Wednesday, December 10, 2008


In our recent discussions, we have talked about finding an equation to model everything in our universe, everything from the micro to the macro, the tangible to the intangible. I find this task to be taking on too much. I believe that capabilities such as finding the universal equation cannot be achieved because some things are not meant to be discovered. I don't mean this as in the moment that a person finds this equation that Zeus will strike them with a lightning bolt, but this desire to know everything has an uncomfortable feeling with me.

Heisenberg and other physicists in the first half of the 20th Century had researched to develop an equation to map the formulation of quantum physics. All though their main goal had been too find this equation, Heisenberg was constantly troubled by the variables. His primary concern to solve was that uncertainty is actually a property of the world. And in this it was physically impossible to measure specific momentum and particle positions to a degree that would able him to model an equation to quantum mechanics.

Physicists have come up with formulas such as the Schrödinger equation, and Heisenberg's matrix model, but how do these improve our society? Sure, physics and science play a key role and our advancement is dependent upon critical thought. But maybe the Schrödinger equation, and Heisenberg's matrix model are a little too much? Sorry about the location of the equation above, but I am happy living my life without worrying what that even means.

1 comment:

Magister P said...

You reference emotion and feelings quite a bit in this post...good for you! Let's get back to using those as ways of knowing for a moment. Another may challenge you by saying that this is irrational, and indeed it is, if we are taking "rational" to mean the application of unemotional reason and logic. Yet why, when, and in what areas should reason trump emotion, or vice versa?

Your reference to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle makes me think of Godel's incompleteness theorem, which says that in any system of mathetmatics, there are propositions in that system that cannot be proved by any other propositions within that system. Do Heisenberg and Godel provide some non-emotional evidence for your gut your feelings?