>> ^Ornthoron:

Funny how he talks about the forefront of science in part 3, and mentions all the unsolved problems at the time of filming. All the problems he mentioned have since been solved, and it turns out reality is simpler than what he describes here, just like he predicted. For instance, we now know that there are 6 different quarks (plus the antiquarks) instead of 3, and that this simplifies the equations greatly.
The LHC is right now investigating the possibility of another property of physics called super symmetry, which if true would double the number of particles we know of. One or more of these new particles might turn out to be what the mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the material universe is composed of. These are exciting times indeed.


I like the part where they discuss (also at the end of part 3) that the very laws themselves are stated without history. That, perhaps, at different times, or even different places in the universe, the laws are mutable. That the rules that most fundamental rules of the universe might always be in flux to some degree. If that be the case, it makes the investigation into this very "monad" centric science difficult.

It would also mean that we could find these laws of the universe, but we would never understand the meta rules that govern them. It would place a logical end point on empirical investigation.

>> ^harry:

Carl Sagan. Richard Feynman. James Burke.
We need you guys.


Agreed. J. Bronowski comes to mind too.

Carl Sagan. Richard Feynman. James Burke.

We need you guys.

On the subject, Richard Feynman's writings on of how he ended up deciding to take part in the nuclear bomb project and how their success affected him are worth reading. He apologizes for nothing, but neither does he say his mind is at ease with what they created.

"I would find it far more difficult to assume that all of this was a mere accident."

So you choose to "assume" that a magic sky god waved his hands (BTW, why does god need hands?) and created everything? Why? Why is that ridiculousness easier for you to believe? Because someone told you so?

"The laws of probability state that the universe has reached a level of complexity that is statistically impossible.

I can't imagine what "laws of probability" you are referring to, or how you are applying them, or if you are just regurgitating nutter dogma. Anyhoo, watch the last couple minutes of this video (Richard Feynman story). Actually, watch the whole thing. It's a great talk. Or don't.

"Sagan's folly is to assume that the universe is too complicated for God (or "a god") to have created. But, the sheer complexity of the universe is the primary reason man believes in God in the first place. The universe is simply so complex that a Designer MUST exist."

Sagan claims nothing of the sort. Your folly is to state your assumptions about Sagan here, as if the rest of us are as uninformed as you. And claiming the complexity of the universe as the primary reason for man's belief in god is patently ridiculous. Man created God LONG before he understood the complexity of the universe (not that we truly comprehend it even now), or that a universe even existed. Your god has become a "god of the gaps". As we learn, through science, more and more about the nature of our universe and reality, he will die just like the thousands of other gods man has created and abandoned over the millenia. Well... we can all hope. There will always be nutters in need of Teddy Bears.

"Occam's Razor says that belief in an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient deity is much more logical than assuming the universe happened all by itself."

In your world, maybe. Using the ramblings writings of a 14th century theologian to support your silly beliefs is like quoting Sarah Palin to bolster your position on energy policy. Occam's Razor is a principle, not a scientific law, not that you would understand the difference. However, if you believe that an infinitely complex being creating everything as is (with all it's complexity) with a wave of his noodly appendage is the simplest explanation, rather than 13.7 billion years of cosmic evolution that began (possibly) with a simple quantum fluctuation, you either don't understand the concept of Occam's Razor (fewest assumptions for competing theories that predict the same results), or you choose to remain comfortably ignorant.

"But the only thing worse than a religious man's zeal to get people to believe, is the atheist's zeal to make people NOT believe."

Spoken like a true zealot.

He didn't factor in duct tape! Dammit, that's cheating! Everything works with duct tape!
>> ^GeeSussFreeK:

Ahhh, obscure didn't mean what I thought it meant. Though, this is a debunk of Richard Feynman's long standing and widely held hypothesis that such a machine would not work.

Ahhh, obscure didn't mean what I thought it meant. Though, this is a debunk of Richard Feynman's long standing and widely held hypothesis that such a machine would not work.

/bows

In reply to this comment by Lann:
*quality

>> ^dag:

Maybe,
But I suspect that the rational wonder you describe is like decaf coffee. To get the jolt of physiological benefits- you need real faith- to let go and let God. It’s the relinquishing of personal control for the outcomes in your life that brings on the bliss.

I disagree with your opinion. I look at someone like Richard Feynman with that fervent passion for life which shows in all the videos here and you see someone that definitely wasn't drinking decaf. An argument could be made that people like him are the exception, but I don't think that is the case.

Of course it is different for everyone, right? I was raised in a very strong Roman Catholic house and my parents have become more and more fundamentalist as they have become older. It is disturbing to me as I fall into the rather large "non-practicing Roman Catholic" group, but they do have a large group of friends from the church. I can see how their faith and religion connects them. But it is just one string of connection. That string is thick for them because it is something that is so important to them. So passionate for them.

