wandelaar

The complex numbers are used in quantum mechanics, in electrical engineering, in solving algebraic equations, in Fourier analysis, in Laplace transforms, etc. All of them hugely useful applications.

Correct! But we need to represent the complex numbers as geometrical objects (arrows) first to be able to give a geometrical definition of their sum and product later. That's the way we choose to do it. And when we have the definitions of the sum and product we can geometrically prove what rules apply to the sum and product of complex numbers.

Almost right, but you missed the symbol "i". See you later. Anybody else know the correct notation for the red arrow as a complex number a + bi ?

Here is an example. What complex number is represented by the red arrow? Please write it in the form a + bi ?

Now each complex number can be represented by a corresponding arrow in the Cartesian coordinate system. The general notation for a complex number is a + bi . The arrow corresponding to the complex number a + bi is the arrow that starts in the point (0,0) and ends in the point (a,b). Is that understood?

Now do we all understand that each point in the plane can represented by an ordered pair of numbers (x,y) such that x gives the horizontal position of the point and y gives the vertical position of the point?

We will need a Cartesian coordinate system for that. It looks like this: (Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Cartesian-coordinate-system.svg/2000px-Cartesian-coordinate-system.svg.png )

See you there:

We could start a subject about that if you wish. It's never too late to learn. I can explain it.

As Feynman himself says in the lecture nobody really understands quantum mechanics. We as humans have great problems picturing in our minds what goes on in the micro world. In one way that's disappointing, but in another way it's conform the claim of Lao tzu that the absolute Tao is beyond our understanding. A proven Theory of Everything that could be fully understood would remove much of the mystery of existence, and thereby invalidate part of philosophical Taoism.

In the first 9 minutes he discusses the strangeness of quantum mechanics much better than I could do it. Unhappily nature (Tao) doesn't care whether we like it or not. Simply refusing to look at certain aspects of nature doesn't make them go away. But it isn't even true that quantum phenomena don't interfere with your macro world. As you are frequently using the internet you are thereby using the quantum processes that make the chips inside your computer work as they should. So your daily business (that is your macro world) is in large part founded on the correctness of quantum mechanics. And also matter and (bio)chemistry are what they are precisely because of quantum mechanics. So you cannot even avoid it even if you wanted. But of course you can ignore all that, and look away...

Do you have a reason for rejecting them?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe https://www.astrosociety.org/publication/a-universe-from-nothing/ The possibility doesn't seem to be ruled out on the basis of our current scientific understanding...

If you suppose chi to be energy than variations in its density imply Yin and Yang. And because gravitational energy can be negative it is possible for the net energy of the universe to be zero.

I think this quote from Chung tzu is very interesting as it clears up a fundamental problem in interpretation as regards the abilities of enlightened people. There are two aspects to becoming a master in any art, and those are: training of the fundamental techniques until they become second nature, and losing ones existential fear of failure that could debilitate any advancement reached by willful training.

When Yin and Yang are aspects of things and situations than how can they precede the ten-thousand things?

It is written thus in my Dutch translation of Hansen's book: Translating back to English with Google gives:

On Amazon we can read Hansen's commentary:

Is it really written that way in Hansen's English translation? And what does his commentary on the chapter say?

This is strange! In my Dutch translation of Chad Hansen's Tao Te Ching translation it doesn't deviate from the usual warning against forcing things.

Thank you, but a lack of stories about the paranormal isn't the problem. There are lots of them even on this site, and certainly in the world at large. The problem with those stories is that they are mostly told by people who wrongly believe that they can trust their own experience and interpretation of the facts without first studying the many ways in which one can be fooled by frauds and even by ones own naive and unsophisticated ways of viewing and interpreting the world. Parapsychology has gradually moved on from collecting stories to controlled experiments precisely because of the near impossibility of verifying the kind of stories told about the paranormal. Now much of this stubborn refusal to consider the fallibility of our naive ways of viewing the world is a form of wilful ignorance. Ilovecoffee is a good example. The video doesn't rule out fraud, and I have explained many times over why that is so. But it doesn't have any effect. His will to believe is too strong to seriously consider the possibility that nothing paranormal occurred. And unhappily in our post-modern times this form of self-deception is even applauded by New Agers who think it's enough when you "resonate" with a particular claim or theory to accept it as your "personal truth" and consequently ignore any factual criticism someone might give. After all: it's you personal truth. Parapsychology is more that a century old now, and one has learned much particularly about how to set up decent experiments to rule out fraud and self-deception. Strangely most people don't take any notice of it, and consequently keep repeating the same old errors over and over again that parapsychology has had to overcome the hard way. Well - that's the way it goes...

For those interested in setting up a parapsychological experiment I have started this topic:

Thank you. I will open a new topic where we can develop ideas for a parapsychological experiment that can be done here on The Dao Bums.

Some time ago I proposed to do an experiment here on The Dao Bums to prove the existence of paranormal phenomena, and almost nobody wanted to participate. What I did get in the topic were huge amounts of distracting posts having nothing to do with the proposed experiment. But I am still willing to invest some time and energy in such an experiment and when the experiment would give positive results that would surely make me less skeptical about the existence of those phenomena. Let me know when somebody is interested in developing ideas for such an experiment and/or in participating in the experiment itself.

You are still ignoring the simple fact that the possibility of fraud was not sufficiently ruled out. Of course there are other experiments that are very much worse in that respect. But that doesn't make your experiment any better. In fact it is very difficult to set up a parapsychological experiment that rules out fraud (or self-deception) and that still gives more than marginal positive results. My position in this matter of whether or not there are paranormal phenomena is that I don't know. And now I will let you have the last word.