Philosophy Now Forum

Think of earth as a particle. When you observe it from space, all you can see is a little blue sphere. It's only when you get close enough that you start seeing the details. Only then can you notice all these little patterns and creatures traveling the world in circles in search of meaning. So when the day comes we can look so far into an atom and observe it from as close as we can see the reflections of ourself, what are the chances we're going to find a world just like ours?

Torma wrote:Think of earth as a particle. When you observe it from space, all you can see is a little blue sphere. It's only when you get close enough that you start seeing the details. Only then can you notice all these little patterns and creatures traveling the world in circles in search of meaning. So when the day comes we can look so far into an atom and observe it from as close as we can see the reflections of ourself, what are the chances we're going to find a world just like ours?

None.

The meaning of atom is undivided. It is a true particle possessing undifferentiated matter.

That model of the atom looking like a little solar system was really seductive, wasn't it? We need to get over it now: it was inaccurate.

Apparently if you omit all the space within the atoms, between the electron and nucleus, something the size of the Empire State building can be reduced to the size of a pea.

Torma wrote:Think of earth as a particle. When you observe it from space, all you can see is a little blue sphere. It's only when you get close enough that you start seeing the details. Only then can you notice all these little patterns and creatures traveling the world in circles in search of meaning. So when the day comes we can look so far into an atom and observe it from as close as we can see the reflections of ourself, what are the chances we're going to find a world just like ours?

In such a situation, all you could ever see would be a contrast. The contrast would be real-time sensory perception, contrasted to a memory of your world. The similarities between any sensory perception, and any memory, exist only in the mind. Same thing happens when you look away from the reflection of yourself. The reflection becomes only a memory, and it contrasts with the world now, a contrast that exists only in the mind.

attofishpi wrote:Apparently if you omit all the space within the atoms, between the electron and nucleus, something the size of the Empire State building can be reduced to the size of a pea.

That's why neutron stars spin so fast ca 43k rpm ..IIRC and are only about 11 km in diameter ..(don't quote me on this)..