John Schroeder asks, "So, wave/particle duality is the "weirdest" physics theory? Now, here is my question of that ages: "Why can completely rational physicists the world over use that theory without comment on that fact on a daily basis, and at the same time decry religious notions like the Trinity and Christ's dual nature as hocum?" Just wondering."

They shouldn't. At least that's what Huston Smith says in an short interview on quantum weirdness. As Smith intriguingly points out, there are three orders of magnitude, "three worlds" --the mega world (galaxies), the macro world (our world), and the micro world (quantum level). It is impossible to map the mega or micro world on the mega world, says Smith, and sense our language is designed to describe the macro level, it is impossible to talk about those "worlds" without running into contradictions (e.g., "light is both a wave and a particle). Since we can't even comprehend the finite physical realm, how can we expect to speak about such topics as the Trinity or the Incarnation in a way that does not sound, to some people, like "hocum?"

- posted by Alan Grey @ Wednesday, August 30, 2006