*
Minkowskian 3,1 space-time is used for the base space of the
fiber-bundle structure that is used in the QFT calculations, but this
is a small hypervolume. The QFT_does not work_ when it is extended to
large areas or situations where curvature is involved.
That's going to come as a shock to Robert Wald, author of "Quantum
Field Theory in Curved Spacetime and Black Hole Thermodynamics"
http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Spacetime-Thermodynamics-Chicago-Lectures/dp/0226870278/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1328160695&sr=8-5
wherein he derives Hawking radiation due to spacetime curvature and
Unruh radiation from the existence of a horizon.
Brent
Hi Brent,
Hey, I am fallible, I was getting my information from Sunny
Auyang's book "How is Quantum Field Theory Possible?
<http://www.amazon.com/How-Quantum-Field-Theory-Possible/dp/0195093453/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328161383&sr=1-1>",
but let me ask you a question. In the derivation of Hawking Radiation,
is it assumed that virtual particles "feel" gravity?
Onward!
Stephen
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