Thought Question: Philosophy Forums

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Thought Question

RyeRye
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Posted 08/23/08 - 06:12 AM: Subject: Thought Question	#1
The following is just a simple thought queston intended at generating some simple discussion. -> What happens when an unstopable force is met with an immovable object?

yawningthinker
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Posted 08/23/08 - 11:27 AM:	#2
In real world doesn't happen anything because such force or such object do not exist. In theory A doesn't happen anything because their interaction doesn't have to lead to movement of the object. In theory B their meeting is end of their existence. In theory C the unstopable force is 'feeding' the immovable object by its energy forever and the object doesn't move. In theory D the object stops the force. In theory E the force moves with the object. Choose any of these theories, fix it as an axiom and build the entire world around it :-)
"The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." -- Thomas Huxley

unenlightened
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Posted 08/23/08 - 12:00 PM:	#3
RyeRye wrote: The following is just a simple thought queston intended at generating some simple discussion. -> What happens when an unstopable force is met with an immovable object? The result is called in physics 'a singularity'. Edited by unenlightened on 08/23/08 - 12:33 PM
The observer is the observed. J Krishnamurti "Philosophy, to the Philistine, is an evolutionary process, watched over by some sort of brisk dynamic Providence, and culminating in the supreme insight of modern thought." John Cowper Powys

Tzar
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Posted 08/23/08 - 01:49 PM:	#4
yawningthinker wrote: In real world doesn't happen anything because such force or such object do not exist. In theory B their meeting is end of their existence. That sound right to me, when two absolute opposites meet they anihilate themselves. For instance when a positron and an electron meet they anihilate themselves and create two photons of same direction but opposite senses.

Caldwell
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Posted 08/23/08 - 01:50 PM:	#5
RyeRye wrote: -> What happens when an unstopable force is met with an immovable object? A drunk driver is going to jail, if he hasn't been killed already by the impact. I'm moving this to science, if that's okay.

Kwalish Kid
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Posted 08/23/08 - 05:23 PM:	#6
unenlightened wrote: The result is called in physics 'a singularity'. This is a more general page on the subject, which is probably better for a response: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_singularity
"Scientific truth is always paradox, if judged by everyday experience, which catches only the delusive nature of things." - KM, V, P and P "A fishnet is made up of a lot more holes than strings, but you can't therefore argue that the net doesn't exist. Just ask the fish." - Jeffrey Kluger "…Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people." -Ben Stein [This is included for the irony.]

RyeRye
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Posted 08/24/08 - 07:49 AM:	#7
So, if I understand correctly, they would become one and the same and try to eliminate one another, ultimately creating a tear in the fabric of spacetime. Is that it?

Kelby
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Posted 08/24/08 - 03:41 PM:	#8
RyeRye wrote: -> What happens when an unstopable force is met with an immovable object? A Batman movie...
Embodied Cognition: http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/embodcog.htm#H2

abba
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Posted 08/24/08 - 04:14 PM:	#9
No, that's not correct. yawning had it correctly - neither of your theoretical items have real existence, so any questions about them are purely fictional. If some "sufficiently" powerful force met some other "sufficiently" opposing object, then one might observe a singularly spectacular event. Philosophical [i]ultimates[/u] are not a good discussion topic in a Science forum. IMO

swstephe
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Posted 08/24/08 - 09:17 PM:	#10
RyeRye wrote: -> What happens when an unstopable force is met with an immovable object? Not a complete description. An unstoppable force could be redirected, in which case it would just bounce off. An immovable object might be pliable, meaning the unstoppable force could just go through the object. What kind of scales are we talking about? A neutrino might be "unstoppable" simply because it is unlikely to hit another particle and could go through the immovable object without even touching it.
Ethics is the measuring of morality. Morality is the measuring of good. Good is the measuring of benefit. Benefit is the measure of values.

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