[lit-ideas] Re: Censorship

  • From: Eric Yost <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 00:42:33 -0400

Phil: We don't usually associate beliefs with facts. If one is dealing with
facts, one is in the realm of knowledge. I am not quite sure what Eric
means by 'interpretation of facts'.


Eric: Someone might interpret the facts of astronomy to justify a belief in extraterrestrial life.

Phil: The rule that under normal conditions at sea
level water boils at 100 degrees Celsius is, however, not a fact.  It
certainly follows from the facts but is not itself a fact.  Nothing
would exclude the possibility that tomorrow, under the same conditions,
water in the southern hemisphere is found to boil at a slightly lower
temperature.

Eric: Boiling point is not a rule. It is a measured standardized quality of elements and compounds.

The temperature at which uniform, standardized water boils is given in relation to "standard pressure" of 101.325 kilopascals or 1 standard atmosphere (1 atm). The definition of boiling point is also locked into place--vapor pressure equals ambient pressure. Though it's a couple hundredths of a degree below 100 Celsius, it is always the same under the same standardized conditions. From what I remember of chemistry-for-dummies, the reason why water has such a high boiling point is that the hydrogen bonds in the water are very strong. Boiling point is therefore a phenomena of molecular structure, not a rule but a predictable phenomena.

On the other hand, if you are saying the equivalent of "nothing excludes the possibility that tomorrow the sun will not rise" (Hume?) then I can't really argue with that.

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