Friday, 4 March 2011

Ex Nihilo Nihilo Fit


David Albert Professor of Philosophy, Director of M.A. Philosophical foundations of Physics at Columbia University gives a great explanation of why a glass of water is a mystery to physicists along with an inquisitive, open and knowledge seeking approach as to why that may be. He's easy to follow and raises questions that go straight to the heart of why I reject scientific materialism more than than the material(ism) of consciousness

My own studies suggest that gravity seems to be a force that holds physics most tightly together yet falls apart at subatomic levels to the point where it may well be worth asking is gravity a good explanation but a bad theory? Or vice versa. Equally classical physics explanation of time comes across as dull, linear and unimaginative. Both these epistemological lynch pins feel like they may well be pulled from their respective grenades in coming years and I wonder if they will fizzle or explode.