TED Conversations

Casey Christofaris

Owner, CS3 Inc

TEDCRED 10+

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

How do we prove an answer

that it How do we prove an answer


I just want to clarify that I do love science and the understanding of the universe that it has brought us. As well as the tech

Related Talks:
+1
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • Andrew Presnell

    • 0
    Feb 17 2013: Michael Chidester, for some reason, I'm not able to reply to your statement.

    It is a contradiction for the cat to be alive and not alive at the same time and same respect. To say that logic can prove contradictions are true is self referentially absurd.

    With Schrodinger's cat, we do not know whether the cat is alive or isn't alive. To say that it is both is not only a contradiction, but unjustified. Consider the quote below:

    "The observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, cannot know whether the vial has been broken, the hydrocyanic acid released, and the cat killed. Since we cannot know, according to quantum law, the cat is both dead and alive." http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Schrodingers-cat

    The author's statement "Since we cannot know, according to quantum law, the cat is both dead and alive". This doesn't make sense. Indeed, we know that either the cat is either alive or not alive, but it isn't both. What justification is there to say it is either a or b, therefore a and b?
    • thumb

      Casey Christofaris 10+

      • 0
      Feb 17 2013: What if I can show you that a person can be both alive and dead, only by definitions. And that the definitions of everything are arbitrary, because they can simply be labeled anything we want. And that you can not gain further knowledge without gaining further perspective, or observation to add to your already assumed reality
    • thumb

      Casey Christofaris 10+

      • 0
      Feb 17 2013: So you have two guys on opposite sides of a balcony equal distance apart from the subject. One looks down on his friend who has just fallen to the ground and sees blood running out of his ear and assumes he has had a brain contusion and has died from the fall. The other looks down and notices that there is movement in his chest suggesting that he is still breathing and is alive and has survived the fall. How can we prove both these guys right by definition without gaining further perspective or observation?

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.