Debate topic: What is truth and what isn't

[ShyGuy27]

I personally like the whole idea of an infinite cycle of Big Bangs/Big Crunches. Matter can't appear out of nowhere so it makes sense to me that it's just always been there and if you really think about it there's no reason it shouldn't have been there forever.

Actually there is. Have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics? It talks about the increase of entropy(chaos) of the universe as time goes on, by the conversion of useful energy into unuseable heat energy. If every thing is winding down(getting worse), then it had to be wound up at one time, it couldn't be infinite.

I might be misreading your post, but it looks to me like you're talking about energy when I'm talking about matter.

Many scientists believe there are 11 dimensions, and I'm sure most of them believe there are at least four.

How is it possible to determine how many dimensions there are?

Something to do with string theory.

 

[vvooper]

Many scientists believe there are 11 dimensions, and I'm sure most of them believe there are at least four.

How is it possible to determine how many dimensions there are? We don't even know if time is or isn't the fourth dimension.

After all, it can be manipulated and slowed down (however slightly) by gravity.

That's getting into some serious physics stuff; I'm not the right person. Try asking Michio Kaku or someone.

As for gravity being able to manipulate time, I might be able to answer that one. Space and time are interwoven in what is called spacetime (such a creative name), and gravity is the curvature of space around an object, and so time is affected as well. In fact, if you were somehow able to turn spacetime in on itself, you could go back in time by passing over an area of spacetime you had already been at.

As I said, very theoretical and difficult to grasp if you don't have a scientific mind.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

As I said, very theoretical and difficult to grasp if you don't have a scientific mind.

Don't worry, I love this kind of stuff.

Like for example it's feasible that you could go forward in time. All you would have to do is create some sort of near-indestructible capsule, calculate the rate that time is slowed down near a black hole, and launch yourself past but not through the event horizon. Time would appear to flow at normal speed to you but in the observer's viewpoint it would take ages for you to be brought out of the black hole's gravity.

And I really hope that time travel backwards never gets invented, I don't want to have to worry about someone screwing around with my past.

 

[vvooper]

As I said, very theoretical and difficult to grasp if you don't have a scientific mind.

Don't worry, I love this kind of stuff.

Like for example it's feasible that you could go forward in time. All you would have to do is create some sort of near-indestructible capsule, calculate the rate that time is slowed down near a black hole, and launch yourself past but not through the event horizon. Time would appear to flow at normal speed to you but in the observer's viewpoint it would take ages for you to be brought out of the black hole's gravity.

One could do the same thing if they were able travel faster than light, but that's also impossible.

And I really hope that time travel backwards never gets invented, I don't want to have to worry about someone screwing around with my past.

I know, that would suck. Although, the way I think, there are an infinite number of alternate realities and one thing was changed in each one. So if someone went back in time and changed something, our reality would be the same but that person would have created another reality. Or, if they were able to change our reality, you would never know about it, you'd think that was the norm all the time. Your past might have already been changed, and you think it hasn't.

Also, I think it's actually quite ridiculous (even though I just did it myself) to say someone went back in time. If it's actually possible to time travel, then I would assume time isn't a linear thing, but all times exist simultaneously, in which case one would say someone is going back in time, and always is.
Crap, I think I pulled a mind hernia.

PS I think this topic should be renamed "ATTN: Nerds." :p

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Crap, I think I pulled a mind hernia.

I get that Blue Screen of Death feeling when I start reading this stuff sometimes.

PS I think this topic should be renamed "ATTN: Nerds." :p

Or attention "No-Lifes" or "Eggheads" or "Geniuses".

Maybe "prodigies"?

Oh, stop self-indulging, self.

 

[ShyGuy27]

As I said, very theoretical and difficult to grasp if you don't have a scientific mind.

Don't worry, I love this kind of stuff.

Like for example it's feasible that you could go forward in time. All you would have to do is create some sort of near-indestructible capsule, calculate the rate that time is slowed down near a black hole, and launch yourself past but not through the event horizon. Time would appear to flow at normal speed to you but in the observer's viewpoint it would take ages for you to be brought out of the black hole's gravity.

