Lumifer comments on Open thread, Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2014 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: MrMind 27 October 2014 08:58AM

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Comment author: Lumifer 27 October 2014 08:47:01PM *  1 point [-]

Mostly in the analysis of complex phenomena with multiple in(or barely)compatible frameworks of looking at them.

A photon is a wave.
A photon is a particle.

Love is temporary insanity.
Love is the most beautiful feeling you can have.

Etc., etc.

Comment author: RowanE 27 October 2014 10:18:06PM 1 point [-]

It's possibly to use particle models or wave models to make predictions about photons, but believing a photon is both of those things is a separate matter, and is neither useful nor true - a photon is actually neither.

Truth is not beauty, so there's no contradiction there, and even the impression of one disappears if the statements are made less poetic and oversimplified.