Rain comments on There just has to be something more, you know? - Less Wrong

13 Post author: Academian 24 March 2010 12:38AM

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Tags: materialism naturalism supernaturalism physics dualism ontology metaphysics monism physicalism

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Comment author: Rain 24 March 2010 02:44:44AM *  0 points [-]

As a conviction, physics need not claim that "dots and waves are all there is", but rather, that all there is can be described on analogy with dots and waves.

I found this a very useful statement.

And then the more I thought about it, I lost why it was special. I'm not sure why that happened, or what it means. Perhaps a reversion to my dark side. If so, that was faster than I would have thought.

Comment author: CronoDAS 24 March 2010 04:17:57AM 0 points [-]

Do electric and magnetic fields actually exist, or are they simply a mathematical description of how charged particles move in the presence of other charged particles?

(As it turns out, the fact that Maxwell's equations describe light entirely in terms of said fields provide a good reason to believe the former over the latter.)

Comment author: Jack 24 March 2010 04:21:25AM 3 points [-]

Do electric and magnetic fields actually exist, or are they simply a mathematical description of how charged particles move in the presence of other charged particles?

I don't think there is a meaningful difference between these two alternatives. What distinction do you have in mind?

Comment author: CronoDAS 24 March 2010 04:32:58AM *  1 point [-]

I agree; there really isn't a difference.

But on the other hand...

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