Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!teddy!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!brl-tgr!gwyn From: gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Re: Re: Non-linear systems. Message-ID: <7213@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 04:16:22 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.7213 Posted: Fri Jan 11 04:16:22 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 13-Jan-85 07:54:53 EST References: <209@talcott.UUCP>, <328@rlgvax.UUCP> <384@hou2g.UUCP> <1027@sunybcs.UUCP> Organization: Ballistic Research Lab Lines: 17 I think Jay has raised a valid and important point, which is (paraphrasing) that one's accepted philosophy has a significant influence on one's actions and motivations. It really should matter even to a pragmatist (which I am not) whether the underlying structure of the universe is inherently random, whether it follows laws laid down arbitrarily by a supreme being, whether it is possible for humans to gain a real understanding of their world or not, and so forth. I think one of the reasons that modern physics has gotten simultaneously silly and boring (in my opinion, obviously; I used to be a physicist) is that most physicists have intellectually defaulted on this matter, leaving the crucial issue of their fundamental beliefs to be determined by the mystics that dominate the field of philosophy (including religion of course) in today's culture. `Tis a pity.