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.

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