X-Message-Number: 20900
From: "michaelprice" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: Information in the Universe
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 22:33:33 -0000

Brian A Stewart <> observes:
>
>>-- Arthur S. Eddington (British Astrophysicist, 18882-1933) in
>> The nature of the Physical World (1928)
>
>
> 18882!  How did he achieve THAT?!

Thanks Brian for picking that up.  Next time I'll read before cut & pasting!

Here's a fuller and corrected version of Eddington on the 2nd Law:

"The second law of thermodynamics holds, I think, the supreme position
among the laws of nature. If someone points out to you that your pet theory
of the Universe is in disagreement with Maxwell's equations - then so much
the worse for Maxwell's equations. If it is found to be contradicted by
observation - well, those experimentalists do bungle things up sometimes.
but if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I
can give you no hope; there is nothing to do but to collapse in deepest
humiliation." [Sir Arthur S. Eddington 1882-1944 (The nature of the Physical
World (1928))]

Whilst on the subject of corrections, I'm grateful to Brian Wowk pointing
for out that I meant the Pauli (not Pauling) Exclusion Principle in my piece
in yesterday's cryonet about identity.  After Wolfgang Pauli, not Linus
Pauling.

Cheers,
Michael C Price
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