[net.origins] \"Chances are . . . .\"

arndt@lymph.DEC (08/05/85)

What are the chances that chance has ever produced anything??

I mean I hear people saying funny things like "the world came about by
chance".  What are they saying?  Isn't 'chance' merely a DESCRIPTION,
not a THING to produce anything?

Sounds like more pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo to me.

Just what IS 'chance'???

Regards,

Ken Arndt

gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>) (08/06/85)

> I mean I hear people saying funny things like "the world came about by
> chance".  What are they saying?  Isn't 'chance' merely a DESCRIPTION,
> not a THING to produce anything?

People say lots of funny things.  Perhaps what you're referring to
is the physics consensus that the fundamental laws are inherently
probabilistic, with the probability NOT due simply to a lack of
sufficiently detailed information but rather a constraint on just
how much detail is knowable.  This is "quantum physics" and you
should look in a good encyclopedia for an overview of the subject.

wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) (08/07/85)

In article <460@brl-tgr.ARPA> gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>) writes:

>           ...  This is "quantum physics" and you
>should look in a good encyclopedia for an overview of the subject.

For years I got a glazed look in my eyes when one of my physicist
friends started talking about quantum mechanics ("Quantum mechanics?
Whaa ... aren't they guys who work for some Australian airline?"). Then
I got a copy of "The Cosmic Code" by Heinz Pagels from my local
library. It's the first explanation of quantum physics that made sense
to me, in large part because Pagels is an excellent writer. Check it
out.
                           -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly

peter@kitty.UUCP (Peter DaSilva) (08/09/85)

> friends started talking about quantum mechanics ("Quantum mechanics?
> Whaa ... aren't they guys who work for some Australian airline?"). Then

No, that's "qantum mechanics". No 'u', remember.