Temporal Vacua and Absolute Zero

frankd23 said...
This is a question that I hope some people will answer...I can't figure out how to make my own post because I'm terrible with computers so i figured Id just make a comment on this question. A temporal vacuum is just an area where everything stops changing, and essentially stops moving. I argue in my paper that temporal vacua are just areas where at absolute zero. I feel that the argument is sound unless there is some way for an area to stop moving completely without it being at absolute zero. I have a possible explanation but i still think absolute zero wins in the end. Id' like to hear some of your ideas

8:24 PM

A Question

Which of the following combinations of views are consistent*:

1. Objectivism about metric and relationism about time
2. Objectivism about metric and absolutism about time
3. Conventionalism about metric and relationism about time
4. Conventionalism about metric and absolutism about time

I am particularly interested in what you guys think about (4).

*Note: A combination of views is consistent if, and only if, supposing that both views are true does not commit you to a contradiction. An obvious example of an inconsistent combination of views would be if one held that atheism and theism are both correct. A combination of views might be consistent but very unattractive. It is consistent, but very unattractive, to hold that invisible sparkling monkeys cause lights to go on and off, for instance.

Writing Assignment 2

Writing Assignment 2:

First: Present an argument from Le Poidevin for the conclusion that conventionalism about the metric of time is true or present an argument from Le Poidevin for the conclusion that objectivism about the metric of time is true. Try to make your argument valid. You do not need to state the form or forms by which the argument is valid.

Next: Briefly explain the premises. That is, state in a sentence or three why one might take the premise to be true.

Next: State which premise you think is false and why. Be brief.

Finally: Cite your source.

Note 1: This assignment should not take more than one page.

Note 2: There is no need to write the argument out in paragraph form. The format of your assignment should be as follows :

An Argument for the Conclusion that Blah

Premise 1:

Premise 2:

. . .

Conclusion: Therefore, conventionalism/objectivism about the metric of time is true.

Explanation of premise 1:

Explanation of premise 2:

. . .

I think Premise n is false because (etc.)

Citation


Please raise any questions you may have about the assignment by commenting on this post.

The Beginning of Time

Admin note: I am moving this comment to the main section of the blog so it is easier to access.

Hawaii said...
Well since I'm supposed to make more posts...I'll see about another question.

Did time have a beginning or does it extend infinitely in either direction? I guess my stance is formed around the big bang. I believe this is generally accepted as the beginning of our universe. I will assume that this is the case. Now before the big bang...can we tell what the universe was like at all? The answer is no. Since we can't tell what the universe was like before the big bang, then it doesn't matter what happened before the big bang. To me, this means that time restarted at the big bang. Nothing that happened before affects us now so it may as well have never happened at all.

The answer is that time did have a beginning with the big bang. Is it possible to have multiple beginnings? Perhaps time is more like a set of rays as opposed to a single line.

Time Travel

Admin Note: I am moving this discussion of time travel to the main area of the blog so it's easier to access.

frankd23 said...
I would like to make a comment about the possibility of time travel. Even though the majority of people feel that it is possible, there are some that dont and I would like to try and convince you. Time travel is THEORETICALLY possible with the use of a wormhole. A wormhole is two black holes that are connected through a fourth dimension called hyperspace. It is essentially a tunnel. Now suppose we shook hands through the wormhole, and then I was to go and take a trip at speeds close to that of the speed of light. Because of Einstein's and other brilliant scientists theories, I would experience time dilation. That is, my time would pass more slowly then ur time. So what seemed like 1 year to me may have been hundreds to you. So I return to earth after my 1 year and your hundreds. It is then possible for me to step through the wormhole to where u are and be in the future, and same with u as you would be in the past. Of course I'm no expert on the topic and some of what I just explained may need a few small fixes but the majority of it should be correct. I also can't take credit for coming up with that explanation because I intially read it in Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip S Thorne (Great book I recommend it and the class). So hypothetically time travel is possible, however I dont believe we will ever achieve it through the use of a wormhole. So I hope I was able to convert a couple of you to believing that time travel is possible. If you have good arguments against what I said I'd love to hear them. But keep in my I'm argueing that time travel is possible. I am NOT argueing that we will in fact achieve time travel.

11:20 AM

First Assignment Sample/Template

Here is a sample/template of the sort of thing I'm looking for on the first assignment.

