Physics and the Reality of Supernature

Physics and the Reality of Supernature
A Physicist Contemplates the Role of the Supernatural in the
Scientific Enterprise by Donavan Hall

[snip]

".....When I was in the fifth grade I was given an assignment, to
devise a scientific experiment and present that experiment as a
demonstration to my classmates. Knowing that my father would have a
brilliant idea, I went straight to him and presented the problem to
him. His suggestion was to do a thought experiment. I was to
construct a "theory box" and then use this box as a way of
demonstrating a fundamental truth about scientific inquiry--that
reality is not always the way you think it is.

This theory box was a simple shoe box with two shoelaces fixed
together on the inside with a ring. An end of one shoelace was tied
to the ring and the other lace slipped freely through the ring. The
three free ends dangled out holes punched in the bottom of the box.
On the ends buttons were attached to prevent the ends from
accidentally being pulled back through the holes. After constructing
this theory box I put the lid back on so that the only thing that
could be seen from the outside were three shoe string ends and
buttons. If you pulled on any one of the strings it would change the
length of the others by some amount. None of the strings had the same
effect as any other on the other strings, that is each pull of the
sting yielded a unique action.

Equipped with this box I embarked on the first memorable journey of
scientific discovery in my life. I showed this box to my classmates
and asked them one question: how does it work? My father's fabulous
idea did not find a receptive audience. Most of my fellows simply
wanted me to tell them how it worked. But I managed to convince a few
of them to formulate some hypotheses.

A theory box is a very simple mechanical device, but the truth that
it illustrates strikes at the core of the argument of this paper. The
truth is this, an infinite number of theories can be generated to
model the behavior of the theory box, but only one of those theories
is correct, meaning only one corresponds to reality. A theory of
theory box function can be tested experimentally. The ultimate
experiment is the removal to the theory box's lid for a peak at the
ring and the shoelaces.

To substitute atoms or quarks for theory boxes is a simple step. We
have managed to open the box and look at atoms, to take them apart,
assemble them in different ways. We have not been so lucky with
quarks for reasons having to do with something called length scale.
To look at the very small, you must have a very small probe. We can
not see atoms because the size or wavelength of visible light is many
times greater than the size of the typical atom. To look at an atom
we must use very short wavelength (high energy) light. The problem is
that if your probe is too energetic you might destroy what you are
trying to observe. This consideration signals to us that some limit
might apply to the length scales at which objects can be poked and
proded. A possible limit to our observation is called the Planck
length after Max Planck who introduced his famous Planck's constant
into the equations of quantum mechanics.

This possible limit to what is knowable about nature is exactly the
fine line which separates hidden variables from "God in the gaps"
theories. Hidden variables are not some clever way to cover up what
we do not know at the present, but they are extactly that which
cannot, in principle, be known given the actual structure of the
physical world. From this it is easy to see that the physical world
can be larger than the knowable world.

At present, it is tempting to define nature as the knowable part of
the physical world and supernature, the unknowable part; but before
we jump to any premature conclusions, let us proceed with a
consideration of Bohm's theory. ..."

[snip] Click to
continue:
http://www.phys.lsu.edu/students/dhall/NWR/NTSE/physics_supernature.html
Received on Fri, 20 Jan 2006 02:48:18 -0500