Non-Fundamental Forces

[Parmandur]

For Aristotle, those qualities were: hot, cold, wet, and dry.

Incidentally, this was a theory of what could be underlying the perceived fournelements: warm and dry is Fire, cold and wet is Water, hot and wet is Air, cold and dry is Earth. Also wrong, bit it is rather surprising when you dig into Medieval texts how much could be done with this banana-pants wrong model of the universe!

 

[Joshua Randall]

In 2000 years people will look back and laugh at our primitive understanding of the universe.

 

[Umbran]

Incidentally, this was a theory of what could be underlying the perceived fournelements: warm and dry is Fire, warm and wet is Water, cold and wet is Air, cold and dry is Earth.

No. You have water and air reversed.
Aristotle had...
Fire: Hot, dry
Air: Hot, wet
Water: Cold, wet
Earth: Cold, dry

 

[Umbran]

In 2000 years people will look back and laugh at our primitive understanding of the universe.

Given what we are doing now, that may be a bit optimistic.

 

[Parmandur]

No. You have water and air reversed.
Aristotle had...
Fire: Hot, dry
Air: Hot, wet
Water: Cold, wet
Earth: Cold, dry

So I did, typo. That's why when you apply heat to water, it "turns into air" (what we know is H2O in gaseous form).

 

[Joshua Randall]

Given what we are doing now, that may be a bit optimistic.

Aww. The ancient Greeks were convinced the youth of their time would ruin the world. Humankind stumbles along somehow.

 

[Parmandur]

Given what we are doing now, that may be a bit optimistic.

I dunno, compared to the Classical/Medieval model, modern science is far more aware that there is something off about the model, so a new, better paradigm is achievable in theory.

 

[Umbran]

I dunno, compared to the Classical/Medieval model, modern science is far more aware that there is something off about the model, so a new, better paradigm is achievable in theory.

You misunderstand. That was intended as a sardonic comment about the likely state of the world and human civilization 2000 years from now.

But, from there, I have to wonder what you mean by "something off about the model". Which, "the model" do you mean?

 

[Umbran]

Aww. The ancient Greeks were convinced the youth of their time would ruin the world. Humankind stumbles along somehow.

Oh, no, it isn't that the youth will ruin the world. It is that we are in the process this moment of doing enough damage that they won't be able to save it.

 

[Parmandur]

You misunderstand. That was intended as a sardonic comment about the likely state of the world and human civilization 2000 years from now.

But, from there, I have to wonder what you mean by "something off about the model". Which, "the model" do you mean?

The standard model of physics: it is in Flux, with major unanswered questions. I'm not going to presume to tell you what they are, bit my understanding is that reconciling quantum physics with general relativity is...fraught? Similar to how flaws in older paradigms eventually led to new leaps as people banged their heads against proud nails, like why gold did not come from lead as theoretical physics predicted, no matter how hard they tried.