From: "Ted White" <twhite8 at cox.net>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Newton or einstein?
Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 23:11:53 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ernest Lilley" <elilley at mindspring.com>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 10:51 PM
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Newton or einstein?

> I think the bottom line is that we formed out reflexes in a basically
> Newtonian world, though ironically if you ask most people to draw the arc
of
> a thrown ball they'll show you a straight line or something, but if you
ask
> them to catch the ball they'll have no problem. Greek physics follow this
> line and make perfect sense if you don't have a stopwatch.
>
> Exotic physics is all around us, from the big fusion power plant in the
sky
> to the lasers and semiconductors in most everything we put electricity
> through. Since we don't deal with it directly, and since our perceptions
> evolved under fairly limited conditions, leaving us with a lot of things
> like enhanced green sensitivity, we first convert any phenomenon into
> conventional stuff in order to deal with it.
>
> I guess my point is, unless you happen to have an atomic bomb go off near
> your house, that relativistic and quantum effects (nice catch Keith, I
was
> wondering how long it would take) don't add useful information to our
> understanding of the environment. In fact, they lead you towards the dark
> side...thinking that a reasonably deterministic system is really a random
> one. Most of the time cause and effect are pretty easy to connect, but I
> suspect that any number of people seek refuge in the notion that chaos
rules
> all...so why bother trying to figure anything out?
>
> So, separating relativity and uncertainty, I'm not sure which I think is
the
> more damaging set of ideas; one that lead to the development of the
atomic
> bomb, or one that lead to the abandonment of rational thought.

Cause-and-effect, rationally applied, led to every major
superstition/religion, you know.  I burn a virgin at the stake and it
rains, a deluge that breaks the drought.  Cause and effect!  Perfectly
rational.  Just to be on the safe side, let's burn a virgin every year at
about this time.   I'll come up with a little ceremony for it, and you can
tithe me one tenth of your crops and worldly goods in return for the
assurance of good weather.  (Just the *assurance*, mind you....)

--Ted White