Comments by Brian English

401. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226419 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 4:01 am

"Why speculate when you can calculate?" So it is only recently that I have had to think about this, and at the moment I am just confused.

This is funny for me. I was thinking that Swinburne was decrying a non-existent phenomena (that science doesn't seek to explain in QM, only calculate and predict). But his point was sound from what you say, if not his justification (to give god an explanation by showing that QM isn't perfect either in his idea of perfect).

402. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #226417 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:57 am

Wonder how the two are connected.

Fag (gay) is a contraction of Faggot:1. offensive term for an openly homosexual man
2. a bundle of sticks and branches bound together

verb
1. ornament or join (fabric) by faggot stitch; "He fagotted the blouse for his wife"

Fag (ciggarette) fagge broken thread in cloth, loose end (of obscure orig.);

403. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226413 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:52 am

Hungarianelephant, I agree with both your points. One thing about Hume is a lot of people thought he was just a skeptic (I'm not saying you are one of those) only. But from what I gather is that he tried to 'clear the floor' of woolly justifications and then look for any reasonable justifications. He never denied the necessary feeling we have for seeking causation, he only denied that it could be justified. Which sort of leads back to my point about us being an evolved species that evolved to feel that causation was a necessary thing and not just a 'constant conjunction'.

Hume was the guy who Kant used to get a leg up with his 'phenomenal' view of the world. ;)

404. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226407 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:45 am

The result of this very article may throw some lights on what happen during collapse, it may turn out that "the collapse of wave functions" is not a irreducible event as conventional QM holds.

Bonzai, with the greatest respect, you just proved the point that it's about interpretation, not logical necessity. I.e. in conventional QM. Now I'm not a philosopher, just an interested amateur and I know your opinions of philosophers but when we say it's this interpretation or that convention then it is open to speculation, isn't it?

Hume didn't make any scientific discovery as far as I know.

No, but he shredded some interpretations that anti-rationalists aimed against science and empirical verification.

405. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #226400 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:34 am

enlightened = in lightened. How the hell do those Christians get any light inside their minds when they're living in the dark ages?

406. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226395 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:27 am

Oystein, I haven't read the book yet. I haven't read all of the Coherence of theism either. I thought I'd just ask you, Steve, or any other knowledgeable type about it.

On a related manner, what is your opinion of causation? I can accept that at our 'level' effects follow cause, but on a quantum level then it's all a matter of probability and not a logical necessity.

P.S. I agree with Hume on causation. That is, that we derive the concept of causation from experience, not that it's a logical necessity. I think we feel it necessary because it is what occurs (not necessarily in a logically necessary fashion) in our middle 'level' and thus we evolved with that idea of it being more or less necessary that all effects follow a cause....

407. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226393 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:24 am

Worrying about how and when waves collapse into particles is silly. It is simple to understand experimental results in terms of the many worlds interpretation.

Again, we can interpret the evidence in many ways. I guess our only guide is parsimony. So, bringing out the razor, what is more parsimonious? Many universes that we have never evidenced or waves collapsing in this universe that we have never directly evidenced?

408. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226389 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:15 am

Quetz, that is my particular point of view. And also the view of Swinburne (from what I can gather). Anyway, I thought I'd ask the brains that we're privileged to have on this site.

Thus, Swinburne's point is that we can use words that in mundane uses don't make a coherent description (i.e. light is both a particle and a wave) coherently because we are using them by analogy. MPhil said Swinburne made good arguments.

409. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226385 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:12 am

I haven't a clue :)

Me neither. Oystein seemed to have a clue, viz light = waves.

410. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226383 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:10 am

Just read a bit of the Bohm interpretation. If that doesn't show Quine's idea that all interpretations can be made to fit the evidence, then I have no idea (actually, I don't have any idea about that which I speak). :)

411. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226380 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:06 am

Steve, thanks for that. I'll read it later, as it's been a while since I've read the Bohm thingy (again, year 12, or first year physics)

My point doesn't really require the in depth discussion it just asks do we say photons are equally waves and particles or on a deeper level waves (or particles)?

412. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226379 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 3:04 am

My understanding of his argument is that he uses the arrow of time which only applies for macroscopic systems.

