tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post3552370558453542803..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Guest Week: The Curious Right-ness of the UniverseWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-69914907232136547192010-04-11T21:19:36.188-06:002010-04-11T21:19:36.188-06:00Kevin, Way to bring in lots of different ideas abo...Kevin, Way to bring in lots of different ideas about the origin of the universe, or is it multiverse? Really deep stuff that will keep me thinking for a while.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10896006691904225007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-44681251698228013922010-04-08T11:47:25.879-06:002010-04-08T11:47:25.879-06:00Wow, that was a great post! I always struggled wi...Wow, that was a great post! I always struggled with physics in college, maybe I just didn't have the right kind of teacher.KristenThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01187723351100391708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-45408631059429184572010-04-07T13:27:11.340-06:002010-04-07T13:27:11.340-06:00Enel: if life exists anywhere in the universe, it ...Enel: if life exists anywhere in the universe, it certainly exists here. That much is certain. If it only occurred once (speculative), it occurred here (certain). I can't find any basis for disagreeing with this part. <br /><br />My point is that this aspect of the weak anthropic principle is enough to eliminate certainty in any other explanation about where life came from and how. So yes, I think we agree that it's all speculative. <br /><br />I don't think our respective positions as to which speculation is most likely are aligned, but that's as much because I don't really have an opinion in that regard as anything else.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-53479896435369243992010-04-07T11:21:20.396-06:002010-04-07T11:21:20.396-06:00I agree with you, but is not belief in the weak an...I agree with you, but is not belief in the weak anthropic principle itself speculative? <br /><br />Perhaps I don't understand it (or you) properly.<br /><br />My point (I think) is that all the above cosmologies are speculative, whether they include a creator or not.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-79442361614827671042010-04-07T10:46:54.568-06:002010-04-07T10:46:54.568-06:00Enel: not saying I don't believe in a creator....Enel: not saying I don't believe in a creator. It's a question that can't be answered for certain based on the available evidence. The weak anthropic principle is sufficient cause for doubt that all other explanations, no matter how well-formed, are speculative. We can speculate all we want with additional, more ellaborate anthropic principles or creator/creation stories, but that doesn't make them more true.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-73283734919349324642010-04-07T04:38:32.407-06:002010-04-07T04:38:32.407-06:00That one made me feel stupid! Is my stupidity bein...That one made me feel stupid! Is my stupidity being observed by sentient beings?Chicken Legshttp://www.thefamilyadventure.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-22137795229169192822010-04-06T22:11:24.127-06:002010-04-06T22:11:24.127-06:00Very interesting post. Still trying to wrap my fee...Very interesting post. Still trying to wrap my feeble mind around your concepts. <br /><br />Just caught the end of a show tonight called "Parallel Universe" on the Science channel (missed the first half of it so I may not understand it very accurately). Apparently, three scientists recently came out with a new theory on big bang. Let me sum up, there's an 11th dimension with lots of alternative/parallel universes and when two of them collided, it resulted in the "big bang". It is their theory that these big bangs happen frequently when universes collide, creating alternate universes. <br /><br />I may not be explaining accurately but it is something like that. In other words, what existed/happened before the big bang is not some mystery that can never be explained but a mere continuation of all the parallel universes. Pretty amazing that these scientists came up with this theory that explains so much on an hour train ride on the way to a theater production.<br /><br />Thanks for being a guest poster but you are making my head hurt!<br /><br />mtb wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-84707705163673118092010-04-06T17:24:13.992-06:002010-04-06T17:24:13.992-06:00Kris: fwiw, I think the idea of 'evolutionary ...Kris: fwiw, I think the idea of 'evolutionary creation' is perfectly reasonable; if one were to create a universe, I'm sure you'd want some tools to help you out, and evolution seems like a darn handy one.<br /><br />As to books, it's tricky finding ones that have enough detail to be challenging but not so much as to be overwhelming. There's _Brief History of Time_, of course. There's _Seven Mysteries of Life_, which isn't really physics but is fantastic (Alex recommended it initially and I second heartily).<br /><br /> I got a lot of mileage out of _In Search of Schrödinger's Cat_ by John Gribbin for an approachable intro to quantum mechanics (and from poking at amazon, I see there's now a sequel, which I will have to read); but I suspect _Quantum Zoo_ covers much the same ground, though I haven't read it.<br /><br />Nor have I read QED, but anything Feynman is worth reading.<br /><br />Right now I'm working on Smolin's _Three Roads to Quantum Gravity_ which is rough going so far (meets the 'challenging' requirement for sure!); next on deck is _The Emergence of Everything: How the World Became Complex_ which I've had recommended. I'll let you know how it goes.Kevin Vigorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03367849895489512489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-44755155662977090542010-04-06T14:57:39.267-06:002010-04-06T14:57:39.267-06:00Forgot: I loved the descriptions of earths bursti...Forgot: I loved the descriptions of earths bursting into fusion.<br /><br />This is the first academic and rationalistic look I have seen on the Anthropic Principle. Nice to see serious thinkers taking it seriously.<br /><br />@Skibike: to think I was satisfied with a creator.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-79167939631328251342010-04-06T11:49:30.511-06:002010-04-06T11:49:30.511-06:00AWESOME POST!
I greatly enjoyed that.
Front the ...AWESOME POST!<br /><br />I greatly enjoyed that.<br /><br />Front the title, I thought you were going to address the chirality of certain molecules (proteins). Why is everything right handed?<br /><br />Great explanation of stuff I have sort of known, but not well enough to teach as you did.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-53251257522010524712010-04-06T10:52:28.493-06:002010-04-06T10:52:28.493-06:00Excellent post, Kevin. And timely since I've b...Excellent post, Kevin. And timely since I've been on a physics kick lately (relativity, quantum mechanics, standard model). I considered writing a guest post on what I currently understand of the standard model, but I doubted my ability to make it coherent and interesting. But you've done a marvelous job summarizing many of the topics I've been thinking about lately.<br /><br />I see that my local library (yes, Orem, Utah) has a copy of Smolin's book - I'll get it soon.<br /><br />Just the idea of evolutionary creation (can I use those two words together? I see evolution as a creative force) of the universe is attractive and seems reasonable. However, a creating architect also seems reasonable.<br /><br />Why do we even ask these questions? OK I'll stop, the rabbit hole is deep enough with the topics of this post.<br /><br />Kevin, I do feel silly that I've struggled to find good physics books and never thought to ask you. Singh's "Big Bang" was a good intro. "Quantum Zoo" had a few good analogies, but didn't go deep enough. "Particle or Wave" helped me understand a few tricky concepts, but the opaque sciency writing gets in the way. I've had Feynman's book on QED on my list. Any books you'd recommend?<br /><br />BTW, you should be pleased to know your idea of transmitting primes was also favored by Sagan in his book "Contact" (or watch the movie which stays pretty true to the book).<br /><br />Of course the best way to communicate pi is visually. Show a picture of a circle with a bisecting line for the diameter and they should know what you're talking about.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-14239336511920853452010-04-06T10:39:27.107-06:002010-04-06T10:39:27.107-06:00And to think I was satisfied with the weak anthrop...And to think I was satisfied with the weak anthropic principle.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.com