| >No.. not everyone, including you, before this comment. It's interesting how you deny that classical equations really hold true yet you will comment on what I actually believe. >You asked for experiments that do not produce the same results, and I gave you several examples. What I really meant was experiments that do not follow the laws we have so far discovered about nature. In the classical realm, that means experiments that do not produce the same results. In the quantum world, it means a histogram that is not in line with the expected probability (assuming n is large enough). Nobody had mentioned quantum randomness at that point so there was no need to mention it. And if you can run an experiment that produces an unexpected histogram in some quantum field, yes, you will get a Nobel prize. I think that I could have worded it better to include quantum effects, but it still was clear in my opinion that I was talking about the rules we have discovered so far not changing, as I said at the end "what did you observe that you felt was not bounded by some static law of nature?" It is clear in this question that I am talking about the laws being static, not that every individual particle's movement can be predicted absolutely, even though that is essentially true in the classical world, which was what I was referring to in when I said experiments produce the same results. >it's not true that every macro interaction has no phenomenon that relies on quantum mechanics Ok. But there is no classical effect where quantum randomness is observed. >That's your assumption not mine. If I were you, I'd think about why I made it. I made that assumption because you called science a religion (which I still disagree about). Most people that call science a religion do not believe in science at all. For example there are a lot of people that do not believe in germ theory or believe that the earth is flat. These are generally the people that called science a religion. Being that you didn't make your point very clearly, that is what it sounded like you were saying, given the context. >In other words, you are upset when I pointed out that science itself relies on unprovable assumptions I just didn't understand the point you are making. In fact, I am still unclear on whether you believe that the laws of physics are static or not. It seems your main point now is that you cannot definitely determine future events because of quantum randomness. But that all future events can be definitely determined is not something science relies upon. "The belief that all things obey laws" is not something that science relies upon, given "law" is defined as an algorithm whose inputs are any material conditions and outputs are exact location of that material at some given time step. This is not what was meant by "Everything is governed by laws, when we uncover it, we can replicate it." We are not talking about the movements of individual particles here. >Sure, in a colloquial sense, we can understand them [...] but accepting it is an implicit rejection of the comment I replied to that everything follows laws But that was said in a colloquial sense. We can use the probability distributions we find in nature to build things. And when our histogram looks more like a straight line than a curve we can safely rely on it. Also, I don't know were you got your definition of the word "law" but "the second law of thermodynamics," for example, is a probability, and we call that a law. Technically I could leave a cup of hot water out in a cold room and it would get even hotter, it just isn't statistically probable. And we call that observed probability the second law of thermodynamics. If someone said "I will use the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow to inform my decision of buying sunscreen" would you tell him that he should really say "as far as we know, many things, including the sun, seem to follow predictable patterns at sufficiently high levels of complexity leading me to buy sunscreen?" >[some scientists now claim] that while the universe is not fully predictable, its macro phenomena can be described with certainty. Please cite one physics journal where this claim is made. No physicist will say that quantum randomness cannot possibly have an effect on the macro scale. The claim is that it is extremely unlikely to do so, just like it is extremely unlikely that my hot cup of water will get hotter in a cold room. >The only claim here that does not rely in some unseen reality is the first, which, again, is a major departure from what science was. Ok, and? Your claim was that it was axiomatic. If scientists have departed from this idea, it was not axiomatic or religious. Scientists also parted from Newtonian gravity. What point are you making here. >> Additionally, what claim do you think is only being held together by the idea that the rules of physics are constant?
