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On 2002-12-24 23:21, Silas wrote:
In the nineteenth century, explorers were comfortable enough giving up the idea that magnetic north was equal to true north.
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I think it happened a lot earlier than the nineteenth century. Didn't Columbus note some declinations in his logs?
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On 2002-12-24 23:58, irony wrote:
1) The existance of a god or gods. There's no evidence for or against, but as far as I can tell, the universe writes its own rules without needing help from a god. On a deeper level, though, I just don't like the idea of a 'higher force.' If it's all part of some god's plan, then free will is in the toilet. I don't want anybody in control of my life except me.
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Some people go the other way--they start with the idea of free will, that things are not totally deterministic. If that is so, there must be some essence within us that we completely do not understand, outside physics and science. Call it a soul--and once, you have a soul, it is a small step to thinking there is a God.
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3) That we will ever find an 'ultimate theory' of the universe. I can't think of any rational basis for this one at all. I guess I just don't like the idea that we can find ourselves with nothing left to discover.
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There are no continents left to discover on Earth, but we've slowly managed to find a new frontier (cue Star Trek music). Even if we find an ultimate theory, there will be plenty of opportunity to develop new frontiers.