Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Life: Life is the state of being characterized by growth, metabolism, homeostasis, adaptation, reproduction, and response to stimuli. Living organisms are made up of cells, which are the basic units of life._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Bernulf Kanitscheider on Life - Dictionary of Arguments
I 285 Life/Universe/Possible worlds/Kanitscheider: (Investigation of Ellis and Brundrit)(1) if one makes the plausible assumption that there is a finite probability for life in galaxies of our type, then there is certainly in one of the other life-bearing systems an individual with identical genetic construction as a special living being on earth. But if there is also only one individual of a certain type, it follows immediately from the presupposed finite, non-vanishing probability that there are infinitely many genetically identical living beings in the universe at any time! Not only copies, but also their history several times existing! However, this is valid only if one refrains from the fact that the space-time allows infinitely many different localizations of the events because of its continuity. One must put a kind of finite grid over the space-time so that the finite events also occur infinitely often. I 287 The striking thing about this argument is that, in addition to cosmological data, it relies only on a relatively weak assumption that there are not an infinite number of different life forms. Physically, this is credible because there are only finitely many elements and the maximum size of stable molecules is certainly finite. So the kinds of life we know are certainly a true fraction of all possible life forms Kanitscheider: moreover, practically only carbon can be considered as a basis, silicon life is inferior to carbon life in the competition. Ellis/Brundrit(1), however, consider even more exotic objections: if a now-unknown long-range force played a role in the origin of life, so that the probability of life in larger systems would decrease, the result would still remain intact, since particle horizons exist in almost all FRW worlds, limiting the interactions. the present probabilities for life on separate Earth-like planets are independent of each other. At any point in time, there are infinitely many causally decoupled regions in a low total energy universe. I 288 Now in each of them only a finite number of viable structures can exist, the infinite multiplicity of these organisms is inevitable! If one does not want to share these assumptions, nevertheless the ways out are not less strange, under retention of the homogeneity one would have to already 1. deny that the origin of life can be estimated at all with a probability measure, or that this is vanishingly small. Or: 2. a) (with homogeneity): the space-like hypersurfaces would have to be compact (K = +1). That would be a universe with negative total energy (high density). This is not supported empirically at present. b) Way out: force solution: one would have to provide the space sections with local hyperbolic or Euclidean geometry via identification topologies with a compact connection form. Ex (k = 0): then the local geometry of spacetime can be described in the line element ds² = dt² + R²(t)[dx² + dy² + dz²] Notation: L: coordinate length. (see below identification topology, determines the galaxy number). If one chooses in this space a cube of the coordinate length L, x, y, z respectively between 0 and L, and identifies opposite sides, then this does not change the local spatial structure, but the spatial coordinates become cyclic in the sense that (t, x, y, z) and (t, x +L, y + L, z + L) represent the same event. By the new coherence form, the spatial sections have now become 3-toroi of finite volume V =R³L³. In such a finite Euclidean space, of course, there are only finitely many galaxies, just as in a space with positive curvature. so the multiplicity of things would be avoided. >Coordinate system/Kanitscheider. I 289 In exchange, however, a new parameter emerges which is not at all determined by local physics, namely the length scale of the identification topology L. The quantity L which determines the galaxy number could be determined in any number of different ways without being supported by local empirical information. However, if one sticks to the principle of choosing more exotic topologies only when prompted by empirical evidence, it follows that each of us has infinite doubles, most of them behind a particle horizon. Steady-State Theory SST would have the same consequence in temporal terms. At infinity, any particle combination for which there is even a tiny finite probability simply occurs infinitely often. Copernican Principle/Ellis: his main point was to point out that the Copernican Principle has no empirical support, on the other hand it leads to such strange consequences. I 290 Ellis: to make this clearer, he designed a Bsp alternative model universe, locally isotropic, but without Copernican principle, which nevertheless covers all empirical findings. SSS: Spherically symmetric static universe, two centers, near one we live, the other is a naked singularity. Redshift here is interpreted not as result of space expansion, but as gravitational redshift, background not as relic radiation, but as result of hot fireball sphere permanently surrounding second singularity. Cold center C, hot center S. At a point p near the cold center, the background radiation is taken as an indication that the past light cone refocuses from p toward the hot singularity. The world is spherically symmetric about S and C. If one goes from C in the direction of S, it becomes hotter and hotter. Near the singularity, all the things happen that happen in a FRW world in the deep past. Symmetrically around S, there is an area of decoupling, and even closer, an area of nucleosynthesis. Circulation, light elements drift from S to C, there heavy elements are formed, which migrate back. I 291 Such a world is dominated by the singularity as the "soul of the universe". It also provides the dominant arrow of time. Methodologically, it is now important whether one can make the correspondence between a Steady State (SSS) and a Friedman world perfect. The temporal range of circumstances favorable to life in the Friedman world is matched in the SSS by a small spatial range around C. This is a real alternative to the Copernican principle for some authors. (I.e. it looks completely different somewhere else, conclusions from our environment on distant sections of the universe are not allowed). With alternative theories one decides mostly after simplicity and uniformity points of view. Kanitscheider: The absurd consequence of the infinitely many doubles does not seem to be a sufficient argument for leaving the homogeneity assumption. >Universe/Kanitscheider. 1. Ellis, G. F. R. & Brundrit, G. B. Life in the infinite universe. Royal Astronomical Society, Quarterly Journal, vol. 20, Mar. 1979, p. 37-41._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Kanitsch I B. Kanitscheider Kosmologie Stuttgart 1991 Kanitsch II B. Kanitscheider Im Innern der Natur Darmstadt 1996 |
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> Counter arguments against Kanitscheider
> Counter arguments in relation to Life
Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-25