DM: Sure the greatest set is all things possible with no limits, this can be divided for us into what may be possible forour cosmos and what is impossible for it -this is very simple to understand or else you are not following me. The actual is a subset of all that is possible for this cosmos that actually occurs. I chuck a dice, six possible faces up are possible, at this moment only one will become actual to understand what 'six I win' means is to accept that it was possible for a six to become the actual result but that there were also five other possibilities that have not been actualised for this moment-event. I am saying here nothing that is at all difficult or even very arguable.
[Krimel] I think the problem I have is this notion of possibility with out limits which is what I take Ham's absolute potential to mean. This would allow for a universe where two things occupy the same space at the same time or where 6=9. Even if you allow for a multiverse in which different universes are allowed to evolve from differing sets of physical laws each set of such laws defines or sets limits on what is possible within it. The point of a metaphysics is to look for sets of rules hold or set limits on what is required to have any set of physical rules at all. I would say uncertainty (Quality) is such a metaphysical law. Stasis (SQ) and change (DQ) would make my list. But I have a pretty short list. In your dice example there are six possibilities that a measurable or worth wagering on. I would argue these are the only ones worth concerning ourselves with. They have 'probability.' But there are many other possibilities. Even without violating the laws of physics where we toss the dice and it keeps going up or appealing to some weird quantum effect were all of the particles in the dice simultaneously vanish. The dice could land balanced on any of its eight corners or stand on any of its 12 edges. Those are 20 'possibilities' but beyond acknowledging that they 'could' happen it is safe to ignore them. DM: A probability is a measure of possibility is it not? [Krimel] Yes my only point is that I don't regard probabilities beyond say one in a trillion to really be possibilities in any meaningful sense. Or are we just arguing about decimal places? Sure enough monkeys with enough typewriters and enough time can produce Shakespeare but if the amount of time is longer than the expected lifespan of the known universe I'm not paying in advance for a first edition. Having said this I want to be quick to point out that I am not dismissing the value of the events that have even very low probabilities. I think we are just haggling over price here. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
