So, here’s the thing. If I roll with Quantum Field Theory (QFT), how do I reconcile my macroscopic and microscopic views of things. Simple things. Like looking at a tiny candle across the room? “P vision” Imagine if we could see individual photons (without being overwhelmed by visual “noise” in very low light). Where might… Continue reading Beyond frog vision
Happy Pi Day! When you’re trying to solve any interesting problem (a problem about almost anything) — a problem with lots of interplay between different things, it’s important to know what’s important and not, what makes a big effect on the result and not. And just how precise the result needs to be anyway (at… Continue reading Effective theory
I watched some online video interviews recently which discussed the question of dialog between science and religion. Do science and religion need to speak to each other? From a practical perspective, I was puzzled at first. There’s always been an interplay. Has the character of that dialectic changed in the last 50 – 100 years?… Continue reading Garbage in, garbage out
Sometimes we say, “that person is going through a phase.” Somethings are the same; somethings are changing. So, if and when that phase ends, we may need to describe that person differently, alter the way we talk about their personality or attitudes (mental state). Might be for the better or not. More or less permanent.… Continue reading Phase transition
Naturalism — philosophy based on a natural philosophy or ontology — has had a problematic history. In the history of science, in the general history of thought. In the last 50 – 100 years, arguments for naturalism have been strengthened by two major developments: empirical cosmology and the concept of emergence. This has happened despite… Continue reading Emergence, not reduction
