Thread: SB:http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.science.philosophy.peirce/15878 JA:http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.science.philosophy.peirce/15879 SB:http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.science.philosophy.peirce/15880
Søren, List, Oh, of course, it was nice to be reminded, and that inspired me to scan through a sample of what had been said before, plus I'm really fond of that particular quote I featured on my blog, and I thought the glancing review from NPR was kind of interesting: http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2013/06/01/wherefore-aught/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/05/02/180037757/is-time-real To my way of thinking, the whole thing is really a pseudo-issue. Saying that "the laws of physics evolve" means nothing more than "the laws of physics are not what we used to think they were", which historically speaking is just the usual case. To say that "the laws of physics evolve" is just to say that the laws of physics we know contain parameters that we used to believe were constants but now we believe are variables, and all that does is initiate an inquiry into the laws that rule the time evolution of those variables. Which is again just another variation on the usual theme. The form of inquiry itself persists. Regards, Jon On 3/20/2015 5:46 AM, Søren Brier wrote:
Jon Thanks. I just wanted to remind Steven that an eminent modern physicist found it possible to uphold his position while having a view close to Peirce's. Søren -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: Jon Awbrey [mailto:[email protected]] Sendt: 19. marts 2015 15:32 Til: Søren Brier; Steven Ericsson-Zenith; Edwina Taborsky Cc: Jerry LR Chandler; Peirce List Emne: Re: A System Of Analytic Mechanics Re: Søren Brier At: http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.science.philosophy.peirce/15878 Søren, List, Smolin's 'Time Reborn' was the subject, or at least the instigation, of much discussion here and there around the web a couple years ago. From a cursory search, I think it was Michael Shapiro who broached the topic on the Peirce List, inciting discussions that went on for the rest of the summer: https://list.iupui.edu/sympa/arc/peirce-l/2013-05/msg00028.html I recall blogging on it and adding a quote from Peirce in connection with a discussion on a blog devoted to computational complexity and the theory of computation: http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/2013/06/01/wherefore-aught/ Regards, Jon On 3/19/2015 2:13 AM, Søren Brier wrote:Dear Steven Are you aware of the work of Unger and Smolin where they argue for the evolution of laws? The Singular Universe….THE SINGULAR UNIVERSE AND THE REALITY OF TIME Cambridge University Press, November 30, 2014. Synopsis This is a book on the nature of time and the basic laws of nature. We argue for the inclusive reality of time as well as for the mutability of the laws of nature. We seek to breathe new life and meaning into natural philosophy –- a form of reasoning that crosses the boundaries between science and philosophy. The work should appeal to a broad educated readership as well as to scientists and philosophers. It is not a popularization, but neither does it use a technical vocabulary that would restrict it to specialized readers. The subjects that it addresses are of paramount interest to people in many disciplines outside cosmology and physics. In the twentieth century, physics and cosmology overturned the idea of an unchanging background of time and space. In so doing, however, they maintained the idea of an immutable framework of laws of nature. This second idea must now also be attacked and replaced. What results is a new picture of the agenda of physics and cosmology as well as of the methods of fundamental science. The book develops four inter-related themes: 1) There is only one universe at a time. Our universe is not one of many worlds. It has no copy or complete model, even in mathematics. The current interest in multiverse cosmologies is based on fallacious reasoning. 2) Time is real, and indeed the only aspect of our description of nature which is not emergent or approximate. The inclusive reality of time has revolutionary implications for many of our conventional beliefs. 3) Everything evolves in this real time including laws of nature. There is only a relative distinction between laws and the states of affairs that they govern.. 4) Mathematics deals with the one real world. We need not imagine it to be a shortcut to timeless truth about an immaterial reality (Platonism) in order to make sense of its “unreasonable effectiveness” in science. We argue by systematic philosophical and scientific reasoning , as well as by detailed examples, that these principles are the only way theoretical cosmology can break out of its current crisis in a manner that is scientific, i.e. results in falsifiable predictions for doable experiments. And Smolin’s Time Reborn “What is time? It’s the sort of question we rarely ask because it seems so obvious. And yet, to a physicist, time is simply a human construct and an illusion. If you could somehow get outside the universe and observe it from there, you would see that every moment has always existed and always will. Lee Smolin disagrees, and in Time Reborn he lays out the case why. Recent developments in physics and cosmology point toward the reality of time and the openness of the future. Smolin’s groundbreaking theory postulates that physical laws can evolve over time and the future is not yet determined. Newton’s fundamental laws may not remain so fundamental.” Smolin quotes Peirce several times in this book for the view that different laws emerging in the course of the development of the universe over time. Søren
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