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From: mcgeer%ucbkim%Berkeley@sri-unix.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re:  Re:  Why net.physics might be a forum for some psi discussion.
Message-ID: <425@sri-arpa.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 00:46:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.425
Posted: Fri Jul 19 00:46:46 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jul-85 23:54:33 EDT
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From:  Rick McGeer (on an aaa-60-s) 

>If there really is a definite, TESTABLE, proposal for interaction
>of brain states with quantum states, be it called "psi" or not,
>then, yes, that would be a good subject for informed discussion.
>But if that is just another one of the "fundamental particle theory
>proves that taoism was right" type of vague suggestions, it is not
>sufficiently scientific to waste time on.  Let's try to keep to
>matters that can be settled and not debate unexplained mysteries.

Bravo.  Anything untestable is sheer philosophy.

I know a retired physicist, here in Berkeley, who doesn't believe in
Newtonian gravity.  Instead, he believes that matter emits gravitational
waves that vary with the matter's "state": put better, he does not believe
in the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass.  Experiments to the
contrary don't show the variation because it is too slight to be detected
under terrestrial conditions.  Experimental error, he says, overrides this
effect.

Well, I've read his papers.  But his definition neither illuminates the
nature of gravity (it's simply action-at-a-distance with a twist), nor is it
testable (experimental error, remember?).

He'll go to his deathbed believing that his theory's right and "big physics"
is wrong.  But in some sense, *it just doesn't matter*.  An untestable
theory that says nothing fundamental about the nature of the universe isn't
wrong -- it's just content-free.

If you think that I put Gellerism, Psi, meta-physics and tao into the same
boat as my friend's gravity theories...

well, you'd be right, mate.

					Rick.