Re: maudlin's paper

2012-09-06 Thread Roger Clough
Hi Stephen P. King 

The man, in invoking the concept of empirical proofs,  is still bewitched by 
materialism.


Roger Clough, rclo...@verizon.net
9/6/2012 
Leibniz would say, "If there's no God, we'd have to invent him 
so that everything could function."
- Receiving the following content - 
From: Stephen P. King 
Receiver: everything-list 
Time: 2012-09-05, 18:23:57
Subject: maudlin's paper


Hi Folks,

 I started reading the new Maudlin paper "Time and the Geometry of 
the Universe". I got it and started reading. I stopped dead when I read 
the following:

"Empirical considerations cannot establish the existence of such point 
events, but the geometrical tools discussed herein presuppose them. It 
would be pleasant to construct mathematical tools of geometrical 
analysis that do not rest on this presupposition, but that is work for 
another time."

 So what is the point of this paper? The author explicitly jettisons 
empirical considerations. How is there any hope for falsification of 
anything in it? I will continue reading but I am sad. :_(

 AH! Maybe this remark only applies to the discussion of Newtonian 
Time

-- 
Onward!

Stephen

http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html


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Re: maudlin's paper

2012-09-05 Thread Stephen P. King

On 9/5/2012 9:18 PM, Russell Standish wrote:

On Wed, Sep 05, 2012 at 06:23:57PM -0400, Stephen P. King wrote:

Hi Folks,

 I started reading the new Maudlin paper "Time and the Geometry
of the Universe". I got it and started reading. I stopped dead when
I read the following:

"Empirical considerations cannot establish the existence of such
point events, but the geometrical tools discussed herein presuppose
them. It would be pleasant to construct mathematical tools of
geometrical analysis that do not rest on this presupposition, but
that is work for another time."

 So what is the point of this paper? The author explicitly
jettisons empirical considerations. How is there any hope for
falsification of anything in it? I will continue reading but I am
sad. :_(

 AH! Maybe this remark only applies to the discussion of
Newtonian Time


Contrary to Richard's comment, I think he is saying there currently is
not the technology to experimentally test the theory. As such, it is
in good company. Most string theory is like that. As to whether the
paper is worth reading, that is a personal taste. So long as it is possible to
test experimentally, or provides a satisfactory explanation (ie
non-instrumental) for existing phenomena that does not have that, it
is not a waste of time.



Hi Russel,

I agree with your comment.

--
Onward!

Stephen

http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html


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Re: maudlin's paper

2012-09-05 Thread Russell Standish
On Wed, Sep 05, 2012 at 06:23:57PM -0400, Stephen P. King wrote:
> Hi Folks,
> 
> I started reading the new Maudlin paper "Time and the Geometry
> of the Universe". I got it and started reading. I stopped dead when
> I read the following:
> 
> "Empirical considerations cannot establish the existence of such
> point events, but the geometrical tools discussed herein presuppose
> them. It would be pleasant to construct mathematical tools of
> geometrical analysis that do not rest on this presupposition, but
> that is work for another time."
> 
> So what is the point of this paper? The author explicitly
> jettisons empirical considerations. How is there any hope for
> falsification of anything in it? I will continue reading but I am
> sad. :_(
> 
> AH! Maybe this remark only applies to the discussion of
> Newtonian Time
> 

Contrary to Richard's comment, I think he is saying there currently is
not the technology to experimentally test the theory. As such, it is
in good company. Most string theory is like that. As to whether the
paper is worth reading, that is a personal taste. So long as it is possible to
test experimentally, or provides a satisfactory explanation (ie
non-instrumental) for existing phenomena that does not have that, it
is not a waste of time.


-- 


Prof Russell Standish  Phone 0425 253119 (mobile)
Principal, High Performance Coders
Visiting Professor of Mathematics  hpco...@hpcoders.com.au
University of New South Wales  http://www.hpcoders.com.au


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Re: maudlin's paper

2012-09-05 Thread Stephen P. King

On 9/5/2012 6:52 PM, Richard Ruquist wrote:

I think he was just saying that point events do not exist.


 So why discuss them?



On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Stephen P. King  wrote:

Hi Folks,

 I started reading the new Maudlin paper "Time and the Geometry of the
Universe". I got it and started reading. I stopped dead when I read the
following:

"Empirical considerations cannot establish the existence of such point
events, but the geometrical tools discussed herein presuppose them. It would
be pleasant to construct mathematical tools of geometrical analysis that do
not rest on this presupposition, but that is work for another time."

 So what is the point of this paper? The author explicitly jettisons
empirical considerations. How is there any hope for falsification of
anything in it? I will continue reading but I am sad. :_(

 AH! Maybe this remark only applies to the discussion of Newtonian
Time

--
Onward!

Stephen

http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html


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--
Onward!

Stephen

http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html


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Re: maudlin's paper

2012-09-05 Thread Richard Ruquist
I think he was just saying that point events do not exist.

On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Stephen P. King  wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> I started reading the new Maudlin paper "Time and the Geometry of the
> Universe". I got it and started reading. I stopped dead when I read the
> following:
>
> "Empirical considerations cannot establish the existence of such point
> events, but the geometrical tools discussed herein presuppose them. It would
> be pleasant to construct mathematical tools of geometrical analysis that do
> not rest on this presupposition, but that is work for another time."
>
> So what is the point of this paper? The author explicitly jettisons
> empirical considerations. How is there any hope for falsification of
> anything in it? I will continue reading but I am sad. :_(
>
> AH! Maybe this remark only applies to the discussion of Newtonian
> Time
>
> --
> Onward!
>
> Stephen
>
> http://webpages.charter.net/stephenk1/Outlaw/Outlaw.html
>
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Everything List" group.
> To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com.
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> everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
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>

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