I haven't played "Devil's Advocate" in awhile.
I feel compelled to do it here and now, in the name of sciency stuff:
Being a fan of exotic hypothesises (hyponthenee?) in cosmology, including multi-verses and strings that ooze potential parrellel universes, which is fundamentally oxy-moronic, if you think about it...
Anyway, here's my beef:
Cosmology and astro-physics is much more open; much more liberal, in a way, and, thankfully, much less set in it's ways, as per what is the truth of the situation.
And some point, the math will allow violations. Hell, it already does. The sacred "C" has become a nuisance to the imagination, frankly.
Increasingly, it is the imagination that creates the latest challange to our understanding, as well as to our need for 'truthiness' in general.
Hence,
At some point, we should start to suspect some weirdos. Woosters. They will appear as woosters.
Yet among them will be the time-travelers from the future. If there are any.
Time travel can be discussed, in a vaguely civil manner here; very intelligent people contribute to the discussion.
Yet,
If a time-traveler actually showed-up here, at JREF, which is where I would go, if I was one...well,
its all humiliation. Science will crucify itself in this regard.
Imagine being an emissary from an other dimension; a universe with slightly different 'laws' (keep in mind,uber-geeks discuss the possibilities without any need to go particularly woo-ish...You would be desperate to show the scientists the odd loop-hole of your universe; how it deviates from your laws...yet, the observations from our universe, by the sanest and smartest geeks (ya'll, for instance) would necessarily dis-allow the data.
would someone please 'nom' this post? In spite of itself?