Section 1: Present the Argument:

Premise 1: Blah blah.
Premise 2: If blah blah then blee blee.
Conclusion: Therefore, blee blee.

Section 2: Explain the Argument:

Premise 1 is true because . . .
Premise 2 is true because . . .

That is all you really need. Now I will write some comments on the above template.

Comment 1: Your conclusion should be a declarative sentence instead of 'blee blee'.

Example: 'Therefore, time travel is not possible.'

Comment 2: You should try to make your presented argument deductively valid. 'Deductive validity' is defined on the handout and in the Argument Handbook. Any argument that has the form of the argument above is valid by Modus Ponens. You do not need to state that in your assignment. Just try to present a valid argument.

Comment 3: The premises of your argument should be reasons for thinking the conclusion is true, along with premises that logically connect your reasons with your conclusion.

Example: If your conclusion is 'Therefore, time travel is impossible', one reason to think that is true is that, as far as we know, people from the future have not travelled back to our time to tell us about it. You can replace 'blah blah' in the above argument with this reason. Note that the second premise just says that if [reason], then [conclusion]. So the resulting argument would look like this in English:

Premise 1: People from the future have not travelled back to our time.
Premise 2: If people from the future have not travelled back to our time, then time travel is impossible.
Conclusion: Therefore, time travel is impossible.

Comment 4: Your explanations should be a brief sentence or three about why we should think the premise is true.

Example:

Premise 1 is true because time travel would be awesome so if someone did it, it would be reasonable to expect them to tell everybody about what they did. But that has not happened. So premise 1 is true.

This procedure is outlined in detail in the Argument Handbook. I hope that it is a bit clearer now. Please respond to this post if you have further questions or concerns.

Space and Time Poll

Here are the results of our in-class Space and Time Poll:

1. Did time have a beginning? Yes: 5 No: 6 Not Sure: 1
2. Is there space beyond the universe? Yes: 6 No: 7 Not Sure: 1
3. Would time go on if everything else stopped? Yes: 7 No: 6 Not Sure: 1
4. Could space exist with nothing in it? Yes: 11 No: 2 Not Sure: 1
5. Is time travel possible? Yes: 8 No: 4 Not Sure: 2
6. Are there parallel worlds? Yes: 8 No: 3 Not Sure: 3
7. Could time go backwards? Yes: 4 No: 10 Not Sure: 1
8. Is there a fourth dimension of space? Yes: 11 No: 2 Not Sure: 1
9. Are space and time just constructions of our mind? Yes: 4 No: 8 Not Sure: 2

Fortunately, there is a fair amount of apparent disagreement in the responses. I say “apparent” because several of the questions seem unclear; perhaps if we figured out exactly what they are asking we would not disagree as much. (Hopefully we would still disagree a fair amount, however.) A good way to begin blog discussion is to either:

(i) Post a defense of your answer to one or more of the questions,
(ii) Present an argument in numbered premise-conclusion form in support of your answer to one or more of the questions, or
(iii) Post on what, exactly, you take one or more of the questions to be asking. (Some initial questions: What the heck is a parallel world? What, exactly, is meant by ‘dimension’ or ‘universe’? What would it mean for time to have a beginning? Does it mean that there was no time at any instant prior to the instant that time began?!?)

Assignment 1

Due at the beginning of class on Monday, 9/12:

Using the PEE method, present and explain a valid argument for the conclusion you defended in your in-class writing. 'Present' and 'explain' are treated as technical terms, in the sense of the in-class handout and Argument in the College. Present your argument in premise-conclusion form. Keep your explanations as brief as possible. You do not have to evaluate the argument. Practice proper citation (cite Le Poidevin). This assignment should take no less than one and no more than two pages. I suspect that this assignment will be difficult. You are not expected to master PEE-ing arguments on the first attempt. The goal of the assignment is to acquaint you with some of the concepts that we will work with to help us identify and assess arguments. Please comment to this post if you have further questions, comments, or concerns about the assignment.

Welcome

Welcome to the class blog for CAS 105: Space, Time, and Spacetime: Philosophical Problems of Space and Time.

To create your own post, just click on 'Blogger' in the upper left hand corner, sign in, click on 'Space, Time, and Spacetime', and click on 'Create New Post'. Write something and click 'Publish Post'. Other than coming up with something to say, that's all there is to it. Feel free to comment on this post if you have trouble creating your own post.