Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Microscope and Anthropocentrism

The invention of the telescope not merely extends the human eye to previously non-visible objects; it transforms the traditional concept of the human place in the cosmos.  In contrast, the use of the microscope has remained basically anthropocentric, as Physicists continue to seem confident of eventually isolating the ultimate irreducible constituents of the human world, in which they are perhaps miraculously combined.  However, the microcosmos continues to elude finitude, evincing, rather an indefinite pattern of system within system.  What that pattern suggests is a similar macroscopic one of universes within universes.  Accordingly,pl the human cosmos occupies merely one level of an infinitude of cosmoses, both macro- and micro-, of no special significance except to its inhabitants.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Quantum and Gestalt

Gestalt Theory has shown that the human mind tends to homogenize its object.  Even without its various tests that demonstrate that lacunae in the object get filled in, outside the experimental context, a closer examination of what, at first glance, is normally taken to be a uniformly colored surface reveals, instead, nuanced heterogeneity.  So, it should not be surprising that the fine-tuned instruments used to observe Quantum phenomena are discovering hitherto unsuspected irregularities. After all, the very foundation of Modern Physics, Velocity, from the outset, gets air-brushed from an average quantity to a uniform one.  So, a greater appreciation of Gestaltism might soften some of the resistance to those Quantum discontinuities.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Quantum and Mechanics

Since a mechanistic system is Deterministic, the discovery of indeterminacies in Quantum phenomena might occasion a change of rubric from 'Quantum Mechanics'.  Now, 'quantum' means 'how many', which indicates that quantum phenomena are fundamentally mathematical.  But, as many over the centuries--Phenomenalists, Kant, Gestaltists, etc.--have shown, the mathematical aspects of the objects of perception are contributed by the cognitive processes that produce them.  Thus, any surprise or dismay of Quantum Physicists at evidence that the objects of their study vary with the observation of them reflects only their commitment to the perhaps obsolete thesis that in Cognition, Subject and Object are inherently independent of one another.  So, a re-christening of their endeavor as 'Quantum Physics' might also be an opportunity to switch to a more appropriate Epistemological orientation.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Quantum Mechanics, Momentum, Position

Beginning with the proper definition of Velocity, previously discussed, one of controversial discoveries of Quantum Mechanics is easily explained.  That discovery is that both the Momentum and the Position of a particle cannot be simultaneously determined.  Now, Momentum entails Velocity, which, as has been discussed, is fundamentally an average over an interval, even if that property is routinely glossed as instantaneous or uniform.  Thus, the concept of Velocity, and, hence, that of Momentum, has no meaning in the case where there is no interval, i. e. in an Instant.  But, the Position of a particle occurs in an Instant.  Thus, if there is Momentum, there is no specific Position, and, conversely, if there is specific Position there is no Momentum, i. e. not: Momentum = 0, but: the concept is meaningless.  This analysis applies to any Motion, so that it is first discovered at the Quantum level is likely due to the fineness of the instruments involved.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Velocity and Instantaneity

By definition, Velocity and Acceleration is each an average over an interval.  Thus, the problem with either instantaneous V or instantaneous A is not that it is difficult, or even impossible, to measure, it is that it is a meaningless concept.  Ditto for any concept of uniform V or A in which 'uniform' is defined as 'at all instants', as well for that of any other concept derived from them, e. g. Force, Momentum, etc.  In other words, it cannot be asserted with certainty that irregularities that happen to average out do not obtain within an interval.  Thus, the anomaly of the indeterminacies of Quantum Mechanics may not be that they violate Mechanistic Determinism, but that they have been isolated and detected.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Determinism and Discontinuity

Einstein affirms Determinism not only in the context of Quantum Mechanics, but also regarding the topic of Free Will, the existence of which he denies, invoking Spinoza, though it is unclear if he discerns that the latter does advocate a concept of Self-Determination, which is not to be confused with Quantum randomness.  Regardless, according to the Determinism entailed, since Newton, in Modern Physics, every event is a calculable, in principle, consequence of some initial event.  It follows that there can be no discontinuity in the concatenation, since that would involve a rupture that is not a consequence of the initial event.  But, Einstein himself recognizes, and relies upon, at least two such discontinuities.  One is the concept of a Frame of Reference, in which an ordered relation, measuring to measured, is opaque with respect to what precedes, i. e. the motion of a clock and the motion of what it is timing might each be the continuation of an antecedent sequence, but the relation between them is not.  The other, the device 'approaches Zero', or 'approaches Infinity', connotes approximation, leaving an irreducible discontinuity between measurement and measured, no matter how minute.  So, Einstein's venture beyond the scope of his expertise encounters problems that he seems to not know even exist, to which his Dogmatism is inadequate.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Dice-Playing, Determinism, Knowledge

