Religion appears to be the reason for most large and lasting wars.
When I stated that in the seti cafe I got slaughtered ........
Hence the reason why it is generally accepted that religion and politics are not considered polite conversation topics at dinner parties. These are very subjective topics, that in the main have very strong opposing viewpoints. Your own level of satisfaction in such circumstances will be dictated by whether or not you happen to fall into the majority. Minorities tend to become cannon fodder and get slaughtered. :)
Science, on the other hand, is fantastic because it offers tangible concepts, that in the general scheme of things can be proven or disproven with real world events and practical application.
While some may find it fun to become involved in a 5 hour, largely fruitless, discussion about the (non)existence of a particular deity, it's not really all that fulfilling because it cannot be conclusively proven.
A 5 hour discussion about whether or not the flap of a butterfly's wings could induce a hurricance in another hemisphere is much more fullfilling because it invokes mathematical calculations, vectors, forces and dimensions. It's not to say that everyone will reach the same answer because of all the variables involved, however the important aspect of this process is that there definitely is an answer. Whether or not it is the answer is what leads to further multi-hour discussions.
Thus ends my philosophical thought for the day. :)
I didn't start this thread with the intention of discussing nuclear war per se...but as a glimpse into the brillant mind of Uncle Albert. However, discuss whatever you wish and let the posts flow like an ocean current...
Since religion (pointedly Jewish, Christianity, and Islamic) is now the current whipping boy topic in this thread I hope no one decides to turn their attention to Einstein himself and deride him as a fool for being both religious and science minded.
"I have tried to respond to your question as simply as I could. Here is my answer. Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the actions of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a supernatural Being."
"However, it must be admitted that our actual knowledge of these laws is only imperfect and fragmentary, so that, actually, the belief in the existence of basic all-embracing laws in Nature also rests on a sort of faith. All the same this faith has been largely justified so far by the success of scientific research. But, on the other hand, every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe — spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive."
Albert Einstein
It is worth mentioning that this letter was written a decade after the advent of Heisenberg's principle of indeterminacy and the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics with its denial of strict determinism.
"About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church. As long as I can remember, I have resented mass indocrination. I do not believe in the fear of life, in the fear of death, in blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but if I were to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws."
Albert Einstein
You have to remember that Einstein lived in a time when atheism created a heavy social stigma, in and of itself, or you were considered a Communist.
If two spaceships faced each other for a long enough distance and then started towards each other until right before they hit reached the speed of light, would they crash into each other or would they start to recede? I am neither a scientist or a mathematician, but according to the laws set forth, if you could reach the speed of light and faster, time and space start to act differently so that there would be no collision. The ships would start to move away from each other. I think.
P.S. Albert in his declining years said something along the line of, "God may be a trickster after all". This was in response to his quest find one law for all forces.
RE: RE: Religion appears
)
Okay!
P.S. Is that why you got a bad grade in algebra?
RE: RE: Religion appears
)
Hence the reason why it is generally accepted that religion and politics are not considered polite conversation topics at dinner parties. These are very subjective topics, that in the main have very strong opposing viewpoints. Your own level of satisfaction in such circumstances will be dictated by whether or not you happen to fall into the majority. Minorities tend to become cannon fodder and get slaughtered. :)
Science, on the other hand, is fantastic because it offers tangible concepts, that in the general scheme of things can be proven or disproven with real world events and practical application.
While some may find it fun to become involved in a 5 hour, largely fruitless, discussion about the (non)existence of a particular deity, it's not really all that fulfilling because it cannot be conclusively proven.
A 5 hour discussion about whether or not the flap of a butterfly's wings could induce a hurricance in another hemisphere is much more fullfilling because it invokes mathematical calculations, vectors, forces and dimensions. It's not to say that everyone will reach the same answer because of all the variables involved, however the important aspect of this process is that there definitely is an answer. Whether or not it is the answer is what leads to further multi-hour discussions.
Thus ends my philosophical thought for the day. :)
RE: P.S. Is that why you
)
No, he took the short bus to school.....just kidding...LOL.
Freedom of Speech is a cherished right in every democracy and democratic institution.
RE: I didn't start this
)
Since religion (pointedly Jewish, Christianity, and Islamic) is now the current whipping boy topic in this thread I hope no one decides to turn their attention to Einstein himself and deride him as a fool for being both religious and science minded.
"I have tried to respond to
)
"I have tried to respond to your question as simply as I could. Here is my answer. Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the actions of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a supernatural Being."
"However, it must be admitted that our actual knowledge of these laws is only imperfect and fragmentary, so that, actually, the belief in the existence of basic all-embracing laws in Nature also rests on a sort of faith. All the same this faith has been largely justified so far by the success of scientific research. But, on the other hand, every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe — spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive."
Albert Einstein
It is worth mentioning that this letter was written a decade after the advent of Heisenberg's principle of indeterminacy and the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics with its denial of strict determinism.
"About God, I cannot accept any concept based on the authority of the Church. As long as I can remember, I have resented mass indocrination. I do not believe in the fear of life, in the fear of death, in blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but if I were to speak of him, I would be a liar. I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws."
Albert Einstein
You have to remember that Einstein lived in a time when atheism created a heavy social stigma, in and of itself, or you were considered a Communist.
Freedom of Speech is a cherished right in every democracy and democratic institution.
"Subtle is the Lord but not
)
"Subtle is the Lord but not malicious"
Albert Einstein
Bravo Dennis, and well
)
Bravo Dennis, and well put/quoted!
Shih-Tzu are clever, cuddly, playful and rule!! Jack Russell are feisty!
I have to echo John Clark on
)
I have to echo John Clark on his "Bravo Dennis, and well put/quoted!"
RE: Uncle Albert's Cafe and Ǽ-Theory Bistro
)
Freedom of Speech is a cherished right in every democracy and democratic institution.
If two spaceships faced each
)
If two spaceships faced each other for a long enough distance and then started towards each other until right before they hit reached the speed of light, would they crash into each other or would they start to recede? I am neither a scientist or a mathematician, but according to the laws set forth, if you could reach the speed of light and faster, time and space start to act differently so that there would be no collision. The ships would start to move away from each other. I think.
P.S. Albert in his declining years said something along the line of, "God may be a trickster after all". This was in response to his quest find one law for all forces.