the futility of debate

[bellybelle]

Stephen Hawking, possibly the most intelligent man ion Earth, responded over e-mail when you asked him "do u fink time travel is possible?"


Yeah, I smell poo-poo.

i had been asking a series of questions sent to his email address a few years ago because i was smoking with a few of my engineering friends and they were talking about dimensions and time travel. i thought they were talking a bunch of bs so i looked for the email address of someone i thought would know more than me.

either an assistant or himself, but someone answered under his name. don't blame me for the interpretation of that. if thats not him, then it wasn't me who made the error if someone used his title.

and why shouldn't he still be accessible? is he no longer in residence?

I would've thought that very many people before you would've e-mailed him questions a little bit more specific, and the question "do you think time travel is possible?" would have been a bit insulting/shit and he's heard it plenty of time before. Fair play, though, the obvious possibility of an assistant(s) replying for him is...well, I didn't think of it, but it's bloody obvious.

They must have templates for questions like that.

It was a bit more specific than "Do you think time travel is possible?" as I said what my friends had told me in depth and asked for his opinion. He responded and gave me a reference for another work that he believed substantiated his idea. Trust, I was just as surprised as you are. I write people a lot but don't really expect them to respond. When I got it, I almost freaked out, but then I had a new respect for him for taking a moment to send anything back.

As my mom would say, "He's not too big for his britches." That was pretty neat.

[Dead Rats]

Yeah, it is. I hate it when when "celebrities" act like you don't exist, bands and such like that.

I'm not very clued up on Time or Space, although I've been reading a little bit into it lately. I understand basic relativity, but that's about it.

I've been thinking about the question "Is Time formless?" alot recently. I'd love to hear other peoples opinions on it.

[pdomino]

The debate and debating thread
I missed it, love discussions and debates, put down what you know and learn more by chatting allsorts.

[kins83]

although if people are ever gonna be able to time travel however far in the future- wouldnt they have already done it and came back to tell us?

Surely if it gets invented, there'll be strict rules and regulations to ensure that things like that can't happen, otherwise it could fuck all sorts of things up.

[pdomino]

^^ Reminds me of the 'Lost' scenario.

[ashley]

Lost?

The plane crash and the ghosts and shit down a hole on an Island?


And I thought Prison Break was being longed out...

[pdomino]

Couldn't have described it as badly myself Ashley !
J.J.Abrams / Lindelhof are very talented men, nothing like 'Lost' on telly before it I dont think.

[kins83]

although if people are ever gonna be able to time travel however far in the future- wouldnt they have already done it and came back to tell us?

Surely if it gets invented, there'll be strict rules and regulations to ensure that things like that can't happen, otherwise it could fuck all sorts of things up.

But what about when you need to pass your history project by bringing back historical figures for a stage show or you'll have to go to military school?

Who would you bring back? I'd probably go for Charles Darwin.

[kins83]

I think this deserves it's own thread.......

[kidlogic]

although if people are ever gonna be able to time travel however far in the future- wouldnt they have already done it and came back to tell us?

Surely if it gets invented, there'll be strict rules and regulations to ensure that things like that can't happen, otherwise it could fuck all sorts of things up.

That, and as far as I understand it, both Einstein and Hawking believe/d the you can only go forward as it has to do with surpasing the speed of light. I belive that in Einstein's model you would travel forward in time relatve to how much faster you went than the speed of light and for how long.

Its definatly not the "back to the future" theory of time travel.

[Pistonsbeneath]

although if people are ever gonna be able to time travel however far in the future- wouldnt they have already done it and came back to tell us?

Surely if it gets invented, there'll be strict rules and regulations to ensure that things like that can't happen, otherwise it could fuck all sorts of things up.

That, and as far as I understand it, both Einstein and Hawking believe/d the you can only go forward as it has to do with surpasing the speed of light. I belive that in Einstein's model you would travel forward in time relatve to how much faster you went than the speed of light and for how long.

Its definatly not the "back to the future" theory of time travel.

[seckle]

false philosophy

agreed. so much of this stuff has to be viewed with a comb and toothpick. i don't subscribe to the idea that the mysteries of the universe and the world are ever evolving, and are sort of given to us on some mythical silver platter at a given time. mankind has progressed based on the principles of knowledge, science and debate. science has as well, so has medicine, so has law and democracy.

i remember that my philosophy professor used to call all of this stuff esotericism, in the sense that its usually one group of people claiming to have a philosophical higher ground; based on very little hard theory but always waving the "unknown" around in defense of any claim.

science is wrong quite often, but its cumulative knowledge. it's empirical in its development; (ie : it keeps itself in check).

[Pistonsbeneath]

false philosophy

agreed. so much of this stuff has to be viewed with a comb and toothpick. i don't subscribe to the idea that the mysteries of the universe and the world are ever evolving, and are sort of given to us on some mythical silver platter at a given time. mankind has progressed based on the principles of knowledge, science and debate. science has as well, so has medicine, so has law and democracy.

i remember that my philosophy professor used to call all of this stuff esotericism, in the sense that its usually one group of people claiming to have a philosophical higher ground; based on very little hard theory but always waving the "unknown" around in defense of any claim.

science is wrong quite often, but its cumulative knowledge. it's empirical in its development; (ie : it keeps itself in check).

the wise man has spoken

[parson]

mankind has progressed based on the principles of knowledge, science and debate.

define "progressed". from what i can tell that means completely insane people who are all out for themselves and hell bent on killing the entire planet.

[parson]

where do we get these presuppositions that what version of "progress" we live with was good or wise? has "progress" made us happier? is there anything we can harp on other than technology saves lives? technology ruins lives too. it deadens souls, and distracts beyond measure. free-thought has been all but completely siphoned out of the collective consciousness. the world has never been more terrifyingly homogenized.

[deamonds]

mankind has progressed based on the principles of knowledge, science and debate.

define "progressed". from what i can tell that means completely insane people who are all out for themselves and hell bent on killing the entire planet.

As a somewhat confused body groing up, I can sense the uncertantiy with people life as to where they come from, how they originated & what they're purpose in life is. now I understand that people may not take my opinion seriosuly, however, for those who are unsure & feel cheated by the system, we need to rise up...rise up...

revolution?, already a concept!, society & the world is advancing, we too need a new era, a new role in life, a new sense of security, peace, love & unity..

to those that are left after the war, i look fwd...we have no control

i dont know how much more of this falsley aspirational bullshit i can take..

my only answer to this shit nowdays is that "god isnt real, and dont mind the guys behind the curtain".......

my 2 *sense*

[parson]

i personally dont believe we need revolution or any other kind of war.

what we need is a psychic revolution. a reclaiming of the mind for the individual.