Einstein's rejection of a dice-playing God is generally accepted as reflecting the Determinism of Modern Physics.  However, regardless of whether or not that position is defensible, it is rarely noticed that the rejection misses its intended target.  For, according to that target, the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, some results cannot be calculated with certainty, but only predicted with probability.  So, what that thesis challenges is not necessarily Determinism, but, rather, the capacity of Physicists to attain complete knowledge of their object.  In otherIn words, Einstein's transformation of a criticism of a human endeavor, to a purported demeaning of a deity, is more reminiscent of Theological Dogmatism than of the pioneering of Modern Physics in which heterodoxy was dangerous, even mortally so.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Law, Hypothesis, Progressivism

Incorporating Hume's analysis that an empirical Law is a perceived past pattern that is projected as continuing in the future, Pragmatists re-conceive Law as a provisional operative Hypothesis.  On that basis, any insistence that a Law is eternal is Dogmatism that suppresses the Experimental ethos of Modern Science.  Likewise, the elevation of contingent features of a society to the status of immutability functions to perpetuate the status quo, and to repress growth.  Thus, Dewey applies the Pragmatist concept of Scientific Law to Political Law in his development of Progressivism, as a means to promoting continued growth.  From that perspective, the Originalist adherence to the purported intentions of the Founding Fathers is exposed as repressive Dogmatism in the service of entrenched power.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Law, Past, Future

Hume analyzes an Empirical Law 'A causes B' as 'Previously, A and B have observed to be constantly conjoined, a pattern that is projected to continue in future cases'.  Now, it is usually considered that the primary target of his Skepticism is the inference from a Constant Conjunction to some more unitary connection.  But, its more significant, more general, undermining is of the undemonstrable assumption that the Future repeats the Past.  Thus, even granting that hitherto, God has not played dice with the universe, the conclusion that that will not change is completely groundless.  Likewise, no number of demonstrations that the Speed of Light has been constant is equivalent to the thesis that it will continue to be so.  The focus on the first clause of Hume's analysis has contributed to the interpretation of it as of narrow Epistemological import.  In contrast, the second entertains the possibility that the world may some day be entirely different than it has been, i. e. that it has been correctly interpreted, but it has since changed, e. g. if the Earth suddenly reverses the direction of its spin, Copernicus will be proven not wrong, just temporarily correct.

Monday, May 22, 2017

God, Dice, Universe

Einstein's famous statement, "God does not play dice with the universe" entails the propositions 'God exists', 'God and the Universe are distinct', and 'God is not a dice-player'.  Now, each of these is both speculative and disputable.  Thus, even if his intended target, the thesis that some processes are aleatory, is indeed false, it is not by virtue of his assertion.  Instead, any reliance on it is reflective of Physicist overreach, a lapse from Experimentalism into Dogma.  At the same time, the widespread acceptance of his words at face value is indicative of the common misconception of Genius as a possessed general talent, rather than as an unpredictable source of specific inspiration.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Rotation and Dimension

One unsurpassable maximum quantity is Angular Degree--whether 360, or otherwise, depending on the choice of unit--because it is derived from Rotation, which is finite for the purpose.  Now, any n-Dimensional Cartesian grid entails Right Angles that define and distinguish Dimensions, e. g. that between an x-axis and a y-axis.  Thus, any such grid presupposes a Rotation.  Hence, there is at least one Motion that cannot be represented by the standard means of Modern Physics.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Motility and Motivation

As has been previously discussed, there is a distinction between Direction qua Exocentricity, and Direction qua choice of Exo-Point.  Similarly, in a vehicle, the accelerator aims at a general Elsewhere, while steering aims at a specific There.  And, in human behavior, the distinction is between Motility and Motivation, i. e. between Self-Activation and Purpose.  Thus, that only one oneself can activate oneself, and, arguably, that only one oneself can choose a goal to pursue, do not entail that the chosen goal is necessarily a promotion of some personal benefit.  In other words, Psychological Egoism, which asserts the latter, is based on a confusion of Motility and Motivation.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Direction and Radiality

