Matti Pitkanen (matpitka@pcu.helsinki.fi)
Mon, 30 Aug 1999 07:32:06 +0300 (EET DST)
On Sun, 29 Aug 1999, Hitoshi Kitada wrote:
> Dear Bill and All,
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <WDEshleman@aol.com>
> To: <time@kitada.com>
> Sent: Sunday, August 29, 1999 5:31 PM
> Subject: [time 637] Fwd: Paul Marmet reply #3
>
>
> > In a message dated 8/27/99 11:15:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> > Paul.Marmet@Ottawa.com writes:
> >
> > > Subj: Re: Delay
> > > Date: 8/27/99 11:15:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time
> > > From: Paul.Marmet@Ottawa.com (Paul Marmet)
> > > To: WDEshleman@aol.com
> > >
> > > Dear Bill,
> > > I have been told by the head of the physics department here, that I
> cannot
> > > keep questioning the fundamental principles of physics. They say that it
> > > is wrong to do that. Everything is already known. The director told me
> > > that I cannot discuss that subject with students.
> > > Since I am still doing it, I have been ordered to clear my office before
> > > the end of August. In other words, I am expelled from the university.
> > > Consequently, I am moving everything home. You can understand that for
> > > some time, I will not have enough time to participate to discussion on
> > > fundamental physics.
> > > At home, I will have the same e-mail address which is:
> > > Paul.Marmet@Ottawa.com
> > > I hope to get some contacts with you and your group later.
> > > Sincerely,
> > > Paul Marmet
> > >
> >
> > Anybody,
> > I guess that the North American Continent is sheltering its kids again.
> > Sincerely,
> > Bill
> >
>
> I feel something unusual or incredible are going there. I do not have
> information about the academic society of US or Canada. Is there anybody who
> can explain recent state of the society there?
>
Sad to say but in my own country 'thinking not allowed' has gradually
become a self-evident truth. To the degree that very few academic persons
see anything wrong with it. Even I have gradually accepted this as
self-evident as law of gravitation. What this means that people with
new ideas who are full of enthusiasism and vigour have no hope of
getting financial support. I have again and again heard to comment 'all is
done' from my particle physics colleagues. It is my luck
that I am stubborn theoretician with ability to bear loneliness
and insulation. It would be however nice to have some people with whom to
discuss ideas face to face(;-).
> In my country, Japan, also there might be a possibility that something like
> that might happen in the future due to the INFLUENCE of such recent state of
> US. But for the time being, such a possibility seems small because physics is
> not ours, not a part of our culture. Just it is a part of our education
> necessary to pass some examinations and to become professors of universities.
> For the western people, it might be that physics is a sort of religion,
> hearing what treatment Paul had received from the head of the physics
> department: i.e. the head told him
>
> > that I cannot
> > keep questioning the fundamental principles of physics. They say that it
> > is wrong to do that. Everything is already known. The director told me
> > that I cannot discuss that subject with students.
>
> This means that the head ordered Paul NOT to think about physics. The head
> told him "Just believe physics." If physics is a thing to believe, there is no
> need to open universities nor to hold any conferences, symposiums, and so on.
>
> I think the problem of the today's physics lies in the starting points that
> Descartes, Newton, Galileo, etc. had set several hundreds years ago. We have
> been arguing in this list about those subjects with considering the relations
> of them with today's physics context. What is necessary are such activities,
> NOT to believe in today's physics without asking any questions blindly.
Materialistic science is the religion of west.
Best,
MP
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