- Apr 17, 2003
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The concept of infinity is nothing new, and in some cases it has a place...but as of late, I've been seeing things described as infinite where to me they just come across as a lame cop out for lack of knowing. I'm not a mathematician, and do not care to be, but I can smell a turd when it's there...and these people using infinity to make their theories work are all but clueless.
Case in point: Infinity is a dainty concept, but in the context of reality, it is the ultimate negation of any value - BUT, infinity is not like zero. Infinity is the only concept capable of simultaneously and completely describing everything AND nothing. Some examples...
Infinite Number Line
If you have a center point, zero, which extends infinitely in either direction, you are essentially describing a null value. An infinite number line is fine as a concept, but has no practical basis, because regardless of how far you go in either direction, your REAL position never changes. You may be quick to say "Zero is the middle", but when the line is INFINITE in both directions, there is no middle! You could make 301508 the "middle" number, it would work, but zero is the true definition of an infinite number line - it means nothing.
Infinite Time
Tick-tock! Like anything else, once you declare it is infinite, you instantly negate it completely. If time spans infinitely past, present and future - then essentially time does not exist. So what is time anyway? A flawed concept that many people work into their ideas...or is it really there, with tangible limits?
Infinite Scaling
Scaling is fun! Where do we fit in...let's start with our scale and say that's zero. At our scale, everything is as we naturally perceive it, but we can scale down to the molecular level, even further, to the atomic level, further still - to subatomic...
Is there a floor? LET'S HOPE THERE IS, but what if there is not? What if we can SCALE INFINITELY smaller or larger? This presents a problem, unless limits are imposed on scaling...but think about it: If we scale ourselves up to the universal level, we can now conceptualize the universe as being some sort of object we can hold. What is containing the universe itself? If our universe is some sort of enclosed microcosm, what is IT a part of? Nothing?
The fact is, there are no limits on how far we can scale, either way, and you may not want to believe it because you cannot test it or validate it...yet...but I can assure you that, infinite scaling means everything is nothing. It negates everything completely.
Understanding by Establishing Limits
Complex over-my-head math aside, what every scientist seeks to do is to LIMIT their understanding of what they are studying, because only by setting these limits, can they begin to create a system that "works" within these limits. The problem is that the system breaks if it ever needs to be applied to a situation beyond the scientifically imposed limits.
I'd like to hear what some of you guys think of my ideas here. I'm sure, you all will have a lot to say.
Case in point: Infinity is a dainty concept, but in the context of reality, it is the ultimate negation of any value - BUT, infinity is not like zero. Infinity is the only concept capable of simultaneously and completely describing everything AND nothing. Some examples...
Infinite Number Line
If you have a center point, zero, which extends infinitely in either direction, you are essentially describing a null value. An infinite number line is fine as a concept, but has no practical basis, because regardless of how far you go in either direction, your REAL position never changes. You may be quick to say "Zero is the middle", but when the line is INFINITE in both directions, there is no middle! You could make 301508 the "middle" number, it would work, but zero is the true definition of an infinite number line - it means nothing.
Infinite Time
Tick-tock! Like anything else, once you declare it is infinite, you instantly negate it completely. If time spans infinitely past, present and future - then essentially time does not exist. So what is time anyway? A flawed concept that many people work into their ideas...or is it really there, with tangible limits?
Infinite Scaling
Scaling is fun! Where do we fit in...let's start with our scale and say that's zero. At our scale, everything is as we naturally perceive it, but we can scale down to the molecular level, even further, to the atomic level, further still - to subatomic...
Is there a floor? LET'S HOPE THERE IS, but what if there is not? What if we can SCALE INFINITELY smaller or larger? This presents a problem, unless limits are imposed on scaling...but think about it: If we scale ourselves up to the universal level, we can now conceptualize the universe as being some sort of object we can hold. What is containing the universe itself? If our universe is some sort of enclosed microcosm, what is IT a part of? Nothing?
The fact is, there are no limits on how far we can scale, either way, and you may not want to believe it because you cannot test it or validate it...yet...but I can assure you that, infinite scaling means everything is nothing. It negates everything completely.
Understanding by Establishing Limits
Complex over-my-head math aside, what every scientist seeks to do is to LIMIT their understanding of what they are studying, because only by setting these limits, can they begin to create a system that "works" within these limits. The problem is that the system breaks if it ever needs to be applied to a situation beyond the scientifically imposed limits.
I'd like to hear what some of you guys think of my ideas here. I'm sure, you all will have a lot to say.