I'm passionate about compassion and fairness, among other things. I have atheist, catholics, christians, reborn christians (actually only one because most are fake), buddhist, shamanistic, etc... friends because of our shared passion for compassion and fairness. Religion is the race of passions - i.e. it is very easy to "see" and then involuntarily or voluntarily push those people into our predefined groups.

I admit that I think being in a religious group is a good ice breaker in bringing people together. In that regard, I do agree with you; however, it is just about finding those other passion connectors. This has been hard for me since I'm a budding recluse, but that avenue is still there and the friends that I have made haven't been from any religious connection. Now in society I can find other people with my passions in a large city or somewhere on the internet. There are more avenues to find like-minded people. It's hard to sift through, but they exist.

In closing - I live in a majestic area. Water and a couple of mountain ranges on the horizons. When I sit down looking at the water with the mountains beyond and the cumulus nimbus clouds racing across the sky, a warm wondrous feeling consumes me. I'm not thinking about God at all. And I can assure you that it isn't decaf.

Patterns. I'm hooked on patterns. It was interesting while she was saying that she could see the pictures in her head. I can very clearly remember spacial objects, but it is always in relationship with the other objects.

I watched this talk a couple of days ago. It didn't really click until I was watching a show on Hulu while waiting for something. One of the children ends up having aspergers. His dad was talking with him and another boy came by and said hello. The boy with aspergers said nothing in response. His dad scolded him about not saying hi back because the other kid will think that he doesn't care and the aspergers kid just shrugged. It was a flashback to my childhood and how my dad would tell me things on how to fit in with the kids at school. Luckily, I played and was good at sports so I was automatically was part of an"in" group. But it was my dad's constant, yet not pressured, advice that really helped me out. That's when I started learning the patterns of social interaction in order to fit in better so I would be left alone. An uncanny recognition, but easily shrugged off. Later it showed the kid constantly jumping in a puddle. Again and again. When I was 3, I spent about 4 hours hitting a puddle with a stick. I remember it to this day. It was so utter fascinating watching the cause and affect while trying to figure out exactly what was happening. (On a somewhat related note: I think that is why I find Richard Feynman sift so damn interesting. I love seeing the passion and curiosity that existed in him. And also listening to the explanations. Simply wonderful.)

So I don't know if I'm acting like a hypochondriac or if this is real - I'm too close to have real perspective, but I think that warrants further investigation.

Wonderful sift, btw.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Richard Feynman, physicist, train, tracks, taper' to 'Richard Feynman, physicist, train, tracks, taper, wheels, how, stay, turn' - edited by lucky760

Here are the lyrics for you sing-alongers out there:

Lyrics:

[Michael Shermer]
Science is the best tool ever devised
For understanding how the world works

[Jacob Bronowski]
Science is a very human form of knowledge
We are always at the brink of the known

[Carl Sagan]
Science is a collaborative enterprise
Spanning the generations
We remember those who prepared the way
Seeing for them also

[Neil deGrasse Tyson]
If you're scientifically literate,
The world looks very different to you
And that understanding empowers you

Refrain:
[Richard Dawkins]
There's real poetry in the real world
Science is the poetry of reality

[Sagan]
We can do science
And with it, we can improve our lives

[Jill Tarter]
The story of humans is the story of ideas
That shine light into dark corners

[Lawrence Krauss]
Scientists love mysteries
They love not knowing

[Richard Feynman]
I don't feel frightened by not knowing things
I think it's much more interesting

[Brian Greene]
There's a larger universal reality
of which we are all apart

[Stephen Hawking]
The further we probe into the universe
The more remarkable are the discoveries we make

[Carolyn Porco]
The quest for the truth, in and of itself,
Is a story that's filled with insights

(Refrain)

[Greene]
From our lonely point in the cosmos
We have through the power of thought
Been able to peer back to a brief moment
After the beginning of the universe

[PZ Myers]
I think that science changes the way your mind works
To think a little more deeply about things

[Dawkins]
Science replaces private predjudice
With publicly verifiable evidence

(Refrain)

Badassery - yes. Truth telling - yes. Kick ass - yes.

Actionpack? Not quite.

I think Feynman needs to get his heart rate at least over 60 beats per minutes to at least qualify for that category!

In reply to this comment by gwiz665:
Are you telling me that that's not ball-flexin action from someone "who exemplifies the art of badassery"?

In reply to this comment by brycewi19:
*nochannel
*science
*talks

Are you telling me that that's not ball-flexin action from someone "who exemplifies the art of badassery"?

In reply to this comment by brycewi19:
*nochannel
*science
*talks

>> ^boblobblaw:
looks like part of a 4 part lecture series, each around 1hr40min long
http://faissal-bd.blogspot.com/2009/12/richard-feynmans-qed-lec
ture-series.html


Thanks for the link.