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Re: [ontolog-forum] intangibles (was RE: Why most classifications are fu

To: <doug@xxxxxxxxxx>, "'[ontolog-forum] '" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Matthew West" <dr.matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:32:18 +0100
Message-id: <4e27d604.4ccfe30a.61a0.35cb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Dear Doug,    (01)

> >> ...
> >> As far as possible worlds is concerned you should also look at
> >> multiverses ...
> >
> > But such multiverses, in my understanding, are intrinsically
undetectable
> > from our universe and can not affect it.  Therefore, they have no
> > predictive value
> 
> the scientific utility of the concept of multiverses is to obviate the
> necessity to explain why OUR universe has certain properties.  The idea
> is that there are universes with any set of properties imaginable (or not)
> and the one we happen to be in happens to have the properties which it
> does have.  Such an explanation means scientists do not have to explain
> why various laws or constants (such as speed of light) obtain.
> 
> Some scientists see this as an argument that there is no reason to
> determine the reason for basic concepts and laws, feeling a need for
> trying to determine such otherwise.  As such there can be seen a
> utility of such a model for cutting off areas of scientific inquiry.
> But this does not mean that there is a utility of multiverse models
> for reasoning about occurrences in our universe.    (02)

MW: Multiverses have been used by a number of people for a number of things.
I was alluding to the work of Everett. His hypothesis relates to the
question of Schrodingers cat, where according to the Copenhagen convention,
it is by observing that you determine whether the cat is dead or not.
Everett's hypothesis is that there are two worlds, one in which the cat is
dead, the other in which it is alive, and that both these worlds are real.
We just don't know which one we are in until we open the box.    (03)

Regards    (04)

Matthew West                            
Information  Junction
Tel: +44 1489 880185
Mobile: +44 750 3385279
Skype: dr.matthew.west
matthew.west@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.informationjunction.co.uk/
http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/    (05)

This email originates from Information Junction Ltd. Registered in England
and Wales No. 6632177.
Registered office: 2 Brookside, Meadow Way, Letchworth Garden City,
Hertfordshire, SG6 3JE.    (06)



> 
> -- doug
> 
> > and thus could be considered non-scientific.  It is
> > similarly impossible to prove that the universe did not come into
> > existence
> > a millisecond ago (with all particles having positions and momenta that
> > suggest a universe of an age of ~14 billion years.
> >
> > Neither theory is useful for an ontological description of any given
> > state of affairs that is not specifically dealing with such a theory.
> >
> > -- doug foxvog
> >
> >
> >> Regards
> >> Matthew West
> >
> >> Information  Junction
> >> Tel: +44 1489 880185
> >> Mobile: +44 750 3385279
> >>
> >> Skype: dr.matthew.west
> >>
> >>  <mailto:matthew.west@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> matthew.west@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>
> >>  <http://www.informationjunction.co.uk/>
> >> http://www.informationjunction.co.uk/
> >>
> >>  <http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/> http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> This email originates from Information Junction Ltd. Registered in
> >> England
> >> and Wales No. 6632177.
> >>
> >> Registered office: 2 Brookside, Meadow Way, Letchworth Garden City,
> >> Hertfordshire, SG6 3JE.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> [mailto:ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> >> sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >> Sent: 19 July 2011 11:17
> >> To: [ontolog-forum]
> >> Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] intangibles (was RE: Why most
> >> classifications
> >> are fuzzy)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dear Matthew,
> >>
> >> The point I'm trying to make is that possible worlds don't exist.  They
> >> are
> >> imaginary.  The way you imagine them is to create some hypothesis,
> >> theory,
> >> axioms, or specifications that generate them.
> >>
> >> The so-called extensional methods are superfluous.  Whatever hypothesis
> >> you
> >> formed to generate the possible worlds contains all the information
> >> necessary to derive whatever conclusion you could get by analyzing the
> >> set
> >> of worlds.
> >>
> >> In short, the starting  hypothesis is intensional.  The possible worlds
> >> are
> >> useless baggage.  They might give you some pleasure in your
imagination.
> >> They might even be useful as illustrations.  But the method of forming
> >> the
> >> initial specification for the worlds is intensional.
> >>
> >> John
> >
> >
> > =============================================================
> > doug foxvog    doug@xxxxxxxxxx   http://ProgressiveAustin.org
> >
> > "I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great
> > initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."
> >     - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
> > =============================================================
> >
> >
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> >
> 
> 
> =============================================================
> doug foxvog    doug@xxxxxxxxxx   http://ProgressiveAustin.org
> 
> "I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great
> initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."
>     - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
> =============================================================
> 
> 
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