Re: [gentoo-user] Question of quantum computer

[Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com>]

On 04/04/2015 02:50, wabenbau@gmail.com wrote:
>> The scientific community is very well aware that it cannot answer the
>> > question "why?", and in fact, true science doesn't even try.
>> > 
>> > Science never proves anything, it only fails to disprove a realistic
>> > workable model.
>> > 
>> > For the sake of simplicity and brevity we often says "according to
>> > Einstein's theory matter bands space so therefore..." or even simplify
>> > that to "matter bands space so therefore...", all the time
>> > understanding that it's just a model, and could be totally wrong
>> > about the real underlying truth.
>> > 
>> > This is in no way a "problem" with science. It is by design.
> That's exactly the point. Theories are not the reality. They are "just"
> tools to predict the processes we are detecting (Plato's Cave).
> 
> One thing that I don't understand is, why the fact that gravity can be 
> described by a theory of bended space-time is leading to the assumption,
> that there really exists such a "rubber cloth" like space. 
> A resonant circuit can be described as a spring-mass like mechanism. But 
> nobody would really assume that there exists little springs inside such a
> circuit. :-)


I would say there are two related reasons behind that. Evolution has
hard-wired our brains to see, observe and understand the macro world on
the same scale as our bodies, so we can't directly deal with quantum or
relativistic effects. A ball moving through the air we can catch is seen
as a ball, not as an aggregate collection of quantum phenomena that have
been "observed". Nor do we think it terms of basic laws of motion to
catch it - we just put out our hand and catch the ball.

This impedes understanding (which is really just a by-product of
processes in our brains) so we need models. If relativity successfully
describes gravity as a bent space-time model, then we might as well just
assume that is how it really is and work with it as such.

The analogy of a resonant circuit doesn't hold up well. We can easily
understand the concept of resonance as we are familiar with the concept
already in nature (brains are wired to deal with it) so we don't need an
elaborate model. Our brains are not at all built to deal with
relativistic effects in any way, so a model isn't just useful to
understand it, it is vital in dealing with it at all.

My question is, this thread is fascinating and I like the subject, but
what on earth does it have to do with Gentoo? :-)




-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan.mckinnon@gmail.com