Date: Thu 15 Jan 2004 - 22:11:22 CET
Dear Pedro, Jerry, Loet, others...
What does the history say ? We do have both special and general theories of
relativity. Various statistical techniques are based on the theory of
probabilities and probability distributions and are widely used to help us
handling our lack of knowledge in ALL sciences about ANY systems starting
with quantum micro world, so they are “general” in this sense. Spatial
modeling
and something that may be called calculation of “influence ranges” uses
methods as
described by Descartes and later by Thiesen and others (Thiesen polygons,
Voronoi tessellation). The method is used in physics of elementary
particles and astrophysics, crystallography and petrology, biology and
medicine, ecology and geography... There are “special” shades of its usage
and “general” principles that make a “spinal cord” for the “special” ones.
And there are more examples in science. So, my conclusion would be if there
exist special theories of something then they can (have to) be generalized
and extended
by a general theory of the same “something” if someone in our
“post-modernistic” society dares to ask and answer a question – what do
these local or special theories (principles, methods, approaches) have in
common... General theory of communication – why not... Of course we may
discuss about unique properties and complexity of a fraction or a piece of
something and write treatises on what we see or experience. It might seem as
an extremely complex structure until we don't try to see a whole picture
which that piece makes a part of... An excellent example can be an image of
the Mandelbrot set. It might appear to contain near-to-infinite amount of
information and complexity. However, since we can describe this set in a
single sentence, simply as the set of points (c) in the complex plane for
which the iteration z->z^2+c will not diverge when we start with z=0, we can
create a tiny script or a computer program that will draw any piece of that
fractal for us. The same thing (I mean “post modernistic thinking”)
happens when we restrict our attention to just one particular element in an
ensemble, thus losing the symmetry and simplicity that was inherent in the
totality of all elements taken together... A probability distributions for
any given phenomena in fact are very simply described but once we move
inside them we may be not so lucky to discover the unifying principle from
inside. Sometimes just a look at a problem from a bigger distance is needed
to get a hint how to solve it...
Just do not hurry to shut the doors before the ideas that may become
profound discoveries of the Future...
"Heavier than air flying machines are impossible"....
Lord Kelvin, 1895.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented"....
Charles H. Duell, commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, in an 1899
report to President McKinley - arguing that the Patents Office should be
abolished.
"Stones can not fall from a sky because there are no stones there"
Lavoisier (a famous chemist) arguing against existence of meteorites.
Best regards
Viktoras
