View Full Version : Some pseudo-science for ya
Ford Prefect
2008-07-29, 06:18
I've got some pretty stupid questions/statements that could use answers/correcting. Sorry if this is more suited for another forum.
There is no physical mind.
Your thoughts are just electrical impulses.
The exact molecules that comprise your body are constantly changing.
On finer levels, matter is seen as smaller and smaller particles within particles which eventually turn out to be just pure energy.
The universe either has to be infinite or finite. How can something be infinite? How can it be finite and surrounded by nothing? How can there be nothing?
-F☺rd
irtimixd
2008-07-29, 17:08
"There is no physical mind."
eh that all depends on how you think of the "mind", if you just think the electrical impulses that release chemicals then yes there is.
"Your thoughts are just electrical impulses."
Thoughts make up the mind and electrical impulses are physical, further helping my above point.
"The exact molecules that comprise your body are constantly changing."
Well yea that's not really news, its like saying the grains on the sand are constantly moving. If I understand what you're saying.
"On finer levels, matter is seen as smaller and smaller particles within particles which eventually turn out to be just pure energy."
Well, we're not 100% sure what you get at the very smallest level, at least the last I checked we aren't... I haven't checked up on the LHC and if they've activated it yet, can't wait for the results though.
"The universe either has to be infinite or finite. How can something be infinite? How can it be finite and surrounded by nothing? How can there be nothing?"
No one is 100% sure, you could ask 2 scientists and get an answer in either direction. We just don't know.
hydroponichronic
2008-07-30, 08:49
There is no physical mind.
What do you mean by "physical mind?"
Your thoughts are just electrical impulses.
They're both electrical and chemical, IIRC. Although this assumes lack of some non-deterministic consciousness (something I have EVERY reason not to believe in, yet believe so anyway).
The exact molecules that comprise your body are constantly changing.
Yup. I remember hearing somewhere that due to this phenomenon, there's a relatively high probability that at some point I have consumed a water molecule that passed through the bladder of Oliver Cromwell.
On finer levels, matter is seen as smaller and smaller particles within particles which eventually turn out to be just pure energy.
This is one I don't know, but wish I did. All that quantumy stuff sounds really neat, and I always enjoy learning about it.
The universe either has to be infinite or finite.
I think I can rule out finite for you (thus guaranteeing infinite). I can do this with the help of some mental imagery. Imagine a finite universe. What would wall it off? What would it be like if it just "stopped?" The reason I'm a fan of an infinite universe is that I have yet to see an adequate idea of how a universe would work that had "walls."
How can it be finite and surrounded by nothing? How can there be nothing?
You were on the right track with the last two questions. A finite universe doesn't work.
How can something be infinite?
How could something not be? Think about it. Something cannot be finite, because there's nothing to divide it as such. A second can be infinitely divided into smaller and smaller pieces of time. A volume of space can be broken into infinitesimals. The reason I can be so confident in this is simple. There are only two alternatives here: finite or infinite. There is no functional model of how a finite universe could work, yet an infinite one works perfectly. The only problem is the idea of infinity is a strange one to think about, but accepting it is key to opening up your mind.
XtomJames
2008-07-31, 02:43
I've got some pretty stupid questions/statements that could use answers/correcting. Sorry if this is more suited for another forum.
There is no physical mind.
Your thoughts are just electrical impulses.
The exact molecules that comprise your body are constantly changing.
On finer levels, matter is seen as smaller and smaller particles within particles which eventually turn out to be just pure energy.
The universe either has to be infinite or finite. How can something be infinite? How can it be finite and surrounded by nothing? How can there be nothing?
-F☺rd
I've read the answers you've been given and I must say they are rhetorically stupid. So I'll give you a far more indepth answer to your questions.
1: The mind is both a physical and metaphysical thing it consists of the physical nuerons that are found in the brain, and a higher chaotic order (yes oxymoron) that is dependent on many variables that exist both in and out side of the physical form that makes up the mind. (In fact the idea of the "mind" or intelius mente has been argued over for hundreds of years. Consider this before you argue that the mind is only made up of nuerons.
A scientist a CERN (I believe Doctor Weildman but I can't remember for sure) conducted a study of cloned nueron pathways. The pathways fired but no mental capacity could be seen. Nueron paths would not memorize or become conditioned. This means that there is more to the ordered mind than that of firering nuerons.
2: See answer one.
3: Well technically speaking everything is in flux thus the exact molecules that make up anything are changing. Electrical impulses exchange of electrons is found in everything. Water and contaminates are urninated out of the body. Of course the body is changing this is a matter of fact of everything.
4:You are refering to Planck's reduction and string theory. However, there is a smaller level (see my Regulus Space thread.)
5: This question is actually what my Regulus Space theory is all about. The universe is both infinite and finite. And there can be nothing if there is something to compare it to.
Here is a basic answer to your nothing something issue. When we construct or derive numbers we actually start with nothing or null. All natural numbers "n" [1,2,3,4...n] are technically the resultant of comparing nothing to an infinite. We call this cardinality.
If we have nothing [] (null) and compare it to something X, X becomes infinite compared to null. When comparing or pairing off [] and X you have 0 pairs thus you get first cardinalty, 0. Second cardinality is 1. You have another infinite Y so now you have, [] X Y, the cardinality between [] and any infinite is 0, but the cardinality between two infinites is 1 in other words you are now paring of X and Y.
Add yet another infinite Z you get two cardinalities. (Comparing X to Y and X to Z) Component Y compares to Z getting the third cardinality.
Now as I said the universe is both infinite and finite. This is because all we know of the universe is subjective and thus relative. From the String state it would be infinite (this is due to quantum state jump and variable of inuniform space). From the macro state which is us it appears to be sort of infinite and sort of finite. In otherwords we could imagine an end but we aren't sure. From the Super macro state (IE Multiverse) our Universe is a dot on a line.
Under Multiverse we have what is called Fractalized versial structure. That is, we have an infinite series of universes that are parallel and perpendicular. Some will never interact with others (perpendicular) others will interact infinitely (parallel). This fractalized versial structure has no prime limit. It has no end and in a way is the first Mobius strip/Cline bottle.
Nueron paths would not memorize or become conditioned. This means that there is more to the ordered mind than that of firering nuerons.
Ever heard of LTP?
A second can be infinitely divided into smaller and smaller pieces of time. A volume of space can be broken into infinitesimals.
However, at a certain point these small things can no longer be measured :(
(Planck time, Planck length).