5HC : Skinner, Turing (fwd)

Iorwerth Thomas · 09 Feb 2005, 07:31 · from 2005-February.txt.gz

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From: iorweththomas at hotmail.com (Iorwerth Thomas)
Date: Wed Feb  9 07:31:20 2005
Subject: (urth) 5HC : Skinner, Turing (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <1f76173705020814335dd7b0c5 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BAY102-F1093A09F00826C848A22E5B9750 at phx.gbl>



>From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>

>(Ex: How does gravitation work?
>High probability: gravitation is mediated by a particle exchange.
>Lower probability: exchange of massive, charged particles.
>Still lower probability: exchange of protons.
>Extremely low probability: exchange of gumballs.
>Vanishingly small probability: massive particles yearn for
>     each other.)
>
Bizarre historical aside:  Many of Newton's contempories objected to his 
theory of gravitation because, to them, it smacked of the last answer in 
that list.  Which wasn't really the case; it just _sounded_ like that if 
you'd been trying to remove the last vestiges of alchemy from your 
scientific system  (Isaac's fondness for attempting to find the 
philosopher's stone probably didn't help, I imagine).

Iorwerth

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