From: DRAGONFLY           
To: CHARLES DITTELL     
Subject: relig & logic??
Date & Time: 05/14/91 07:56:50
Message Number 16803

>One has the same problem with "useful" as with "correct" or "proven":
>in fact, ANY concept which relates to absolutes...
    
   Huh?  I thought "useful" would NOT relate to an absolute.  There may
be many "useful" theories which can explain an event: proving which one
was "correct" would be nearly impossible.  No absolutes necessary.
     
>And Newton's laws were not "Proven wrong": they were just shown to be
>"local" rather than "universal" in their validity (and they're USEFUL!)
     
   Something is "proven wrong" when a counterexample is found.  At 
speeds approaching light, force does NOT equal mass * acceleration.
But, very few people want to worry about the infinitessimal correction
Einstein's laws give when we're dealing with, say, the speed a car is
going.
   Newton's laws are a fantastic example of what I'm talking about. 
They provide an extremely accurate picture of the world, for some
world views.  BUT -- at really large speeds, or really small distances,
it breaks down, horribly.  (If Newton's laws were true, for example, 
every atom would be radiating light.)
                        //Dragonfly//