Gasket analogy

From: John Burgeson (burgy@compuserve.com)
Date: Wed Apr 05 2000 - 16:42:39 EDT

  • Next message: glenn morton: "Re: Gasket analogy"

    Glenn writes: "By analogy with the dot in Sierpinski's gasket (and those
    types of equations), the dot can move toward any of the vertices it 'wants'
    to. The over all pattern of its output is fixed. What I am saying is that
    regardless of our choice, God wins. he doesn't have to force the situation
    any more than I have to force a particular outcome of the traveling dot in
    the manufacture of Sierpinski's gasket. The dot moves according to the
    rules it has to live within (like we do also) and the pattern follows
    naturally."

    I still have difficulty with this, Glenn. I understand the gasket case
    (sic) to be an analogy, and, of course, as all analogies, imperfect. I
    also understand that when you write "... regardless of our choice, God
    wins," that is a theological assertion by you, one which can be both
    defended and attacked by scriptural references, in the simple minded case,
    Calvin vs Wesley I suppose.

    So far -- OK. My difficulty is with the gasket math I suppose. I seems to
    me that in at least SOME cases, extremely rare, I grant you, perhaps 1 in
    2**20000, the pattern you confidently assert "always" appears, would, in
    fact, not appear.

    Another question -- I visited your web site last week. Do you have a link
    to the ASA web site there? I did not see one. Also, a reference to this ASA
    LISTSERV might be appropriate. Finally, I was not able to find the gasket
    case there; I quit after looking around for about 5 minutes or so.

    I shared some of your Neandertal posts a couple days ago with a
    fundamentalist friend of mine. I think she was rather overwhelmed. "I
    believe what I believe" was her response. I am not sure now I will do a
    followup. Maybe.

    John



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