3 ms·

Isn't it because of the curvature of spacetime? Not that that means much to a layman, but I think that progress has definitely been made.

by 725686 1y ago

bravesoul2 1y ago
It's funny. We don't float away. We can never say why. Just produce better and better models. The whys never end!
- DanielVZ 1y ago
  It’s interesting how it’s not turtles all the way down (as I understand it at least). The things you learn of one scale do not completely translate to the next but serve as the “shadow” projected by the next level down the line. And this probably brings up the complexity that lets us exist and perceive. I say probably because who knows what else is going on in the universe. All this to say who knows if we are ever going to learn the fundamental why if there is one.
adastra22 1y ago
Yes, general relativity explains gravity pretty darn well, tying it to the fundamental fabric of causality that makes up the universe. It goes from “it just happens” to “it must happen and there is no other way it could be.”
- layer8 1y ago
  There is no notion of causality in our laws of physics, and from all we know gravity could certainly be different, or absent. You could have a universe with just the other three forces.
  - adastra22 1y ago
    There absolutely is. The speed of light is the speed of causality. It is very tightly integrated into the framework of modern physics. Maybe you are confusing causality for the arrow of time?
    - layer8 1y ago
      Modern physics says little about causality. The fundamental laws are all field equations. Those set constraints about how the physical state of a system can evolve between two points in time, but there is no notion of causation, only of consistency or (im)possibility. Causation in physics is a complex and problematic notion: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/
      - adastra22 1y ago
        I think we are talking past each other. Defining how the system evolves is defining how initial conditions must lead to (cause) intermediate and final states. That’s causality in the logical sense. What I’m talking about is most similar to the “Causal Explanation” section at the end of the article you link.

Isn't it because of the curvature of spacetime? Not that that means much to a layman, but I think that progress has definitely been made.

by 725686 1y ago

Isn't it because of the curvature of spacetime? Not that that means much to a layman, but I think that progress has definitely been made.

bravesoul2 1y ago

It's funny. We don't float away. We can never say why. Just produce better and better models. The whys never end!

DanielVZ 1y ago
It’s interesting how it’s not turtles all the way down (as I understand it at least). The things you learn of one scale do not completely translate to the next but serve as the “shadow” projected by the next level down the line. And this probably brings up the complexity that lets us exist and perceive. I say probably because who knows what else is going on in the universe. All this to say who knows if we are ever going to learn the fundamental why if there is one.

adastra22 1y ago

Yes, general relativity explains gravity pretty darn well, tying it to the fundamental fabric of causality that makes up the universe. It goes from “it just happens” to “it must happen and there is no other way it could be.”

layer8 1y ago
There is no notion of causality in our laws of physics, and from all we know gravity could certainly be different, or absent. You could have a universe with just the other three forces.
- adastra22 1y ago
  There absolutely is. The speed of light is the speed of causality. It is very tightly integrated into the framework of modern physics. Maybe you are confusing causality for the arrow of time?
  - layer8 1y ago
    Modern physics says little about causality. The fundamental laws are all field equations. Those set constraints about how the physical state of a system can evolve between two points in time, but there is no notion of causation, only of consistency or (im)possibility. Causation in physics is a complex and problematic notion: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-physics/
    - adastra22 1y ago
      I think we are talking past each other. Defining how the system evolves is defining how initial conditions must lead to (cause) intermediate and final states. That’s causality in the logical sense. What I’m talking about is most similar to the “Causal Explanation” section at the end of the article you link.