geoff@boulder.UUCP (Geoffrey M. Clemm) (04/14/85)
In article <decwrl.1643> williams@kirk.DEC (John Williams 223-3402) writes: > The continuous model of the universe is the most relevent >one. Physics are unable to resolve any sort of bottom most >primitive particle. For all intents and purposes, the continuous >model of the universe is the most accurate. Consider the question "Is the world flat ?". This is a question most appropriately modeled in a binary model (i.e. "flat" or "not-flat"). Since the problem is not that the world falls into a fuzzy area between flat and non-flat, but rather that we want to decide between two clearly separated possibilities (flat or spherical). In the case of a more difficult question such as "Do we have free will ?", where it is difficult to even come up with an analysis of "free will" that is generally acceptable, the additional complexity of a continuous model serves to confuse the issue even further. Once we have answered the question "Do we have free will at all (i.e. 0 or non-zero amount of free will), assuming the answer is non-zero, it then is relevant to determine "how much" we have. > If you are implying that there is an essentially random >element to the universe, that is a model that Einstein himself >refuted. > " I find it very difficult to believe that God plays >dice " - Einstein ( loosely quoted ) > This quotation is Einstein's rejection (certainly not a refutation) of the quantum mechanical model that is usually understood as introducing an essentially random element to the universe. Since quantum mechanics is generally accepted, this quote is usually used in physics classes to indicate that even Einstein had trouble with the idea, so the student shouldn't feel concerned about being initially uncomfortable with it.