The human race has always wanted to predict the future. That's why fortune cookies are so popular. Really, they tell you nothing that you can prove wrong. Messages on them can almost always relate to you in some way, shape, or form. Astrology is another attempt to predict the future. By looking at the stars, astrologers think they can predict the future. They could be right, but not in the way that they would expect. Astrologers could be beat by astrophysicists, such as Dr. Stephen Hawking. Scientists have wondered if there is determinism in our universe, where by knowing the location and speed of every particle in the universe, you could predict the future. Allow me to explain the possibility.
If I kick a soccer ball at a certain angle at a certain speed, it can be predicted how far the ball will go. If we could calculate the strength of every force in the universe, and know the location and velocity of every particle in the universe, could we predict the future? One problem is that we have not been able to predict what decisions a life form will make. The brain of an animal is very complex and hard to understand completely. Each life form was raised to have a different thought process due to its surroundings. How could anybody predict what every life form is going to do?
It is a very difficult idea. I am quite positive that humans will never be able to predict the future of every particle. The question is: could it be possible? Many astrophysicists say no. The biggest point against determinism is the uncertainty principle. According to this principle, the easier it is to locate the position of a particle, the harder it is to find its velocity. This is because particles have wavelengths, which is how speed and position are found. Wavelengths vary, and depending on the wavelength, it may be easier to predict speed or position, but we cannot find both.
If the uncertainty principle holds true, then determinism is impossible. Think about this, though. Say determinism is possible. Would you want to be able to predict everything? I think that a little uncertainty in the world is perfectly OK. I would find it very boring if we could predict everything that would happen. There could be no surprise parties! You would always know where the Easter eggs were hidden, what you are going to get for Christmas, and who is going to win the World Cup. I think that would be very boring.
Overall, I am very glad that we cannot predict everything that is going to happen in the future. I think that life on Earth could be very dull, and would really defeat the purpose of living. You would always know what the right choices to make were, because you could predict what the consequences would be. If we always knew what would happen, why exist at all?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think those are some interesting questions, adn I think my answer would depend on the kind of day I've had. If there is a wreck on the highway on the way home and I'm really hungry...I'd want to know the future. If, however, someone was throwing me a surprise party...that'd just suck all the fun right out of it...so I'm torn.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, there are ups and downs to this issue just like everything else Dan discusses. It would be great to know the date of the end of the world, the weather, and select other things that can effectively save the world. However, I would not want Jane and Joe Public being able to predict the future about their everyday lives because where would work ethic go? Everything in our daily lives would be messed up, but if government officials predicted a few critical events, that would be quite helpful. My verdict? We should use this power to our advantage, but very sparingly and with discretion.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, is "The Universe in a Nutshell" available at the library downtown? How long is it?
ReplyDeleteDorothea, I have no idea. I borrowed a copy from the Westmont High School library, so I do not know if it is at the library downtown.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point of view in some respects, but I think it would be extremely dangerous for even government officials to use. Knowing people, the situation could get out of control much too easily.
True, we can't trust anyone, but in theory, honest leaders could use this power quite well.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't knowing the future create a number of paradoxes? What happens then?
I see what you mean. In that way, it would make sense for there to be some uncertainty in the universe. If we knew the future, then we could easily change it. If in the future, I am going to eat a cheeseburger, what if I decide to blow myself up? How am I going to eat the cheeseburger if I am dead? It makes sense that there should be no way to completely predict the future.
ReplyDeleteBut what if like in "Back to the Future", we are in the present and act on knowledge or ideas that we have only in the future? Does your whole consciousness pass into the future, too, or just the body? Can you remember the experience or retain any physical mutilations? What if I bought a book in the future that wasn't yet printed in the present and I took the book back with me? Maybe there are real answers for these things... or maybe they prove time travel is impossible.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the book in the future idea is that it deals with time travel into the past, which I believe is impossible. By the way, we are right now just predicting the future, not traveling in time into the future. Those are two completely different concepts. You are traveling into the future, which is a whole different discussion!
ReplyDelete