On 11/29/2008 11:50:26 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Original Message: > ----------------- > From: Rceeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:04:20 -0600 > To: brin-l@mccmedia.com > Subject: > It's confirmed: Matter is merely vacuum fluctuations > > > http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16095-its-confirmed-matter-is-merely-v > acuum-fluctuations.html > > >Matter is built on flaky foundations. Physicists have now confirmed that > >the apparently substantial stuff is actually no more than fluctuations in > >the quantum vacuum. > > It's > unfortunate that the New Scientist tend to tack on its metaphysical > interpretation onto pretty good science when it reports on new physics. > Perhaps that's the only way to grab laymen, I don't know. > > As I mentioned in my last post, this idea in QCD dates back to when I was > a > grad student. The work that was described was pretty good stuff, so I'm > not insulting the physicist. But, the energy involved in the interaction > between quarks must be mass, so there is nothing earth shattering here. > > But, like doing a QED calculation of, say water, and coming up with what > is > observed, this massive computational work is well worth doing, and the > first ones to get it done deserve acclaim for getting it done.
Agree with what you are trying to say. I think that as a magazine, NS is trying to engage lay folk and other scientists whose expertise doesn't extend very far into QM. For most of us the metaphysics *is* the important aspect of QM. It helps us to work out the nature of reality and what it means to exist. For we, the dummies<G>, it is difficult to hold on to the ideas of simultaneous existing/non-existing, objects frothing out of nothing, or matter mostly being not there in any sense that doesn't stagger one's common sense and bring it to it's knees whimpering and moaning. QM is destructive to much of the "rules" one has ingrained as soon as one learns to walk, it just seems to go against all that one sees in day to day life. The "rules" are of course, oversimplifications based on limited observation from a limited viewpoint, but for those of us who lack the time to learn the maths and pour over the datas, the metaphysics are all we have to hold on to. We can understand philosophy much easier than maths, they are easier for us to discuss and digest. xponent Paradox Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