The concept of Spatial Direction is derived from that of Radiality, and, more precisely, from that of the distinction between Center and what can be called Exocenter.  Now, while a Center is a Point, Exocenter is not; rather, it is a general Elsewhere, only subsequent differentiation within which yields points, which can be termed Exo-Points. Spatial Direction is thus defined in terms of the relation between a Center and an Exo-Point, and can be made more precise by the quantification of the differention, e. g. expressed as an Angle.  This concept of Direction is also implicit in non-quantified versions, e. g. it is entailed in the distinction between 'following the North Star' and 'going in the direction of the North Sea'.  So, while Newton presents Direction as a primitive notion, it is a derivative one, and it cannot be derived from his concept of Absolute Space, which has no privileged Points, i. e. no Centers.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Direction, Space, Time

Either implicitly or explicitly, depending on the formulation, Direction is a fundamental component of Newton's Laws.  Now, Newton is a proponent of the concept of Space as Absolute.  But, Direction, which is asymmetrical, as the common symbol the arrow aptly illustrates, is not entailed in that concept.  However, it is entailed in that of Absolute Time.  For, Time is essentially ordered, i. e. the concept is meaningless without the differentiation and non-substitutability of Before and After.  The popular image of 'going back in time' is no counter-example to that anisotropy--e. g. in 'traveling' from 10 AM to 9 AM, the former is the Before and the latter, the After.  So, in a methodical development of his Newton's system, Direction is derivable only from Time.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Simultaneity, Concurrence, Species

It might seem to follow that on the premise of a Species-principle governing all Human activity, events are ultimately Concurrent, even if they superficially appear as merely Simultaneous.  However, that conclusion precludes either the possibility of a Species-principle akin to Lucretian Swerve, i. e. an active deviation from order, or that the principle is underdetermined, requiring, as is the case in much of the adaptation of the Species, supplementation via artifactual organization, e. g. a political system.  The premise also includes the possibility of one of the rarely acknowledged implications of Darwinism: the co-existence of members of a Species, and erstwhile members who have become among those governed by the ongoing, possibly taking thousands of years, origination of a new Species. So, if that is the case with the Human species, then a bifurcation into mere Simultaneity is determined by the principle.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Simultaneity and Concurrence

Simultaneity connotes no more than a momentary correspondence of two events.  In contrast, continuous Simultaneity is Concurrence.  So, what is presupposed in the Physicist Time-measurement of some motion is Concurrence between the object and the measuring device, i. e. because otherwise, the measurement might be subject to Time-dilation.  But in ordinary experience, Simultaneity is much more prevalent than Concurrence, except if it is assumed that all events are determined in advance by a unitary principle.  Still, Concurrence, like Simultaneity, entails Space between what comprises it.  Regardless, in ordinary experience, one's awareness of either entails Alteriority.  In other words, social consciousness, i. e. the awareness of the existence of others, is constituted by at least Simultaneity-awareness, and Concurrence-awareness characterizes collaboration.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Time, Dimension, Awareness

To each of the Dimensions of Time, previously proposed here, there corresponds a characteristic type of awareness. In 0-Dimension, i. e. momentary, awareness, there is no connectivity, such as what afflicts dementia sufferers.  The awareness of Time-Lapse, i. e. of mere passage, is typical of some escapist experiences. Retention-awareness, typically effected by attentiveness, is required for purposal endeavors, in which one seeks to finish what one started.  And, perhaps the rarest of them, is Simultaneity-awareness, e. g. peripheral vision, circumambient hearing, etc.  While, as is the case with Retention-awareness, effort is required to effect Simultaneity-awareness, except that focus is required for the former, but dilation for the latter.  Thus, the two awarenesses are often conceived as antithetical, i. e. because without focus, a task at hand is impossible to accomplish.  However, that apparent antithesis reflects a shortcoming of those who assert it, as is evinced by any leader who combines comprehensiveness of awareness with an ability to act on it.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

History and Simultaneity

The primary structure of a History, as is the case with any narrative, is Linear, constituted by a sequence of points, e. g. the rulers of a polity.  But, how instructive a History is depends on Simultaneity, i. e. comprehensiveness of theme.  For example, for a Marxist, a History of the Means of Production is more illuminating than one recounting the exploits of a regime, since the Means of Production in a society defines its Relations of Production, and thus incorporates greater breadth of what is transpiring at any moment.  Thus, a bona fide World History is constituted by more than events occurring at a variety of locations around the World.  Rather, the criterion of Simultaneity requires appropriate breadth of its elements, and, hence, that they involve as much of the World as possible.  In other words, hitherto, at least, the two World Wars, and the formation of the United Nations, but not much else, are the constituents of a real World History.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Time, History, Retention

Time is conceived as 1-Dimensional, i. e. as linear, including both rectilinear and curvilinear, in not only Physics, but usually in History, as well.  In other words, History is usually conceived as constituted by a sequence of events, but without the third Dimension of Time, Retention.  The one exception has been the Dialectical concept of it, according to which the Past is Sublated in the Present.  However, Sublation is not equivalent to Retention--in the former, the Past is negated by the Present, whereas in the latter, the former is exceeded by the latter.  Thus, the Past of a tree is retained within, not negated by, the Present ring.  Likewise, in human History, Medieval principles survive to this day in secular Democracies, and Socialist societies participate in free markets.  The power of the Past to survive into the Present, even after being presumably surpassed, has been proven, and underestimated, time and again. It may lose what Whitehead calls relevance, but it does not disappear.

