Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

We discussed quantum theory yesterday. Now it is time to remind ourselves of the other half of our proposed mash-up. 'Bayesianism' is an approach to probability theory that begins with subjectivity, with somebody's guess about what  is the likelihood of an event. It then discusses how an individual having certain circumstances may change his beliefs rationally, and (assuming he has beliefs on more than one question) may keep them consistent with one another -- or, in other words, how he may keep his view of the world coherent. The chief rival of Bayesianism is "frequentism." This treats probability as an objective fact in the world, another name for the frequency of some outcomes vis-a-vis others. I've discussed this difference before. But ... what does it have to do with quantum theory? Collapse the Function for your own Damned Self With a Bayesian approach we get a take on quantum theory that doesn't shrug its shoulders at the "what is rea...

Why do ordinary folks like me, who know nothing about advanced physics and only a smidgen of calculus, ever write about quantum mechanics? Heck, why do people who DO know the physics and all the necessary math, people like Fritjof Capra or Lee Smolin, persist in targeting writings on the subject to folks like me?                                                             The journalist Gary Zukav wrote The Dancing Wu Li Masters in 1979.  This work has been much ridiculed as "New Age" stuff pretending to be physics.  But Zukav wrote it after talking to a lot of real working physicists, participating in a 1976 physics conference as Esalen Institute, California, etc. Physicists don't just "talk among themselves" on these points. They make efforts to talk to the rest of us, explaining what it means. So they have to expect t...

As I believe I've mentioned, my day-by day calendar displays a different Dilbert cartoon strip each day. Here is the text from two recent such strips. Day 1. Three characters: Dilbert, Personnel director Catbert (who is a cat, because they love to treat people as toys) and another cat. CATBERT: "This is Wulf. He used to work for a famous physicist named Schrodinger. He escaped before the experiment was finished and now he's both alive and dead at the same time." DILBERT: "Like a zombie?" CATBERT: "uh-oh." WULF: "Wow. I have half a mind to be offended by that." Day 2. Wulf is sitting with Wally in the break room. WULF: "I was Schrodinger's car back in the day. That's why I'm alive and dead at the same time. I know the truth about the afterlife because my dead half  told my living half all about it. Do you want to know what happens?" WALLY: "Stop projecting your curiosity on me." [Drinks co...