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s1ngular1ty2 t1_j0gn66x wrote

Reply to comment by ChaoticJargon in Why FTL travel seems impossible to me from a practical standpoint. Insight requested. by JerryWasARaceCarDrvr

We have enough of an understanding at this point to say FTL is extremely unlikely and probably impossible...

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ChaoticJargon t1_j0gnxet wrote

We have an understanding that it is impossible, right now, but paradigm shifts have happened in the past and until the day scientists can say there's nothing left to study (unlikely any time soon) I will believe such things are possible.

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s1ngular1ty2 t1_j0gotcs wrote

Nothing remotely this significant has ever happened in the past. Discovering FTL would be the single most important thing we've ever accomplished in human existence by an extraordinary magnitude. It so far beyond likely as to be practically impossible.

You seem to think our physics is bad or something. We have an extraordinary understanding of matter, energy, and the history of the universe. There are very few things left that will dramatically change this picture.

General relativity hasn't changed since Einstein and has been proven right, again and again. That's over 100 years ago.

There is nothing even hinting at the fact that FTL may be possible from any experiments we've ever done.

It is just not something that is not likely to ever be possible. You can hope as much as you want. I have hope but I also know the odds, and the odds are almost zero.

It sucks, but that is where we are.

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ChaoticJargon t1_j0grbpa wrote

I mean, I don't doubt that its an impossibility in our lifetime, I just wouldn't say its absolutely impossible at all, given that we still don't have a complete understanding of the universe and its fundamental properties.

If you can imagine a sphere containing all the knowledge we have about the universe, and a sphere outside it containing all the possible knowledge we'd need to have for 'perfect knowledge' of the universe, I'd say the distance between these to concepts is more vast than the size of the universe to our own planet, well, I can't say that for sure, but I imagine there's quite a large gap there. In any case, I don't think that gap will be closed anytime soon either. Who knows what sort of discoveries await us, but I can bet they will be things we once considered impossible.

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[deleted] t1_j0grntt wrote

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ChaoticJargon t1_j0gsjl6 wrote

You're saying there's nothing left to study, nothing left to learn? I don't buy it.

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s1ngular1ty2 t1_j0gtf46 wrote

I never said that. I'm saying, the things that are left that we don't understand will not likely lead to FTL because there are some basic laws of the universe you can not overcome no matter how much you learn.

Like the 2nd law of thermodynamics. You can never make a perpetual motion machine because of this law that was discovered a very long time ago. Nothing we come up with in the future will change this.

I doubt you comprehend how much we know and have verified about the universe so you don't even have a base of understanding to be skeptical about in the first place. I suggest you learn more and conjecture less.

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ChaoticJargon t1_j0gukfe wrote

I know what it means to be a skeptic, and to me, its always been a non-starter. Its one thing to look at our current understanding of the universe and from that believe what can be accomplished has been decided, but rarely ever do I hear a skeptic question their own beliefs, which is to say, whether or not those beliefs are valid. I won't believe what's impossible until everything is settled and we have perfect knowledge of the topic. Which we don't currently have in any area, whether its material science, genetics, or particle science.

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[deleted] t1_j0gw7n8 wrote

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ChaoticJargon t1_j0h136g wrote

Well, we're just disagreeing with the principle of perfect knowledge, we both agree that FTL is currently impossible. You don't believe in any such notion that perfect knowledge has paradigm shifts contained within it, where as I believe there's always the possibility once perfect knowledge is attained, which may not be in our lifetimes.

Its fine to stop dreaming, but scientists who want to push the boundaries of our understanding will be the ones doing all the dreaming and making the impossible a reality.

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s1ngular1ty2 t1_j0h2uel wrote

Nope, FTL isn't happening. I don't care how you "Feel" about it.

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