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A Black
Hole in Your Logic
In
"Big-Bang
Theology," Jim Holt writes:
Maybe the universe had
a natural cause. But the big bang could not have been caused by prior
physical processes. That is because it began with pointlike singularity ,
which, according to relativity theory, is not a "thing" but a boundary or an
edge in time. Since no causal lines can be extended through it, the cause of
the big bang must transcend the physical world.
The
center of any black hole, according to modern physics, is also a
singularity. So, does each and every black hole in the universe also
prove the existence of God, since, according to Holt's argument as I understand
it, "prior physical processes" could not have created them either?
-- Erich Schwarz New
York City
The Age
of Finiteness
Slate
should probably know better than to publish an essay aimed
at deducing the existence of God. Jim Holt's piece "Big Bang Theology"
starts out that way, though he ultimately contents himself with the existence
of a First Cause. But he too quickly dismisses Stephen Hawking's argument that
the finite age of the earth does not imply a beginning. To be sure, Hawking's
explanation is rather convoluted. Let me see if I can find a simpler way to
present his view. Suppose that our position in time is represented by a
positive (that is, non-negative and nonzero) number. Then at each moment we
know that only a finite amount of time has elapsed (if we're at time 5, then we
know that no more than 5 units of time have passed). But note that there is no
first moment: if we're at time t, then time t/2, which is unequal to t, lies in
our past. There you go: a universe with no beginning but a finite age.
-- Joydip
Kundu Cambridge, Mass.
Winnie-the-Canuck
Contrary to David Plotz's
"Assessment," Winnie-the-Pooh is neither American nor British. He
is, in fact, Canadian. The original Winnie-the-Pooh was the mascot of a
Canadian regiment, an actual living bear named for the city of Winnipeg. Winnie
found himself in England when the regiment was transferred to England in the
Great War (or World War I). He was placed in a zoo for safekeeping when the
regiment went on to France, and in this period Winnie became a great favorite
with the English zoo-going public.
And the fictional
Winnie-the-Pooh was named for the real bear, a bear born in Canada who never
relinquished his Canadian citizenship.
So, if
the bear is going anywhere, send him back to Canada. However, we put no claim
on the other, lesser characters.
-- John
Tyrrell Medicine Hat, Alberta
Bother,
Eh?
David Plotz's polemic as to
the citizenship of Winnie-the-Pooh serves only to stoke the fires of
controversy swirling around the five unfortunate dolls. Pooh is not American,
but neither is he British or a "citizen of the world." He is Canadian. Pooh
scholars (there are such things) know that A.A. Milne was a visitor to the
Great White North and bought his son's teddy bear in Winnipeg, hence the
name.
Besides,
the British have Paddington Bear and the Yanks created the stern Smokey (a
suitable symbol of American authoritarianism). In the interests of justice,
Winnie must be ours!
-- John Robertson
Graham Vancouver, British Columbia
Boop
Boop a Doop, Indeed
Regarding Jonathan Rauch's
"Reich
Redux"--of course all refined Washington, D.C., hostesses know that mint
jelly is not a sauce but a jelly. You spread jelly on bread, like that piece of
bread the English call by the misnomer Yorkshire pudding. But they serve that
with beef and put gravy on it, so I don't know what bread you spread your mint
jelly on when it is served with lamb.
I for one
am more than a bit tired of the arrogant, ignoramus, false-elegant
pretentiousness of Washington. All these refined ladies and gentlemen of the
Washington elite should learn to keep their mouths shut so as not to
incriminate themselves. Boop boop a doop, dearie.
-- Judith Nelson
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