On 08 Nov 2013, at 13:36, Roger Clough wrote:
I need some help.
Yesterday I made the claim that strings
are massless and so are nonphysical (mental, by my definition).
But you can show theoretically that strings have mass, based on
line tension and other variables. So is mass physical ?
Unless I am mistaken, mass is always defined in terms of other
variables,
much like in a dictionary words are defined in terms of other words..
For example, m = E/c^2, where E is energy and c is the speed of light.
But energy is the ability to do work, which in turn is defined as
W = F*d, where F is a force moved through distance d. But
Force is mass*acceleration. So we are back wihere we started,
since m =E/c*2.
To me this means that we must empirically define some force
like the weight of a selected and saved lump of lead as say a Newton
of force,
and a length given by some metal rule to be saved, and proceed from
there.
To me this means that all physical variables are actually nonphysical
(theoretical or mental).
Such argument would be convincing if all physical unities disappear.
A less invalid argument would consist in pointing on the fact that
physicists only measure relations between numbers, and invoke
"physical" unities as part of what is inferred. This means just that
"primitive" matter is already a theoretical inference (that we do
instinctively, which is why some people take time to grasp this).
But again, that would not logically entail complete immaterialism,
without begging the question by interpreting the unities in some ad
hoc way.
Which is the basic foundation of idealism or platonism.
Everything, even mass, is mental in the sense of being theoretical
or mathematical. Is this correct ?
It is, if you assume comp, for very specific reasons, that I have
explained on this list, but you can find again by looking at the
papers nin my URL. Notably:
http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/publications/SANE2004MARCHALAbstract.html
Of course, I am aware that you don't like comp, but you might not have
realized the impact of the discovery of the (mathematical) notion of
universal machine.
Bruno
Dr. Roger B Clough NIST (ret.) [1/1/2000]
See my Leibniz site at
http://independent.academia.edu/RogerClough
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