Here are a few telling quotes from a recent exchange on the Internet:
Emily: “I have this theory about the universe. It's infinitely big right? So anything you can possibly imagine can exist. Like another planet just like ours with people exactly like us sitting here having the exact same conversation.”
Frank: “Wait, that means you can also have a planet where penguins kick field goals. That is totally awesome. I love this theory.”
This exchange has special meaning for me. Before doing the research for “The Ten Assumptions of Science” and TSW, I was involved in a similar conversation. I still think that the universe is infinitely large, but commensurate with my assumption that it also infinite in the microcosmic direction, I can evaluate the remainder of the exchange with aplomb. It is not true that INFINITY means that anything you can possibly imagine can exist. It actually means just the opposite. INFINITY makes the assumption of RELATIVISM possible. RELATIVISM assumes that “All things have characteristics that make them similar to all other things as well as characteristics that make them dissimilar to all other things.” In other words, INFINITY makes identities impossible. I once thought, just like Emily, that there could be another Glenn Borchardt exactly like me on another planet. No more.
In an infinite universe, each microcosm is part of a unique univironment. So there will never be another Glenn Borchardt who writes TSW all over again, or another Emily who asks idealistic philosophical questions, or another Frank, who imagines penguins kicking field goals. It is not true that anything anyone can possibly imagine can exist. It is true that there are an infinite number of possibilities, but it also is true that there are no impossibilities.
Emily: “I have this theory about the universe. It's infinitely big right? So anything you can possibly imagine can exist. Like another planet just like ours with people exactly like us sitting here having the exact same conversation.”
Frank: “Wait, that means you can also have a planet where penguins kick field goals. That is totally awesome. I love this theory.”
This exchange has special meaning for me. Before doing the research for “The Ten Assumptions of Science” and TSW, I was involved in a similar conversation. I still think that the universe is infinitely large, but commensurate with my assumption that it also infinite in the microcosmic direction, I can evaluate the remainder of the exchange with aplomb. It is not true that INFINITY means that anything you can possibly imagine can exist. It actually means just the opposite. INFINITY makes the assumption of RELATIVISM possible. RELATIVISM assumes that “All things have characteristics that make them similar to all other things as well as characteristics that make them dissimilar to all other things.” In other words, INFINITY makes identities impossible. I once thought, just like Emily, that there could be another Glenn Borchardt exactly like me on another planet. No more.
In an infinite universe, each microcosm is part of a unique univironment. So there will never be another Glenn Borchardt who writes TSW all over again, or another Emily who asks idealistic philosophical questions, or another Frank, who imagines penguins kicking field goals. It is not true that anything anyone can possibly imagine can exist. It is true that there are an infinite number of possibilities, but it also is true that there are no impossibilities.
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4 comments:
Will impossibilities remain impossible even in a infinite amount of different universes/worlds? Do impossibilities remain impossible not just for us but for God also?
Yes, impossibilities remain impossible even in an infinite universe. For instance, gravitation will push you toward the nearest massive body. It is impossible for gravitation to push you away from a massive body. The statement "infinite amount of different universes" is an oxymoron. "Universe" means uno, that is, one universe. You are correct, impossibilities remain impossible for us and for anything you can imagine, now and for all time.
Could an actual infinity exist in other logically possible worlds, or different dimensions? Or if we say an actual infinity cannot exist, does that mean anywhere, including different dimensions, and worlds?
See my blog of 1/16/13.
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