Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforsch... more Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforscher entdecken, was im Kopf religioser Menschen vor sich geht – Molekularbiologen suchen nach Gottes-Genen – Religionsdemographen erklaren, warum Atheisten weniger Kinder haben – Evolutionspsychologen entschlusseln den biologischen Ursprung und Nutzen von Religiositat und Spiritualitat. Offenbaren ihre erstaunlichen Forschungsergebnisse eine ubernaturliche Wahrheit? Oder zeigen sie eine clevere Strategie der Natur, die bis heute alle Kulturen pragt? Dieses provokante Buch ist eine Einfuhrung in den aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet es die Grundlagen des Glaubens und das Ratsel Religion.
EDU 2008 p5 compelling. Thomas Durt and Nicolás Lori also engaged in a transparent peerreview, wh... more EDU 2008 p5 compelling. Thomas Durt and Nicolás Lori also engaged in a transparent peerreview, which was long and sometimes difficult. Their disagreement about the definition of information in physics gave rise to a discussion which is reflected in this proceedings by Lori's commentary: On definitions of Information in Physics. I think that referees should be more recognized in this indispensable task for the scientific community. It is not normal that they do it on a voluntary basis and almost without recognition. A system to academically and publicly recognize this effort is yet to be invented. After the peer-review, I organized a public invitation to comment on the selected papers 2. I used the "Open Peer Commentary" (OPC) model for this purpose, which was initially used by journals Current Anthropology and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The purpose of OPC is to provide a concentrated constructive interaction between author and commentators. The target article, commentaries, and authors' responses are published together. I am delighted with the outcome of this call for commentaries, which generated 12 commentaries. Counting author's replies, this makes a total of 20 additional manuscripts to the main articles, giving additional discussion, critique, debate to this special issue. These exchanges show research as it is done, with explicit disagreements and debates. If authors agree to provide further responses to new commentaries, we would be glad to also continue this OPC process for later issues of Foundations of Science. Finally, I apologize for the varying layouts of this proceedings preprint. I invite the demanding reader to wait a few months for the publication of all articles in Foundations of Science.
BEYOND SPACE AND TIME The secret network of the universe: How quantum geometry might complete Ein... more BEYOND SPACE AND TIME The secret network of the universe: How quantum geometry might complete Einstein's dream By Rüdiger Vaas With the help of a few innocuous-albeit subtle and potent-equations, Abhay Ashtekar can escape the realm of ordinary space and time. The mathematics developed specifically for this purpose makes it possible to look behind the scenes of the apparent stage of all events-or better yet: to shed light on the very foundation of reality. What sounds like black magic, is actually incredibly hard physics. Were Albert Einstein alive today, it would have given him great pleasure. For the goal is to fulfil the big dream of a unified theory of gravity and the quantum world. With the new branch of science of quantum geometry, also called loop quantum gravity, Ashtekar has come close to fulfilling this dream-and tries thereby, in addition, to answer the ultimate questions of physics: the mysteries of the big bang and black holes. "On the Planck scale there is a precise, rich, and discrete structure," says Ashtekar, professor of physics and Director of the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. The Planck scale is the smallest possible length scale with units of the order of 10-33 centimeters. That is 20 orders of magnitude smaller than what the world's best particle accelerators can detect. At this scale, Einstein's theory of general relativity fails. Its subject is the connection between space, time, matter and energy. But on the Planck scale it gives unreasonable valuesabsurd infinities and singularities. It carries therefore-as the American physicist John Wheeler, who knew Einstein personally, used to say-the seeds of its own destruction. That means the theory indicates the limitations of its own applicability. This is a restriction, but at the same time also an advantage: physicists cannot avoid looking for a better and more complete theory for the laws of nature at this fundamental level. In other words: they need a theory of quantum gravity in order to explain the behavior of nature at all levels, from quarks to quasars.
Introduction.- Time after Time R. Vaas.- Fundamental Loss of Quantum Coherence from Quantum Gravi... more Introduction.- Time after Time R. Vaas.- Fundamental Loss of Quantum Coherence from Quantum Gravity R. Gambini et al.- The Clock Ambiguity: Implications and New Developments A. Albrecht, A. Iglesias.- Holographic Cosmology and the Arrow of Time T. Banks.- The Emergent Nature of Time and the Complex Numbers in Quantum Cosmology G.W. Gibbons.- The Phantom Bounce: A New Proposal for an Oscillating Cosmology K. Freese et al.- Notes on Time's Enigma L. Mersini-Houghton.- A Momentous Arrow of Time M. Bojowald.- Can the Arrow of Time be understood from Quantum Cosmology? C. Kiefer.- Open Questions regarding the Arrow of Time H.D. Zeh.
Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforsch... more Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforscher entdecken, was im Kopf religioser Menschen vor sich geht – Molekularbiologen suchen nach Gottes-Genen – Religionsdemographen erklaren, warum Atheisten weniger Kinder haben – Evolutionspsychologen entschlusseln den biologischen Ursprung und Nutzen von Religiositat und Spiritualitat. Offenbaren ihre erstaunlichen Forschungsergebnisse eine ubernaturliche Wahrheit? Oder zeigen sie eine clevere Strategie der Natur, die bis heute alle Kulturen pragt? Dieses provokante Buch ist eine Einfuhrung in den aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet es die Grundlagen des Glaubens und das Ratsel Religion.
Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforsch... more Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforscher entdecken, was im Kopf religioser Menschen vor sich geht – Molekularbiologen suchen nach Gottes-Genen – Religionsdemographen erklaren, warum Atheisten weniger Kinder haben – Evolutionspsychologen entschlusseln den biologischen Ursprung und Nutzen von Religiositat und Spiritualitat. Offenbaren ihre erstaunlichen Forschungsergebnisse eine ubernaturliche Wahrheit? Oder zeigen sie eine clevere Strategie der Natur, die bis heute alle Kulturen pragt? Dieses provokante Buch ist eine Einfuhrung in den aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet es die Grundlagen des Glaubens und das Ratsel Religion.
EDU 2008 p5 compelling. Thomas Durt and Nicolás Lori also engaged in a transparent peerreview, wh... more EDU 2008 p5 compelling. Thomas Durt and Nicolás Lori also engaged in a transparent peerreview, which was long and sometimes difficult. Their disagreement about the definition of information in physics gave rise to a discussion which is reflected in this proceedings by Lori's commentary: On definitions of Information in Physics. I think that referees should be more recognized in this indispensable task for the scientific community. It is not normal that they do it on a voluntary basis and almost without recognition. A system to academically and publicly recognize this effort is yet to be invented. After the peer-review, I organized a public invitation to comment on the selected papers 2. I used the "Open Peer Commentary" (OPC) model for this purpose, which was initially used by journals Current Anthropology and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. The purpose of OPC is to provide a concentrated constructive interaction between author and commentators. The target article, commentaries, and authors' responses are published together. I am delighted with the outcome of this call for commentaries, which generated 12 commentaries. Counting author's replies, this makes a total of 20 additional manuscripts to the main articles, giving additional discussion, critique, debate to this special issue. These exchanges show research as it is done, with explicit disagreements and debates. If authors agree to provide further responses to new commentaries, we would be glad to also continue this OPC process for later issues of Foundations of Science. Finally, I apologize for the varying layouts of this proceedings preprint. I invite the demanding reader to wait a few months for the publication of all articles in Foundations of Science.
BEYOND SPACE AND TIME The secret network of the universe: How quantum geometry might complete Ein... more BEYOND SPACE AND TIME The secret network of the universe: How quantum geometry might complete Einstein's dream By Rüdiger Vaas With the help of a few innocuous-albeit subtle and potent-equations, Abhay Ashtekar can escape the realm of ordinary space and time. The mathematics developed specifically for this purpose makes it possible to look behind the scenes of the apparent stage of all events-or better yet: to shed light on the very foundation of reality. What sounds like black magic, is actually incredibly hard physics. Were Albert Einstein alive today, it would have given him great pleasure. For the goal is to fulfil the big dream of a unified theory of gravity and the quantum world. With the new branch of science of quantum geometry, also called loop quantum gravity, Ashtekar has come close to fulfilling this dream-and tries thereby, in addition, to answer the ultimate questions of physics: the mysteries of the big bang and black holes. "On the Planck scale there is a precise, rich, and discrete structure," says Ashtekar, professor of physics and Director of the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. The Planck scale is the smallest possible length scale with units of the order of 10-33 centimeters. That is 20 orders of magnitude smaller than what the world's best particle accelerators can detect. At this scale, Einstein's theory of general relativity fails. Its subject is the connection between space, time, matter and energy. But on the Planck scale it gives unreasonable valuesabsurd infinities and singularities. It carries therefore-as the American physicist John Wheeler, who knew Einstein personally, used to say-the seeds of its own destruction. That means the theory indicates the limitations of its own applicability. This is a restriction, but at the same time also an advantage: physicists cannot avoid looking for a better and more complete theory for the laws of nature at this fundamental level. In other words: they need a theory of quantum gravity in order to explain the behavior of nature at all levels, from quarks to quasars.
Introduction.- Time after Time R. Vaas.- Fundamental Loss of Quantum Coherence from Quantum Gravi... more Introduction.- Time after Time R. Vaas.- Fundamental Loss of Quantum Coherence from Quantum Gravity R. Gambini et al.- The Clock Ambiguity: Implications and New Developments A. Albrecht, A. Iglesias.- Holographic Cosmology and the Arrow of Time T. Banks.- The Emergent Nature of Time and the Complex Numbers in Quantum Cosmology G.W. Gibbons.- The Phantom Bounce: A New Proposal for an Oscillating Cosmology K. Freese et al.- Notes on Time's Enigma L. Mersini-Houghton.- A Momentous Arrow of Time M. Bojowald.- Can the Arrow of Time be understood from Quantum Cosmology? C. Kiefer.- Open Questions regarding the Arrow of Time H.D. Zeh.
Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforsch... more Dem Glauben auf der Spur Wissenschaftler sind dem Geheimnis des Glaubens auf der Spur: Hirnforscher entdecken, was im Kopf religioser Menschen vor sich geht – Molekularbiologen suchen nach Gottes-Genen – Religionsdemographen erklaren, warum Atheisten weniger Kinder haben – Evolutionspsychologen entschlusseln den biologischen Ursprung und Nutzen von Religiositat und Spiritualitat. Offenbaren ihre erstaunlichen Forschungsergebnisse eine ubernaturliche Wahrheit? Oder zeigen sie eine clevere Strategie der Natur, die bis heute alle Kulturen pragt? Dieses provokante Buch ist eine Einfuhrung in den aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven beleuchtet es die Grundlagen des Glaubens und das Ratsel Religion.
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