<p>There is a god watching out for you. Whether you believe it or not. Who can say for sure this is not so? I think that any reasonable and intelligent person will not too hastily rule out the possibility, anyway.</p>
<p>I know some brilliant scientists who are devout believers in God.</p>
<p>There is no proof there is or isn't. So it is more a thing to keep you psychology healthy.</p>
<p>personally (really, only on my own behalf) i'd find it more psychologically distressing to think that a more powerful being <em>is</em> looking out for the world, given the amount of tragic and ridiculous suffering there is. i'd much rather chalk it up to the random outcome of unfortunate happenings.</p>
<p>on my good days, when i'm feeling more agnostic, i'll concede that sure, perhaps there is a higher power that might've had something to do with the creation of the universe. but i find it intensely conceited to think that said higher power then had nothing more interesting to do than sit around and watch and meddle in our minute affairs. even given infinite lifespan, omniscience and omnipotence...i just don't buy it.</p>
<p>i know some brilliant scientists who are quite disinclined to believe in any God with a capital letter, and some who really don't know what to think, but seem to be doing fine anyway. <em>shrug</em> so long as you can match it up for your own self and find a way that works for you, i don't know that your beliefs have much to do with the science you're capable of discovering. and i think that's enough posting of my personal beliefs around here.</p>
<p>I respect your views, goddess. The point I was trying to make was that keeping an intellectually open mind on these matters is a good thing. It's made all the difference in my life.
I wish you well.</p>
<p>Pascal's wager! Godel's incompleteness theorem! This debate can go on forever.</p>
<p>sagar, I don't think being a scientist means accepting a deterministic universe...</p>
<p>well it isn't the deterministic universe, rather the whole god doesn't exist notion.</p>
<p>I've been wanting to start a scientific blog... I was looking at blogger.com but what's a better place for a scientific blog than the MIT server?</p>
<p>The site says this is limited to the MIT community - does it mean visitors to the site (I'm still a sophomore) also? And also, are blogs created instantly?</p>
<p>Nietzsche-God is dead
God-Nietzsche is dead</p>
<p>kinda stupid, i know, but i thought it bore repeating given the context...</p>
<p>
[quote]
In fact, Grand Unified Theory (GUT) has been extremely successful in defining the strong nuclear force as well as incorporating three of the four forces into a single theory.
[/quote]
I have great respect for what Abdus Salam did. No question about that. But i was not speaking much about what causes the grav and nuc forces, but more of their mode of action. The grav forces are central and their magnitudes are calculatable. We know that with good enough confidence. Not so about the nuclear force.</p>
<p>
Tell me if you find the link :p
</p>
<p>Schroedinger didnt think so. As far as he was concerned, even the cat didnt know if it was dead or alive. :p
But still, this isnt the game theory. Every particle does not behave exactly as its state dictates. It is influenced by its surroundings to an extent which i donot know of. The interaction must be there. The independent activity of trillions of particles cannot explain things like cognition.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"You can't mix god and math."
[/quote]
Tell them that god is the creation of man to explain the math he couldnt do.
[quote]
There was a young man from trinity,
who tried to count to root infinity,
but the number of digits
gave him the fidgets
so he dropped math and took up divinity
[/quote]
:p :p</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.mit.edu:81/blogs/BS.aspx%5B/url%5D">http://blogs.mit.edu:81/blogs/BS.aspx</a></p>
<p>click on Request a blog...
i havent tried it though so do so on your risk..</p>
<p>This discussion is really quite interesting. SO whats the main topic abt??
1) Deterministic universe?
2) God or Science? (This part seems to be out of Angels and Demons)
3) How to get an MIT blog?
Anyway all three are interesting.</p>
<p>
[quote]
God is the creation of man to explain the math he couldnt do.
[/quote]
This is a cool quote. Very true. Thats why religion evolved before maths...way before. And now there is a battle. thoery of God is widely and truly accepted - thats where its power lies.
U can prove anything scientifically. We can prove the apple falls due to gravity but when ppl will accept that its only mother earth that pulls the apple to its bossom what can u say. Thats blind faith.I think God is only what we believe in. </p>
<p>Even if the universe is deterministic, whats the use to us now. We cant predict what questions will appear at an exam with our powers. Thats when we turn to luck and hard work and ppl look at that luck in the light of God, relegion etc. I think I'm getting a bit crappy now.</p>
<p>Actually even the atomic theory was deterministic in Neils Bhor phase and all. Then came the uncertainity principle, Schrodinger's ideas etc and then everything became uncertain. As Shash_rao said I think these things are just too complex for us to understand and make certain with the technology and knowledge of today. </p>
<p>But I think the GUT will help solve uncertainity. If we can understand origin and action and everything about all forces then maybe predicting stuff would be easier. </p>
<p>Just to satisfactorily understand the atom and stuffs, scientists used probabilities and inequalities. Thats what I think. Starting off with these can help us derive equations in an uncertain manner but inequalities and probabilities are uncertain tools on thier own. I think I've messed up this part. But I predict that u'll understand what I an trying to say.</p>
<p>All these are just my thoughts. No particular base and all for them. Tell me if u think otherwise.</p>
<p>"Religion is the opium of the people" ~ Karl Marx
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" ~ Voltaire</p>
<p>quote from stephen hawking
"god not only plays dice,he throws them where we cant see"</p>
<p>recommended book as an answer to this question
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays by STEPHEN HAWKING
this should pretty much answer your question.</p>
<p>To get your bearings on the formation of the universe,and simple particle physics,which relate to particle physics
recommended books
The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe by Steven Weinberg
The Discovery of Subatomic Particles by Steven Weinberg</p>
<p>and um...
quote from inuendo
"...Grand Unified Theory (GUT) has been extremely successful in defining the strong nuclear force..."</p>
<p>my question : Are you sure it is really acuurate to define it as a strong "nuclear" force,i think its too specific.</p>
<p>guys,you are great. I could never ask a question to my friends here,they would think i am nuts.</p>
<p>hope i have been helpful,
take care...</p>
<p>"Religion is the opium of the people" ~ Karl Marx</p>
<p>The eradication of religion sure did a "world of good" (yeah, right) for those in totalitarian communist regimes.</p>
<p>samuel, very good recommendations!</p>
<p>marxism != what happened in totalitarian communist regimes
besides the fact that opiates (and any drugs, for that matter) aren't necessarily something that will unmitigatedly harm you; they have their uses.</p>
<p>""Religion is the opium of the people" ~ Karl Marx</p>
<p>The eradication of religion sure did a "world of good" (yeah, right) for those in totalitarian communist regimes."</p>
<p>Why do people always have to put Communism with the same group as Stalinism, Fascism and other dictatorships</p>
<p>Because they often go together ... that's why.</p>
<p>I realize that in theory, communism has merit. It's just in practice -- when the "state" becomes all-powerful -- that problems arise.</p>
<p>The point of a deterministic universe is not to figure out tomorrows exam question, or even what happened in past. It is simply a fact that can be used to prove something else, of great support to agnostics. Just because the universe is deterministic doesn't mean that we can predict anything... infact, that is impossible.</p>