Chris and Pat, (01)
Phrases like "the reality of change" are slogans that obscure the
issues rather than clarify them. (02)
CP>> As has been pointed out a number of times, 3d/4d is shorthand
>> for positions on the reality of change. (03)
PH> Um... that is not how I am understanding it. The *reality* of
> change seems to me to be beyond rational dispute. I see the
> distinction as being about how best to formally describe change. (04)
I have a high respect for the power of natural languages, but I
realize that their flexibility allows people to engage in endless
rounds of arguments because they fail to pin down the meaning. (05)
That is why I like to translate the verbiage to some formalism
that we can analyze explicitly. In the case of change, the
usual method for quantifying change is to take the derivative
with respect to time. (06)
Fundamental principle: it's irrelevant whether you label the
fourth dimension as x4 or t, if the derivative is nonzero,
there is change. (07)
And you can also talk about change in any spatial dimension.
If all four derivatives are zero, you have a uniform vacuum or
a uniform fog, depending on the density. (08)
John (09)
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/uom-ontology-std/
Subscribe: mailto:uom-ontology-std-join@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Config/Unsubscribe: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/uom-ontology-std/
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/work/UoM/
Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?UoM_Ontology_Standard (010)
|