Re: Zeno's paradox and the creationist demand for transitional fossils

From: Gordon Simons (gsimons@email.unc.edu)
Date: Mon Jun 25 2001 - 09:08:47 EDT

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    Glenn,

    You wrote:

    > I have just placed a new page on my web page which is a comparison of
    > Zeno with anti-evolutionists. I would be interested in any critiques,
    > complaints or comments. Please e-mail me as I am not on this list.
    >
    > This can be found at http://www.glenn.morton.btinternet.co.uk/zeno.htm

    At this reference you write, concerning Zeno's paradox of motion:

    >>
    Now it is not difficult to see that Zeno's paradox doesn't apply to real
    life. Why? Because the mathematical laws which are used in Zeno's
    paradox--infinite divisibility of space--does not happen. It is clear
    from the fact that Zeno's demonstration that infinite divisibility
    requires no motion combined with the observation that athletes actually
    finish races that there comes a point in the division process in which the
    distance to the finish line is so small that it can no longer be
    divided. Thus, this paradox hints at the quantization of space, the famous
    del X of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. While Zeno didn't come to
    that obvious conclusion, it is the only mathematical way out of the
    paradox.
    <<

    A simpler, fully satisfactory, mathematical way out of Zeno's paradox,
    which does not require Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, is described
    at:
    http://www.mathacademy.com/platonic_realms/encyclop/articles/zeno_tort.html

    Gordie



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