I just heard Paul Davies, the author of the op-ed piece, interviewed on NPR the other day. He's a philosopher-scientist with some very subtle reasoning skills. I'm planning to pick-up his book: The Cosmic Jackpot: (subtitle here). --- hugheshugo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > From an op-ed by Paul Davies in the NY Times: > > > > > > > > >>The idea that the laws [of physics] exist > reasonlessly is deeply > anti-rational.>>> > > What physicists mean is that there is no "reason" > the laws of physics > are any particular way other than that if they were > different the > universe as we know it wouldn't exist and we > wouldn't be able to > ascribe reason to them. It's no absurdity, they > simply are as they > are, if that level didn't exist as it does our level > wouldn't exist > as it does and we wouldn't be around to say so. > > That's all that happens, we try to understand and > explain by using > reason, if a "law" fits for a while it is called a > scientific truth, > meaning that it's the most likely explanation for > the observable > facts, if new facts comes to light the "laws" > change. Nothing anti- > reason about it. The process is no mockery of > itself, we're still > learning. > > > > > After > > all, the very essence of a scientific explanation > of some > phenomenon > > is that the world is ordered logically and that > there are reasons > > things are as they are. If one traces these > reasons all the way > down > > to the bedrock of reality the laws of physics > only to find that > > reason then deserts us, it makes a mockery of > science. > > Can the mighty edifice of physical order we > perceive in the world > > about us ultimately be rooted in reasonless > absurdity? If so, then > > nature is a fiendishly clever bit of trickery: > meaninglessness and > > absurdity somehow masquerading as ingenious order > and rationality. > > > > Read the whole essay: > > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/24/opinion/24davies.html?ref=opinion > > http://tinyurl.com/2o9fc7 > > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Or go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > and click 'Join This Group!' > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/sports;_ylt=At9_qDKvtAbMuh1G1SQtBI7ntAcJ
