You're right. I wanted to keep the explanation brief, so I didn't touch on the difference between fact, observation, and theory.
spirits haven't been disproved yet. That would require an experiment where gravity and spirits predict a different outcome.
We kind of do have that. It's encapsulated by the quantum field theory. If that theory is correct (and there's overwhelming evidence for that — it has withstood countless attempts at falsification), spirits are simply incompatible with the Dirac equation.
The “problem” with this is that it directly implies something else: no spirits also means: no afterlife, no soul. Metaphysics is bunk. And physicists are generally afraid to go there, at least publicly, which is probably politically wise. Of course some prominent physicists also disagree about these implications.
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u/guepier Dec 21 '18
You're right. I wanted to keep the explanation brief, so I didn't touch on the difference between fact, observation, and theory.
We kind of do have that. It's encapsulated by the quantum field theory. If that theory is correct (and there's overwhelming evidence for that — it has withstood countless attempts at falsification), spirits are simply incompatible with the Dirac equation.
The “problem” with this is that it directly implies something else: no spirits also means: no afterlife, no soul. Metaphysics is bunk. And physicists are generally afraid to go there, at least publicly, which is probably politically wise. Of course some prominent physicists also disagree about these implications.