Re: Physics and Points of View

From: Michael Spence (mspence01@comcast.net)
Date: Tue Jul 01 2003 - 21:15:44 EDT

  • Next message: Glenn Morton: "Predeterminism and parallel universes"

    From: "Debbie Mann" <deborahjmann@insightbb.com>
    To: "Asa" <asa@calvin.edu>

    > I would like to hear more about the cosmos. That subject is what brought
    me
    > to the list. It's funny how the very large also leads one to the very
    small.
    > I read that they now believe that there are no smaller, undiscovered
    pieces
    > to the atom. Is this true? Are there other universes? There are theories
    as
    > to infinite universes with the same structure and various permutations of
    > the events in this universe. Some very intelligent people seem to take
    this
    > quite seriously. Intuitively, I find it far out. As a Christian, I find it
    > bunkem.

    I'm interested in similar things, and found a couple of books by Paul Davies
    (an Austrailian physicist, I think)
    to be both interesting and easy to read. _The Mind of God_ is quite good
    and talks about cosmology a lot,
    including multiple, or infinite, universes. He denied the infinite universe
    idea because it was a gross violation of
    Occam's Razor, IIRC. Also discussed is the idea that the universe cycles
    between "big bangs" and "big crunches",
    kind of bouncing eternally. That is also rejected, because of entropy.

    I can't recall much else, as I don't have it in front of me, but I enjoyed
    it and it sounds like you would as well.

    Cheers,
    Mike



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