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A Philosophical Question

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Old Feb 1, 2003 | 10:09 PM
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Default A Philosophical Question

Is nature consistent? In other words, can an object (a tangible object, specifically) simultaneously possess and not possess some particular characteristic?

How do you know?
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Old Feb 1, 2003 | 10:17 PM
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multiple dimension theory
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Old Feb 2, 2003 | 02:45 AM
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Yes it can. Look at Schrodinger's Cat. Here is how the theoretical experiment is set up.

You have a cat,
a box ,that allows the cat to breath but not let light in,
some unknown radioactive material,
a geiger counter hooked up to some device that kills the cat once the geiger counter detects the radiation.

You put the everything in the box and make sure that the cat cannot tamper with anything inside the box.

Now close lid.

What happens to the cat once the lid is closed? The radioactive material is unknown so the half-life is not known, so you cannot predict when the geiger counter will detect radiation and set off the execution device.

Because of this as soon as you close the lid the cat is both dead and alive. You do not know what state it is in until you open the lid.

This is just my explination of it but i'm sure someone else can explain it better than i can.
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Old Feb 2, 2003 | 09:43 AM
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What makes you ask such a question? And when you have your answer will you actually be satisfied? Does the answer really even matter or is it the questioning itself that is important to you? Is it a discussion you are after or understanding?

Doncha' just hate it when people answer questions with questions?
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Old Feb 2, 2003 | 01:56 PM
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Old Feb 2, 2003 | 03:15 PM
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Originally posted by S2Kguy
What makes you ask such a question?
When the electrical charge in exactly the correct set of neurons in my brain reaches the proper level to stimulate the neurotransmittors in exactly the proper order . . . .



In truth, I'll hold off answering that one for a time.
Originally posted by S2Kguy
And when you have your answer will you actually be satisfied?
The answer to this one follows from the answer to the next one.
Originally posted by S2Kguy
Does the answer really even matter or is it the questioning itself that is important to you?
The question is important; the final answer is probably of little practical use.
Originally posted by S2Kguy
Is it a discussion you are after or understanding?
I was attempting to get people to think about something I suspect they take for granted, something which can have profound philosophical implications and which does not admit of simple analysis.
Originally posted by S2Kguy
Doncha' just hate it when people answer questions with questions?
No.
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Old Feb 4, 2003 | 09:23 AM
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Kguy
[B]What makes you ask such a question?
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Old Feb 4, 2003 | 01:04 PM
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The answer is Mu.

I actually have nothing to contribute to this topic. Would be glad to hear where you're taking it however.
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Old Feb 4, 2003 | 02:14 PM
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Well, I can probably argue that you can posses and dispossess the same characteristic at the same time in a manner of ways but I'll use just one.

I believe that a certain singer has no talent. Another person believes that the person has amazing talent. Thus, that person has, at that moment, both none and a ton of talent.

In short, isn't it all about perspective?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

To get a little more serious, think about possessing life (and death). A tiger possesses life (it is alive, it can reproduce with another) but it also possesses death since it can and does kill others or remove life.

Perhaps I'm still not serious enough.

Okay, how about myself? I am a Christian and I believe that I have Christ living in me (perhaps hard to "prove" scientifically, but let's say it's true), a perfect entity. At the same time, I am human and therefore prone to be imperfect. Thus, one could say that I am inherently both perfect and imperfect at the same time.

To put it on a more personal level, let's say that you knock a guy out who's trying to knock you out. You are preserving health and destroying health simultaneously, albeit for different beings.

So, couldn't the entire question really just be about perception of effects? A certain action has an effect on one thing and the opposite effect on another. Thus, the object doing the action is simultaneously doing two opposite things at one time.

How about eating? We are killing (the food) and giving life (to ourselves) at the same time.

To carry on that example, what about the fact that we are both living and dying at the same time?

So, I think we need only look to ourselves to see that we can be one thing and it's opposite at the same time. I also think perception is a huge factor here.

Of course, perhaps I didn't even grasp the question correctly. If so, I'll just go
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Old Feb 4, 2003 | 02:58 PM
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Originally posted by foolio
The answer is Mu.
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