To what extent would you consider reality to be deterministic? - General

You can't change something that doesn't exist, so I guess you're right.

[QUOTE=Doriol;16172957]You can't change something that doesn't exist, so I guess you're right.[/QUOTE] Hell, the US mint changes the amount of money they print daily. :smug:

[QUOTE=Av3njd;16171668]It's a known quirk amongst physicists that the universe is a mess. Einstein spent the greater part of his latter years arguing that the universe is an elegant, well tuned machine, but the likes of Schrödinger and Heisenberg pressed forth with quantum theory to show the universe is built upon the most unstable, unpredictable building blocks known to man -- particles. Quantum physics is scary. Quatum physics is awesome. Quantum physics is a hyperactive world where, honestly, nothing is what it seems. Minuscule molecules serve themselves to being not predictable, but probable, because they're going so fast yet so slow, that they're so small yet massive. It's like a whole new universe to attempt to understand, one which we may never pleasure ourselves of being acquainted with fully. What I find most interesting about the quantum is the fact there have been some experiments done where [I]the results depend on whether you're observing or not.[/I] The experiments [I]know that you're looking[/I]. This is insane to me. It throws logic out the window. It brings too much to the table in terms of possibility, and I find that overwhelming. What, reality is what we make it? We have an effect on [I]how the laws of the universe work?[/I] What's next, a God? I wouldn't be surprised. Having a deterministic universe explains a lot. But, unfortunately, I think it's inexplicable. Yet, it's true. We seem to be so ingrained in our environment, so much a part of it, more than we can possibly understand. However, I believe that that understanding is what we should strive for, lest we lose the possibility of our potential.[/QUOTE] If you want to see how fast a particle goes, you bounce light off it. The problem is that you can only observe 2 aspects but not at the same time, or you know the speed exactly, or the location, but never these two together. This is because the light you use to observe it also influences the particle: high frequency light makes the position very clear but slows the particle down or speeds it up. Low frequency light shows the speed very clearly, but not the location. I don't know if this also applies for the Double Slit test though...

This thread has fucked with my mind. I'm still interested though, carry on.

[QUOTE=Av3njd;16171668]Quantum physics is awesome.[/QUOTE] Deserves it's own little quote box I think.

You guys realise that time is linear right? Theres no "changing the future", there is only one possible future. The existance of "probibility" and "chance" is also a fake theory, in the sense that it is just not knowing all the varients and effecting elements to an event. If an all knowing entity existed, they would be able to find all that has happened in the past and all that would happen in the future from whitnessing one instant of time.

I never said that people can look into the future and do something to change it.

[QUOTE=Doriol;16171864]... So what, we should just stick to what we know and not explore anything else? Great idea.[/QUOTE] Learning new things is fun, it's good and we should never stop exploring, but the movie's a load of crap. The movie is new age mumbo jumbo that uses science as a way to make the ideas seem legitimate. Edit: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Bleep_Do_We_Know!%3F#Academic_reaction[/url]

What you basically described is the theory of uncertainty. You should look into it. There was an excellent book published on the topic.

[QUOTE=Doriol;16171864]Elaborate. [/QUOTE] In my opinion, there is no such thing as choice and because of this all events are linear with no possible variation. Therefore, the future is going to always be the same.

[QUOTE=Drasnus;16175352]In my opinion, there is no such thing as choice and because of this all events are linear with no possible variation.[/QUOTE] Prove it.

[QUOTE=Doriol;16175366]Prove it.[/QUOTE] Theoretical physics is theoretical.

My thoughts on this are that the course of this universe - every single detail - has been determined since it's creation (however that happened). I think this because I believe there is no such thing as random. When a computer generates a "random" number, it's generally using a formula to manipulate a "random seed" to create a new number. This number generated is then used as the next random seed. If you ran the random functions again with the same seeds, you get the same numbers. With things that we think are completely random in this universe, such as radioactive decay, we call them random because we have not discovered the formula that controls them, or just don't understand the microsystem that controls them. If you look deep enough, everything will have a cause. Values can't just be generated from nothing. I'm thinking some of you will say "Well I can just think of a random number!". The number you think of is governed by the past experiences you have had, so if a person with EXACTLY the same life as you (down to same genes, same mother, same childhood, same schooling, born on same day, EVERYTHING) will say exactly the same number as you at the same time. Similarly, I think that since nothing new and random can have been introduced to the universe since it's creation, the future is determined. If you ran the universe again somehow, then the exact same things would happen as long as the creation was exactly the same. Edit: [quote]What I find most interesting about the quantum is the fact there have been some experiments done where the results depend on whether you're observing or not. The experiments know that you're looking.[/quote] What? No. You are probably refering to trying to detect an electron, which requires the observer to send a photon to interfere with it. This means that the electron can change course.

We can only assume that everything is done for a reason.

He who controls the present controls the future, and he who controls the past controls the present. [editline]05:20PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Doriol;16176397]We can only assume that everything is done for a reason.[/QUOTE] Why?

We want to believe that it is. We don't know that it is.