Oystein, a theist who uses the Cosmological argument, among others (I had a sneak peak of 'The existence of God') needs causation to be a necessary thing, trace back to a first cause. Now if causation of any form isn't necessary (virtual particles) or isn't following the arrow of time (positron = electron moving backwards in time) then the first cause argument is sunk. Not that it wasn't . Hume pointed out that from our current observations (current = whole of human history) we can't justifiably say what happend 15 odd billion years ago. We can't say if the universe had a cause, or if it had one or many causes. I mean, why couldn't the universe be cyclical or be the result of a virtual particle doing weird shit that we can't understand because it happened when there was no universe greater in size than the plank length?

413. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226367 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:39 am

The best explanation I've read that satisfied me somewhat is that terms like wave and particle are human constructs used to describe natural phenomena. It's not the phenomena's fault that we can't describe them well. But then, that's pretty much what Swinburne was saying, that we are using words that have an accepted meaning in our "middle" world, but use them in a more loose sense.....

414. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226366 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:37 am

When I was teaching physics I used to tell my students that electrons, photons etc "behaved" as if they were waves sometimes and like particles at other times, but if you were to ask "is an electron a wave or a particle?" then the answer, as far as I saw it, would be: "it is an electron."

(Barbara Streisand voice) Memories, like a year 12 physics class.....

That's what I recall from a good 18 years ago. I thought that it was so vague an answer but didn't question because I wanted to pass (and did) the exam.

415. Richard Dawkins, the naive professor

Comment #226364 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:35 am

Pulchritude. Great word, don't see it used often enough. Like Bonhomie et. al.....

416. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226361 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:31 am

Bonzai, insightful comment. Good analysis.

417. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226360 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:26 am

Hey also thinks Feynman's 'positron = electron traveling back in time' is incoherent because at time t1 the positron is in a certain state, then later at time t2 we can do something to the positron that changes the state of the positron at t1 (causation backwards in time). He doesn't want reverse time travel because it doesn't help you when you have a cosmological argument requiring causation to move forward in time.

418. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226357 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 2:23 am

His problem is that to make the common theistic descriptions of god respectable he needs other situations (such as respectable science) where descriptions seem incoherent but aren't. Thus he wants physics to treat light equally as wave and particle, with the common definitions of wave and particle somewhat loosened so that light is more wave-like than non-wavelike things and more particle-like than non particle-like things. What he doesn't want is light to be a wave because then he can't trade on the respectability of Science to allow his god a free pass with incoherent descriptions being loosened so much that they mean not much at all....

419. Rochester Physicist's Quantum-'Uncollapse' Hypothesis Verified

Comment #226332 by Brian English on August 8, 2008 at 1:55 am

Oystein, if you're about or Steve the legendary, I was reading a book by Christian apologist/philosopher Swinburne who doesn't like the Copenhagen interpretation because he feels that scientists have given up trying to describe phenomena by not accepting that light can be a particle and a wave. His suggestion being that we loosen the definition of particle and wave so that light can be both at the same time and not be incoherent. First, is that what the Copenhagen interpretation says (that we just predict the effect of light, not describe what light is (particle v wave) my memory of physics is slim)? and second, does it make any sense to say light is particle-like and wave-like when we don't really mean a particle is a particle or a wave is a wave except in the most vague sense?

420. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226295 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 9:57 pm

Hasta luego TWP. Your liver will thank you.

421. Why Islam Is Unfunny for a Cartoonist

Comment #226270 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:43 pm

Are you sure it wasn't pain in his Knackers?

Being Knackered just means being buggered. ;)

422. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226267 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:30 pm

Feminism and Islam seem mutually incompatible to me. But then I'm neither a women nor Islamic.

423. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226259 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:19 pm

Not at all - I do not think I am fat. But beer has made my gut more enticing - can be soft or hard-ish at will. And it wobbles with the right stimulation. And it has a scar :-)

And its social security number is in the mail....

424. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226252 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:11 pm

Goldy, one day you say you're not fat, the next you're bragging about the wonder that is your gut. Are you confused?

425. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226249 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Nite Dhamma

426. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226248 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 8:09 pm

Lavender is an anti-depressant. Put that in beer and you can drink all night without getting maudlin.

And you won't smell like a brewery the next morning!

427. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226233 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:53 pm

Crawford has always had the rumours about him. In that image he was playing it up in a skit where he was supposedly a doctor on a footy variety show. He's an AFL footballer and happily married with a kid I think.

I've really derailed this thread. I told you I was a trickster god. I hate order and clear oasis.

428. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226228 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:49 pm

There was a song a few years ago by anarchic rockers TISM which had a pithy refrain akin to: I shagged a girl who shagged a guy who shagged a girl who shagged Shane Crawford

I think the idea being that the songwriter had a man crush on Shane Crawford and thus was vicariously satisfying that crush.

429. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226224 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:45 pm

Not sure 8teist. Like the guy who says You're not gay if you're giving, just receiving

Aussies are a weird mob.

430. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226219 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:40 pm

I'm expecting Richard or Josh to turf me from this site in 5...

431. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226217 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:39 pm

Listen, pal (said in very deep gruff voice), not all of us greenies are tree-huggin' poofters!

Too right! Laurie's as blokey as they come. Can't say the same for his poofter boyfriend.

432. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226212 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:35 pm

Besides, NZ is a far more progressive country ;)

Insert joke about man wedding favorite sheep here

433. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226208 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:33 pm

Perhaps I should bring out the other photos of me in my Sunday best? Let's see how the stitching handles that!

434. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226204 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:31 pm

Laurie, perhaps Helen Clark can put on an atheist conference and we can visit?

435. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226200 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:29 pm

Goldy, apologies if you've done some damage.

436. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226187 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:20 pm

Goldy, the Yarra Valley isn't far from me. Perhaps I should visit. The trick is getting some idiot to drive so I can get sloshed. Nobody has a lot of time for me when I'm sloshed. I start talking like I know stuff. Damn alcohol.

437. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226185 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:19 pm

That was hard work getting the images to display!

438. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226177 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:14 pm

plus

plus

equals

439. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226172 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Men have vastly different expectations in their bras than you women do.

Mine better have a bottle-opener and a stubby holder.

440. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226158 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 6:49 pm

Dhamma, you should try Boag's Premium. mmmmmmm.............OK, I'm off to the bottle-o.

441. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226154 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Goldy, you slut! I thought we were going to spend the summer drinking beers and shopping for man-bras.
You jump ship quicker than a syphilitic rat on the Titanic after an encounter with an iceberg.

442. The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women - and establish energy independence

Comment #226118 by Brian English on August 7, 2008 at 6:06 pm

Layla, great points. Ayan Hirshi Ali wrote a related article. I think it was on this site a while back.

443. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225516 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:07 pm

Of course this didn't work so god banished Lucifer and a third of the angels from heaven and gave him dominion over the earth. And that's how Lucifer became Satan and the angels became demons

And exactly why would a loving god give an upstart bastard control over the planet the loving god supposedly created so that he would have followers on? Unless the loving god wanted the upstart angel to torment the loving god's followers. Very sick mythology.

444. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225510 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:42 pm

I love how I made you feel compelled to explain that you've never blown a 15 year old. My work here is done.

Sort of like the Lawyer who asked the accused if he's still beating his wife.....

445. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225495 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:22 pm

Next will be the moobs I reckon...Oh I mentioned them, you can blame me for it now!

446. Call to teach biblical creation as science

Comment #225489 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:17 pm

Back onto sex again Goldy? Good to see things are progressing as per usual. :)

447. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225046 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:47 am

Oh dear, the time has flown. I thought it was earlier. Night all. :)

448. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225045 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:45 am

Vaal, last year we went to Tassie and at the time in Victoria it was 40 or so degrees each day (yeah, yeah, it happens in Victoria, just not every summer) and we thought that Tassie would be quite nice. Weirdly it was still high 30s, but more humid, then each night a thunderstorm would roll in (huzzah!) and in the morning it would be cold enough to cause a vasectomy on the unwary guy who got drunk and slept outside the night before. Beautiful place (except Queenstown) but for such a small isle it takes forever to drive due to the winding roads.

449. Is our universe fine-tuned for life?

Comment #225042 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:39 am

Sometimes it's best to answer a question with a question: Is our life fine tuned to the universe (or a portion therein)? Yes, otherwise we'd not be alive.

450. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225041 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:38 am

Pam Anderson has breasts? I was told they were fake? I'm confused now....