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Re: Physics is a human construct



Michael,
A good point, Michael; it is a double-edged sword. The connection of the
mind to reality is through the senses. I am sure that the conceptual
models in my mind would be unintelligible to a congenitally blind person
(and vice versa), though we may completely agree on the relations among
instrument readings given by the corresponding empirical, mathematical
models.

I think that this universality of empirical, mathematical models,
transcending the subjectivism of conceptual models, is another reason for
the success of the evolutionary step taken by the "Boyle" revolution of
the 1600's. Before, mathematics was only a language for quantifying a
conceptual model constructed from naive, obvious system properties; now
freely created "number generators" can produce new, empirical,
mathematical models which then beg for "explanation" by a conceptual
model.

Cleverly used, the number generators will ask specific questions of
nature which she cannot refuse to answer, quantitatively.

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (ret)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael N. Monce <mnmon@conncoll.edu>
To: phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu <phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu>
Date: Friday, May 15, 1998 2:21 PM
Subject: Re: Physics is a human construct


On Thu, 14 May 1998, Bob Sciamanda wrote:


Re: your math friend's comment: When one says that mathematics is a
human construct he does not thereby imply that we can change the list
of
prime numbers! Mathematics, like physics, is a human description of
reality. It is the description (ie. Mathematics or Physics) which is
human, not the reality being described. (I think this is where I
depart
from the postmodernist school, although I can never stay awake long
enough to understand such needlessly complicated philosophic
ramblings.)



There is one aspect of this debate that has always puzzled me.
The debate seems to assume that the human mind is somehow disconnected
from the reality, or nature, that it is attempting to describe. IF one
accepts that the mind is product of complex biochemistry and
electrochemical processes, then, perhaps, the models we think up are
merely a reflection of the actual physical processes. In other words,
since the mind is a physical process, this may affect the contruction of
the models we come up with to describe physical processes esternal to
ourselves.


Mike Monce
Connecticut College