One could do the same thing if they were able travel faster than light, but that's also impossible.

Actually as you go closer to the speed of light time slows, so if you went faster time would go backwards not forwards.

PS I think this topic should be renamed "ATTN: Nerds." :p

Or attention "No-Lifes" or "Eggheads" or "Geniuses".

Maybe "prodigies"?

Oh, stop self-indulging, self.

This stuff isn't nearly as complicated as you seem to think it is.

 

[General bob-omb]

I personally like the whole idea of an infinite cycle of Big Bangs/Big Crunches. Matter can't appear out of nowhere so it makes sense to me that it's just always been there and if you really think about it there's no reason it shouldn't have been there forever.

Actually there is. Have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics? It talks about the increase of entropy(chaos) of the universe as time goes on, by the conversion of useful energy into unuseable heat energy. If every thing is winding down(getting worse), then it had to be wound up at one time, it couldn't be infinite.

I might be misreading your post, but it looks to me like you're talking about energy when I'm talking about matter.

Actually I am also talking about matter, e=mc2 remember. Energy and matter can be converted. Oh, and on another note have you read this note written by C.S. Lewis. I'm sure you'll find it interesting. "Suppose there were no intelligence behind the universe, says Lewis. In that case nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. Thought is merely the by-product of some atoms within my skull. “But if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true?” asks Lewis. “But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course, I can’t trust the arguments leading to atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I can’t believe in thought; so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.”

 

[Kong Rong]

I personally like the whole idea of an infinite cycle of Big Bangs/Big Crunches. Matter can't appear out of nowhere so it makes sense to me that it's just always been there and if you really think about it there's no reason it shouldn't have been there forever.

Actually there is. Have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics? It talks about the increase of entropy(chaos) of the universe as time goes on, by the conversion of useful energy into unuseable heat energy. If every thing is winding down(getting worse), then it had to be wound up at one time, it couldn't be infinite.

I might be misreading your post, but it looks to me like you're talking about energy when I'm talking about matter.

Actually I am also talking about matter, e=mc2 remember. Energy and matter can be converted. Oh, and on another note have you read this note written by C.S. Lewis. I'm sure you'll find it interesting. "Suppose there were no intelligence behind the universe, says Lewis. In that case nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. Thought is merely the by-product of some atoms within my skull. “But if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true?” asks Lewis. “But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course, I can’t trust the arguments leading to atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I can’t believe in thought; so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.”

You can indeed use thought to not believe in god unless of course your trying to tell me the C.S. Lewis is an all powerful being who knows all and sees all and if not his theories are theories that don't make sense any ways because people use thought to not believe in god everyday

 

[General bob-omb]

I personally like the whole idea of an infinite cycle of Big Bangs/Big Crunches. Matter can't appear out of nowhere so it makes sense to me that it's just always been there and if you really think about it there's no reason it shouldn't have been there forever.

Actually there is. Have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics? It talks about the increase of entropy(chaos) of the universe as time goes on, by the conversion of useful energy into unuseable heat energy. If every thing is winding down(getting worse), then it had to be wound up at one time, it couldn't be infinite.

I might be misreading your post, but it looks to me like you're talking about energy when I'm talking about matter.

Actually I am also talking about matter, e=mc2 remember. Energy and matter can be converted. Oh, and on another note have you read this note written by C.S. Lewis. I'm sure you'll find it interesting. "Suppose there were no intelligence behind the universe, says Lewis. In that case nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. Thought is merely the by-product of some atoms within my skull. “But if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true?” asks Lewis. “But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course, I can’t trust the arguments leading to atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I can’t believe in thought; so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.”

You can indeed use thought to not believe in god unless of course your trying to tell me the C.S. Lewis is an all powerful being who knows all and sees all and if not his theories are theories that don't make sense any ways because people use thought to not believe in god everyday

Oh, really, you think you can, eh. I wasn't saying he was God, hes actually far from it. This is also not a theory, its just logic. If you find a way to refute this logic please tell me, because this is a valid argument.