Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-12 Thread Bruno Marchal
On 11 Oct 2012, at 16:09, Richard Ruquist wrote: Craig & Roger, Here is a possible middle ground. Just like quantum waves may be virtual and not physical, dimensions may be virtual, including the multiple dimensions of string theory. So the particles of compactified dimensions would be virtual

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Craig Weinberg
On Thursday, October 11, 2012 10:09:12 AM UTC-4, yanniru wrote: > > Craig & Roger, > > Here is a possible middle ground. Just like quantum waves may be > virtual and not physical, > dimensions may be virtual, including the multiple dimensions of string > theory. So the particles of compactifi

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Richard Ruquist
Craig & Roger, Here is a possible middle ground. Just like quantum waves may be virtual and not physical, dimensions may be virtual, including the multiple dimensions of string theory. So the particles of compactified dimensions would be virtual and spacetime would be virtual as well. Spacetime s

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Craig Weinberg
On Thursday, October 11, 2012 8:26:03 AM UTC-4, yanniru wrote: > Craig, > I think Roger has an incorrect interpretation the physics of Leibniz > and Einstein. > I'm not sure. Spacetime can be warped, just as the cost of living can 'rise'. If Einstein understands that spacetime is the rela

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Richard Ruquist
Craig, I think Roger has an incorrect interpretation the physics of Leibniz and Einstein. I also think this discussion has reached beyond diminishing returns. I will stick with the conventional definition of space and time. Richard On Thu, Oct 11, 2012 at 8:18 AM, Craig Weinberg wrote: > > > On

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Craig Weinberg
On Thursday, October 11, 2012 8:03:15 AM UTC-4, yanniru wrote: > > Roger: So neither space and time nor spacetime > physically exist. > > Richard: That is unscientific. Physics could be entirely wrong. > But I will bet on physics being correct and you and Craig being incorrect. > But you are

Re: The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Richard Ruquist
Roger: So neither space and time nor spacetime physically exist. Richard: That is unscientific. Physics could be entirely wrong. But I will bet on physics being correct and you and Craig being incorrect. But you are entitled to your opinion however absolute you make it sound like. On Thu, Oct 11,

The non-existence of spacetime

2012-10-11 Thread Roger Clough
Hi Richard, Somewhow I seem to have lost my reply to your criticism of my (and Leibniz's) philosophical concept of space. I believe with Einstein that space consists only of relative distances, not absolute ones, and also with him that space and time only exist as spacetime, whose increment i