Friday, May 12, 2017

6-Dimensional Space-Time

The second Dimension of Time, Simultaneity, involves at least two distinct events, and, hence, requires at least two locations.  Thus, in it, the 3 Dimensions of Space and the 3 of Time intersect, thereby constituting a 6-Dimensional Space-Time, ingredient in both concrete Experience and the fundamental processes of Modern Physics, i. e. as has been previously discussed, all 3 of Time are ingredient in Measurement, perhaps its most fundamental operation.  However, it is unclear if the 6-D model has any use in Physics.  Regardless, it exposes the 4-D concept as more useful mathematical construct than description of an exotic aspect of reality, as it is sometimes presumed to be.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Third Dimension of Time: Retention

In the common concept of Time, the Present is conceived as leaving the Past behind, even if continuity obtains in between.  In contrast, in the concept of Time as cumulative, the Past is within the Present.  In that case, corresponding to Spatial Depth is the third Dimension of Time: Retention.  Retention is expressed in any process of counting, i. e. because an earlier quantity is included in a later one.  In other words, Measurement entails Time-Retention.  Furthermore, Retention is ingredient in such fundamental Physics concepts as Inertia, Momentum, and Potential Energy.  So, if a Physicist so opted, their concept of 4-Dimensional Space-Time could be extended to 6-, without loss of relevance.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Second Dimension of Time: Simultaneity

The first Temporal Dimension, corresponding to Spatial Length, is Time-Lapse, though commonly referred to as simply 'Time' in 1-Dimensional concepts. The second, the Temporal correlate of Width, is Simultaneity.  Though not recognized as such in the standard 1-D concept, Simultaneity is essential to all operations in Modern Physics.  For, it is presupposed in any measurement of Time, i. e. which requires a Velocity common to the motion of an object of measurement, and that of the measuring device.  Otherwise, the relative Dilation that is established as occuring at high velocities, e. g. between two clocks, similarly distorts the operation.  Nevertheless, the presupposition is not incorporated into the standard concept as a second Dimension.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Three Dimensions of Time

While the constructors of 4-Dimensional Space-Time seem satisfied with a concept of Time as 1-Dimensional, it can be easily expanded to 3 analogous to those of Space.  First, what is generally termed 'Time' is, more precisely, Time-Lapse, analogous to Spatial Length. Second, Time Width is Simultaneity.  Third, Time Depth is Retention.  Also, corresponding to the 0-Dimensional Point is the Instant.  Now, not entailed in the analogy, and possibly precluded by it, is any contiguity between Space and Time.  But, if given one, one challenge to the concept of Space-Time as 4-Dimensional is, therefore, that it is arbitrarily abstracted from a 6-Dimensional concept.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Beyond the Speed of Light

According to one defense of the thesis that the Speed of Light is the maximum Velocity, if something could exceed it, the object might go either backwards or forwards in Time.  Now, why that would be a problem is unclear, but, regardless, the defense presupposes the same premise that the thesis uncritically does.  For, as has been previously discussed, Light is both an object of observation and a condition of it.  So, in the case of the latter, applying the Kantian critique, if something exceeds the Speed of Light, it is simply unobservable.  In other words, the thesis, and its defense, presuppose that Light is only an object of Description, and not a factor in Interpretation.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Acceleration and Frame of Reference

As has been previously discussed, in the process of determining the Velocity of an object, the process of measuring Time can be conceived as a Frame of Reference with respect to which the Distance traveled is measured.  Likewise, the process of determinating the Acceleration of an object can be conceived as constituted by the referral of that Frame of Reference to a second, i. e. as the process of determining Velocity with respect to the process of measuring the Time of that Velocity.  So, there are two Times entailed in the concept of Acceleration, and since they are routinely conceived as identical, they are combined by squaring it.  But, according to a cardinal principle of Physicist Relativism, the Times of distinct Frames of Reference cannot be assumed to be identical.  Thus, the rigorous application of the principle prevents that routine squaring of Time in the representation of Acceleration, as well as that of any derived concept.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Light, Light-Source, Speed of Light

