2008-05-03: Thought Experiments

[RascalPuff]

Since 1916, Einstein's renowned 'elevator analogy' endures as a standard for instruction, regarding the Principle of Equivalence and the General Theory of Relativity.

It originated as a (completely tractable) 'thought experiment'.

[GIRDHARILAL]

To Girdharilal,

Any attempt at a TOE must include thought... unless you regard your thoughts as unreal & insignificant. How can anyone even contemplate a TOE without thought?

Thanks

Basil

hi basil thanks,i wish i knew.i must have missed something about magnetism related to dna or some protines,are you refering to some mri study

[JAK]

Well bugger me... I've joined in for the first tme & realised that any possible interested parties are offline!? Do I smell or sumat?... Is it me or the topic? I was hoping for a great Saturday night debate! Thought is what makes us who we are? Every species 'thinks' to a certain degree & anthropologists argue that language differentiates humans from animals?... But I don't believe that there is a definitive point?... Species evolve according to their physical & environmental possibilities? Genes & memories contain & maitain all the 'good stuff' & reject or appoint all the crap... so we are on a gradual journey of improvement & enlightenment. Why is it that the scientists don't see that?

Hallelujah, Brother! You're singing beautiful music to me! Let the rest of these guys play with their quarks, but let's go start a thread for serious investigation of thought. Have you read any of these: "Quest for Consciousness" (C. Koch), "The Feeling of What Happens" (A. Damasio), or any Global Workspace stuff by Bernard Baars - especially "Essential Sources in the Scientific Study of Consciousness"?

[GIRDHARILAL]

Hallelujah, Brother! You're singing beautiful music to me! Let the rest of these guys play with their quarks, but let's go start a thread for serious investigation of thought. Have you read any of these: "Quest for Consciousness" (C. Koch), "The Feeling of What Happens" (A. Damasio), or any Global Workspace stuff by Bernard Baars - especially "Essential Sources in the Scientific Study of Consciousness"?

Thanks,I will first read the stuff and then comeback

[dipayankar]

Thought would primarily be a feature of the living thing. However the ToE would in reality take the physical world into consideration (that which can be defined by physics).

To Girdharilal,

Any attempt at a TOE must include thought... unless you regard your thoughts as unreal & insignificant. How can anyone even contemplate a TOE without thought?

Thanks

Basil

[spacedout]

Most scientists look for reality in mathematics and fail to realize that motion generates mathematics. It is important to use both -- but look for physical movement to supply the math to fully understand nature. Thinking outside the box is a good way to direct science.

[dipayankar]

Thats right. Most of the times, scientists allow mathematics to limit the realm of physics. Like what happened prior to the Big Bang. Since mathematics cannot move beyond infinity, it is assumed even physics would be limited at this level

Most scientists look for reality in mathematics and fail to realize that motion generates mathematics. It is important to use both -- but look for physical movement to supply the math to fully understand nature. Thinking outside the box is a good way to direct science.