Bulletin of the American Physical Society

APS April Meeting 2010
Volume 55, Number 1

Saturday–Tuesday, February 13–16, 2010; Washington, DC

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Session R1: Poster Session III: (2:00 - 5:00
PM)

2:00 PM–2:00 PM, Monday, February 15,
2010

Room: Exhibit Hall
A-B

Abstract ID: BAPS.2010.APR.R1.31

Abstract: R1.00031 : Alternate Realities

Preview Abstract

Author:

Robert Jones

Two identical learners, observing different example
input, or the same examples, but in different order, can form different
categories and so judge newer/later input differently. (Machine Learning, T.
Mitchell, McGraw Hill, 1997 and Asa H., R. Jones, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., vol
109, \# 3/4, pg 159, 2006) It seems certain that each of us experiences a
somewhat different reality, the question is just how widely these realities can
vary one from another. Perhaps 4\% of people exhibit synesthesia, perceiving
letters or numbers as colored, numbers and dates as having personalities or
occupying locations in space. (Synesthesia, R. Cytowic, MIT Press, 2002) The
Sapir- Whorf hypothesis claims that a speakers language influences his category
structure and the way he thinks. (Language, thought, and reality, B. Whorf, MIT
Press, 1956) Those who are skillful at mathematics may know an additional
language and be able to think thoughts that the layman can not. The philosophers
Plato and Descartes claimed to have had, at certain moments in their lives, a
new view of the world, its basic constituents, and its rules which were totally
different from our conventional view of reality. (Reflections on Kurt Godel, H.
Wang, MIT Press, 1987, pg. 46) Fairly large scale differences are experienced by
those who believe in (make use of) concepts like spirit(s), soul(s), god(s),
life after death, platonism or Everett's many worlds interpretation of quantum
mechanics (The Physics of Immortality, F. Tipler, Doubleday, 1994, pg.
176)

To cite this abstract, use the following reference:
http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2010.APR.R1.31

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