Message Forum: Re: Predictions, determinism, and megalomania

Re: Predictions, determinism, and megalomania

Posted By: Matthew, on host 62.30.192.1
Date: Monday, March 25, 2002, at 16:11:46
In Reply To: Re: Predictions, determinism, and megalomania posted by Eugene on Monday, March 25, 2002, at 15:37:23:

> I don't think that if we knew all of the laws of physics and the state of all things at one instant that we neccessarily could use statistical analysis to predict the future. (...reasons why...)

We can predict, but our predictions are likely to be wrong. Statistical analysis is essentially about knowing how likely that is. ;-)

> In all, determinism is a way to look at things, but only so far supported by meaningless scales.

My argument used a different form of determinism; one in which we couldn't determine what was going to happen. Everything was still predetermined, but unknown to us actors.

Matthew (spelled correctly this time)

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Message:	> > I don't think that if we knew all of the laws of physics and the state of all things at one instant that we neccessarily could use statistical analysis to predict the future. (...reasons why...) > > We can predict, but our predictions are likely to be wrong. Statistical analysis is essentially about knowing how likely that is. ;-) > > > In all, determinism is a way to look at things, but only so far supported by meaningless scales. > > My argument used a different form of determinism; one in which we couldn't determine what was going to happen. Everything was still predetermined, but unknown to us actors. > > Matthew (spelled correctly this time)
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