Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: yard_man who wrote (256788)	6/25/2010 3:29:59 PM
From: Think4Yourself	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 306849

OT: DROP IT ALREADY! I told you privately at the start that the discussion would be a waste of both our times. Now everyone's time is being wasted on a stupid argument about reference frames and perceived vs actual. Apologies to the thread.

To: yard_man who wrote (256788)	6/25/2010 3:56:07 PM
From: yard_man	Respond to of 306849

one more and I will not bother the thread: Re where this started -- Are there really philosophical implications of relativity that relate to truth and ambiguity as was implied? Put it in historical context: When Galileo came out supporting Copernicus and lambasted the Catholic church fellow in his Dialogues -- he was in deep stuff with the church -- why? because the church had accepted prior "scientific" dogma of Aristotle ... Realizing that the earth went round the sun rather than the earth being a fixed point didn't obviate the need for an explanation as to why we are here. There was no real threat. Einstein's theory of relativity does mean that the relative motion of observers affect measurements of time and distance -- this by no means says that "everything is relative" or anything you want it to be, i.e. it all depends on your perspective. That just doesn't follow from the theory -- on the contrary, what is says at the root is this: the universe is incredibly consistent because the laws of physics are the same NO MATTER WHAT inertial frame of reference you are in!! Galileo was the one the first surmised this had to be true, though he didn't know EM theory ... and thus couldn't work out what Einstein did. The next time someone tries to stuff you with the "philosophical implications" of some scientific theory: Don't let them do any thinking for YOU. Science, especially physics, is at the root, descriptive of nature. It can't answer questions as to the purpose of nature, why we are here, what is right and what is wrong -- or whether right and wrong as concepts are real or imagined. These questions can only be answered by other means.