| THEORIES WITH PROBLEMS - THE BIG BANG THEORY -> How many theories fill a set of facts? | Start A New Topic | Reply |
| Post Info | TOPIC: How many theories fill a set of facts? |
| Posted By: Bill Cooper Posted On: Aug 28, 2006 Views: 945 | How many theories fill a set of facts? I am much amused at the number of theories chucked around, some fail at the first hurdle, some last a while longer. When it comes to the meaning of the universe there seem more theories than grains of sand on the Beach. We keep theories all while they appear to fit the 'facts', they are mostly conjecture and, mostly NOT fact. Suppose for example you open a door and enter a room lit by a single glass portal, within the room you see a dead parrot and a few pieces of rubber scraps (too small to discern anything other than it was rubber). You notice a foul (as opposed to fowl) smell, and there is a stain on the floor. Newton might contend that the bird died of starvation as there was no sign of food present (or bird droppings), he may also conclude the rubber was irrelevant. A simple explanation that anybody could understand. Einstein might (after a great deal of thought) decide the bird had learnt to play squash but had been hit by the ball on a rebound, after failing to realise that eventually the ball would come back and hit him irrespective of the direction he initially struck the ball. THe ball had perished with time. When asked about the stain he said "I will explain that in a second theory" Boyle would contend that the rubber had been part of a ballon filled with gas which when pecked by the bird (searching for sustenance) had ruptured resulting in asphixiation/shock. He might also add that this is confirmed by the peculiar smell. The quantum physicist might decide the rubber was infact the decayed remains of the bird's eggshell - the egg had appeared along with an anti-egg but a stray photon of light had struck the anti-egg causing an imbalance to occur before the eggs could re-unite and cancel as normal. The anti- egg fell to the floor where in contact with 'normal' matter it dissappeard leaving only a stain. Some might recognise 'Hawking radiation' here - any similarity is completely intended. After a while the physicist was able to modify his hypothesis in the light of obvious flaws. I used to think science was about observing some natural phenomena and then through a process of experiment, providing an explanation which others could also prove. Up until Einstein we could all understand science, many of us repeated the experiments of others in our classrooms and got the same results. Science used to be FACT. Today it seems more fiction. Sure if enough people make enough guess's about the big bang one of them will coincide with the truth, but it's the same for the monkeys, the typewriters, and the complete works of Shakespeare. |
| Posted By: Owen T Posted On: Sep 17, 2006 Views: 933 | RE: How many theories fill a set of facts? Nice Monologue mate.... |
| Posted By: Moronic Demon Posted On: Oct 7, 2006 Views: 923 | RE: How many theories fill a set of facts? Maybe you should look up the difference between guesses, random events, probability and a theory. |