> I e-mailed a friend of mine who is a math prof and he agreed with my
> assessment. He also provided this non-rigorous statement of Goedel's
> theorem:
> >Suppose you have
> >any collection of axioms that include the axioms that postulate the
> >existence of the natural numbers. Then there are statements about the
> >natural numbers that can be neither proved false nor true with these
> >axioms.
>
> Then my friend offered this comment:
>
> >As you can see, Godel's theorem is unlikely to have any application to the
> >search for extraterrestrial life. Godel's theorem is one those statements,
> >like the 2nd law of thermodynamics and the Heisenberg uncertainty
> >principle, that are forever destined to be mangled by the public.
>
> As an occasional warrior against abuse of the 2nd law of thermodynamics, I
> am especially sensitive to stuff like this. It may be OK to invoke things
> like this as an analogy or metaphor (though I can't even see that connection
> in the SETI example), but it creates unnecessary confusion when the metaphor
> is mistaken for the real physical or mathematical result (like when the 2nd
> law is mis-invoked to explain the "decay" that characterizes human sin or my
> messy desk). Since we don't serve a God of confusion, I think it is
> worthwhile to make the effort to not "mangle" these concepts.
>
Dear Allan:
THANK YOU for this very helpful contribution. I suspected something was
amiss, as I have regarding the thermodynamics law. I think it would be very
helpful as an ASA project to publish clear definitions of these concepts from
good authorities, and distribute them widely, as a service to the church.
Now, if we can only find someone who will clear us up on quantum mechanics,
parapsychology, consciousness, time travel, string theory, ....
Paul Arveson, Research Physicist
73367.1236@compuserve.com arveson@oasys.dt.navy.mil
(301) 227-3831 (W) (301) 227-1914 (FAX) (301) 816-9459 (H)
Code 724, NSWC, Bethesda, MD 20084