LS Re: Principles


Magnus Berg (qmgb@bull.se)
Thu, 29 Jan 1998 18:07:35 +0100


Hi Anthony

Ant McWatt wrote:
> Glad you liked all the Pirsig stuff. I think your comment
> that velocity is even a more complicated concept than time
> is correct (so I won't be telling my MOQ opponent Eric
> about this just yet!) If you could explain why an absolute
> speed of light "hardwires" space and time together that
> would be helpful (I guess it has something to do with
> general relativity but I'm not sure of the exact
> relationships here).

Std disclaimer:
Relativity is by no means native to me so don't take this
too literal.

Check the formula for speed, v = s/t (velocity equals stretch
divided by time). At relativistic speeds, s and t are affected,
but they are affected equally much so that v is kept constant.
Well, constant is maybe the wrong term. It's rather the only
variable in the equation we are able to control.

By setting c as the absolute constant v at which light travels,
you have determined (hardwired) the relationship between s and t.

> Maybe the speed of light isn't an
> absolute as previously thought and I'd definitely go along
> with Bodvar's extension (of Pirsig's comment on time) that
> everything that is an abstraction such as velocity or space
> is a STATIC intellectual pattern of value trying to explain
> (or predict) aspects of reality.

I'd say that these abstractions are intellectual SPoVs enabling
us to make an internal universe modeling the inorganic SPoVs
of our external universe. It's almost what you just said, I'm
just trying to avoid the word "reality". It seems to mean a lot
of different things to different people.

I spent some time on the web yesterday and actually found
references to what they called "absolute time" or "background
Newtonian time". This time would replace the absoluteness of c
and he discusses what other consequences this brings. I can't
judge the scientific value of the theory, but you might want
to take a look.

http://monet.physik.unibas.ch/~schatzer/space-time.html

        Magnus

--
post message - mailto:lilasqd@hkg.com
unsubscribe/queries - mailto:diana@asiantravel.com
homepage - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/4670



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu May 13 1999 - 16:42:40 CEST