From: posting-system@google.com Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2002 7:47 PM To: brian@holtz.org Subject: Re: On Perception of Reality From: brian@holtz.org (Brian Holtz) Newsgroups: alt.atheism.moderated Subject: Re: On Perception of Reality References: <8e0e3045.0112170955.40d60e1c@posting.google.com> <200112230700.XAA03306@lsil.com> <8e0e3045.0112260947.4166ebd4@posting.google.com> <29c16047.0201071513.28381be2@posting.google.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.236.1.8 Message-ID: <29c16047.0201171946.2989b95e@posting.google.com> "Gurnemanz" wrote > > To exist is to have a causal relationship with the rest of the > > universe. > > Quantum mechanics tells us that > an event can be uncaused eg a particle can > come into existence without being caused. By "have a causal relationship with" I of course do not mean simply "has an origin caused by". I mean "could ever influence or be influenced by". No particle is ever considered to exist unless it has the ability to influence, or be influenced by, the rest of the universe. Otherwise, parsimony would allow us to consider it not to exist. Also, note that quantum theory merely tells us that particle creation has no known *sufficient* cause. Particle creation still has necessary causes, such as the presence of a field. Fields influence (i.e. have a necessary although not sufficient causal relationship with) particle production. Q.E.D. -- brian@holtz.org http://humanknowledge.net