That the Speed of Light is independent of the velocity of a light-source, whether natural or manufactured, does not entail that Light is independent of a Light-Source.  For, as is plainly observable both inside and outside the Physicist's laboratory, no matter what the conditions, Light is located at a Source, e. g. at a bulb, as well as wherever else it emanates to.  Now, according to established formulae, the Length of an object contracts to Zero as it approaches the Speed of Light; in other words, it becomes a Plane.  But, it seems difficult, at best, to conceive of a body or device becoming a Plane, and still functioning as a Light-Source, in which case, Light ceases to exist.  Thus, the existence of Light is dependent on not only the existence of a Light-Source, but of its velocity, as well.

Friday, May 5, 2017

The Construction of 4-Dimensional Space-Time

In the actual world, Velocity is a ratio of the displacement of an object in motion to the displacement of a part of a measuring device.  In both cases, the displacement is linear.  Hence, Velocity consists in two Spatial dimensions, i. e. lines, but not as combined, i. e. not as combined in the way that length and width are.  Now, the points that are the termini of the motion can each be characterized by three coordinates, e. g. in a vehicle moving down a street, in relation to the top of a nearby tree and the ground, to the sidewalks on either side of the street, and to the beginning and end of the block that it is on.  Furthermore, to each 3-tuple can be affixed a fourth coordinate, the corresponding terminus of the linear displacement in the measuring device, and called 'time'. The result is the 4-Dimensional Space-Time representation of what, in the actual world, is a heterogeneously 2-Dimensional event.  Even if the representation proves useful for elaborate predictive purposes, it does not replace actuality, contrary to what many Physicists seem to believe.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Light as Object and Light as Medium

A peculiar, rarely examined, characteristic of Light is that it can be either an object of observation, or a medium of observation.  Now, generally, the former is the topic of interest in Physics.  But, any assumption that the two are equivalent is question-begging, so all propositions hitherto, e. g. regarding its Velocity, pertain only to Light qua object of observation.  Accordingly, Physicists have been unfamiliar with a Kantian argument for the proposition that the Speed of Light is a maximum: The limits of the experience of any object are determined by the Forms of Experience; Light as the medium of any observation is a Form of Observation; thus, nothing observable can surpass the Speed of Light. However, acceptance of this argument depends on the acknowledgement that Physics is Interpretation, not Description, an acknowledgement that has seemingly remained unentertained by Physicists.  Accordingly, implications of the two-fold character of Light have never been considered.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Quantification, Practice, Speed of Light

When Bergson proposes that Experience is fundamentally Practical, he does not seem to consider the implication for his previous analysis of Quantifaction. For, the latter now becomes a tool in the modification of the environment.  Thus, the real value of Modern Physics is that its propositions are formulae for control and repetition, even if they pass through contemplative phases. Accordingly, as the Pragmatists insist, verifiability is a criterion of their Value.  Thus, for example, while that the Speed of Light is a constant is verifiable, and, indeed, has been verified, a verification procedure to test whether or not it is also the maximum Velocity seems lacking.  Hence, that proposition is meaningless, according to Pragmatism.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Duration, Time, Space

Bergson sharply distinguishes Duration from the Time of Physics--while the former is a heterogeneous yet indivisible flux, the latter is inert and divisible, i. e. is actually Space.  The distinction thus reveals a limitation of the presumed scope of Physics.  For, insofar as all Corporeality is conceived as Mechanistic, which is the case in the Newtonian tradition, Biology is an instance of Physics. But, according to Bergson, Vitality has the character of Duration, from which it follows that Physics is inadequate to it, i. e. can no more than approximate it via Integral Calculus.  Thus, Biology, the subject matter of which is Vitality, i. e. Life, transcends Physics, even as the latter continues the Newtonian ambition of an all-embracing Unified Field Theory.  Duration also exposes the Physicist concept of 'Space-Time Continuum' as a two-fold misnomer--'Time' is actually Space, the 'Continuum' between being no flux, only ad hoc construct of four quantities.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Space-Time and 4-Dimensionality

The concept of Space-Time has been that of 4-Dimensionality, i.e. in which Time is affixed to the familiar three dimensions of Space. The problem with this procedure is that a definition of Dimension is lacking--the three of Space can be defined in terms of Perpendicularity, but a mere metaphorical extension of that is inadequate in a rigorous Science.  Ditto for recent further developments, such as in String Theory.  Lacking a definition, any concept of Dimensionality beyond 3 remains a useful mathematical construction, not a description of reality.