Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, society, and many other topics
What is the difference between magic and science? It's been a while since I shared an Existential Comic. This one gets at a question we've discussed before, although it's been several years. What exactly is the distinction between the physical and non-physical, in this case between science and magic? Credit: https://existentialcomics.com/comic/537 Corey Mohler, the author, has a … Continue reading Existential Comics: the philosophy of magic
I think the reasons someone reaches a conclusion are at least as important as the conclusion itself. Recently someone I know changed their mind about a topic. Where they had previously disagreed with me on something, they now agree. Which was great, except, I found their reasons for the change problematic. It reminded me that I often have … Continue reading Reasons and conclusions
It seems like theories that are causally complete are better than ones with gaps. In thinking about this, I'm reminded of a Psyche article I shared a few years ago on fostering an open mind. One of their pieces of advice resonates with an outlook I've had for some time. If embarking on a full-on explanation … Continue reading Causal completeness
Cosmic voids may cause dark energy, or at least provide an explanation for the Hubble tension. A team of Iranian scientists have proposed that dark energy may not be something inherent to space itself, but the result of cosmic voids, vast regions of the universe between galactic superclusters and filaments with relatively little matter. Paul … Continue reading Cosmic voids and dark energy
The Everett theory of quantum mechanics is testable in ways most people don't realize. Before getting into how or why, I think it's important to deal with a long standing issue. Everettian theory is more commonly known as the "many worlds interpretation", a name I use myself all the time. But what's often lost in the discussion … Continue reading Testing Everettian quantum mechanics
The podcast: Tales From the Bridge: All Things Sci-fi is worth checking out. I listen to a lot of podcasts. They're handy for keeping the mind occupied on daily walks. Most of these are science and philosophy shows. But as an aspiring writer, I also listen to writing podcasts. Among them are Writing Excuses, a group of … Continue reading Tales From the Bridge
Are quantum states and the overall wave function real? Or merely a useful prediction tool? The mystery of quantum mechanics is that quantum objects, like electrons and photons, seem to move like waves, until they're measured, then appear as localized particles. This is known as the measurement problem. The wave function is a mathematical tool for modeling, … Continue reading Those inconvenient quantum interference patterns
Scientific breakthroughs often begin with someone saying, "Don't panic. This crazy sounding assumption is just to make the math work." Nicholaus Copernicus, when he developed his theory of heliocentrism (the earth orbits the sun), was operating from a scientific realist view. In other words, he thought his system reflected actual reality, or at least reflected it … Continue reading Is it just the math?
AI consciousness seems like an easier thing to ponder when you approach it from a functionalist viewpoint. Sunday I watched the movie The Creator. The premise is a few decades in the future, we've managed to create sentient robots. At first, all seems well, with them being a boon for humanity. Then a nuclear bomb goes off in … Continue reading Is AI consciousness an urgent issue?
Another year, another 41 posts and 1600 comments. I reminisced about the blog last month on the tenth anniversary post, so I'll spare you any more of it this time. I just want to thank all of you, my online friends, for the interesting conversations we've had this year. I'm looking forward to the next year's discussions and … Continue reading Merry Christmas
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