>I'm not sure, but either way, this question is not on me to answer
"science itself relies on unprovable assumptions"
"science is ultimately a religious enterprise expressing our belief in a constant, unseen, unchanging reality" >brains might be using some unknown laws of physics, given that neurons do indeed operate at the molecular/atomic level (individual enzymes and neurotransmitters... who knows). This is completely false. The brain does not operate at the atomic level. It actually operates at a level above the atomic level. It is a bit higher than that of modern day computer processors, which have a gate size of about 45 nm. It is also clear that it is the neurons that cause the brains activity, and conceptually neurons have no reliance on any atomic effects at all. (Similar to how logic gates have no reliance on atomic effects, and can be carried out by hand, just very slowly). >You have no possible way of knowing whether they will or won't What point are you making here? The world could end do to physics expiring right after finish reading my comment. That is true but a useless statement. Nobody disagrees with this point they just don't preface all their statements like "in event that the laws of physics don't drastically change tomorrow, do you want to get something to eat?" >The belief that physics won't change is a prime example of a religious belief in science Science doesn't say that physics won't change. Science doesn't say anything. All science does is give us observations. It's not like science pops out of a microscope after you do an experiment and says "now you have discovered my next lesson, right that down in the textbook of science." You cannot definitely accept anything as true the way you describe. You cannot even definitely accept that what you see is real. For example the quantum randomness that you see might not be real. You can't actually make a single positive statement beyond the rules of thought (which are axiomatic, or religious as you would say). >It's telling that this is a common aspect of divinity in the monotheistic religions that birthed science. What about the Romans' complete lack of scientific advancement? What about Greek science and Babylonian mathematics? The Scientific revolution was started by Christian Universities beginning to use Greek works (for example that of Aristotle and Eudoxus). >you made a few assumptions based on my framing of the commenter's belief system Yes, but you could have made your point much more clear. >I have noticed that many science-minded people get upset when you point out that science also comes with a set of beliefs that are tacitly accepted as true without any proof Are you referring to ZFC? Or the three rules of thought? Or Occam's Razor? >wild accusations of not believing in science [...] I believe in science -- a lot There is no such thing as believing in science >I do believe the universe follows laws That is a belief. That makes you "religious" in your terms. Yet you said we should "take an irreligious look at things." An irreligious look at things, under your definition, would be to make zero positive statements. |
Oh I see so you deny the idea that carrying out the same quantum experiment could result in a very unlikely outcome.
> Ok. But there is no classical effect where quantum randomness is observed.
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> I made that assumption because you called science a religion (which I still disagree about).
I did not. I said science is based on religious beliefs about the underlying nature of reality. Namely that it is constant and follows laws.
> We can use the probability distributions we find in nature to build things
Are we talking engineering or science?
> The claim is that it is extremely unlikely to do so, just like it is extremely unlikely that my hot cup of water will get hotter in a cold room.
Then how are you getting your histograms to always match?
> Ok, and? Your claim was that it was axiomatic. If scientists have departed from this idea, it was not axiomatic or religious. Scientists also parted from Newtonian gravity. What point are you making here.
Well science originally was a belief that the universe was like an automaton, following predictable laws deterministically. Today that is not the case, which means that the universe does not observe deterministic laws, which is what the comment I replied to insinuated. You seem to have correctly given up on this, but still express a belief
> This is completely false. The brain does not operate at the atomic level.
It really depends on what you mean by 'operates'. Potassium/Sodium ions are fundamental to brain workings.
> Nobody disagrees with this point they just don't preface all their statements like "in event that the laws of physics don't drastically change tomorrow, do you want to get something to eat?"
You literally said the laws of physics don't change.
> All science does is give us observations
Right, and from those observations, they do not deny the possibility that the universe follows laws. However, you constantly make the positive statement that the universe does follow laws. Again, a religious statement. I have not made any inconsistent statement. I have said I believe, as you do, that the universe follows laws, but I am honest in that that's religious.
> Yes, but you could have made your point much more clear.
But if I did that you would still be thinking your scientific belief system is based on reason, instead of religious.
> Are you referring to ZFC? Or the three rules of thought? Or Occam's Razor?
I mainly meant the belief that the universe follows laws at all.
> An irreligious look at things, under your definition, would be to make zero positive statements.
That's correct. Positive statements require a belief system that will inevitably contain axiomatic laws. These laws are religious in nature. Even if they have no reference to the divine, they are taken on faith. A common one today is a belief in an immutable universe.