Dr. Sidorov on the Exploration and Sharing of Scientific Knowledge

Dear Dr. Siepmann,

I would first of all like to extend my deepest appreciation for your vision and effort in running the Journal of Theoretics the way you do. As the founder and webmaster of Emergentmind.org, I can well understand the idealism required in order to keep such a project afloat, especially in a world where the exchange of scientific ideas is constantly filtered through competitive and financial pressures. When we launched EmergentMind in December 2000, I had hoped it would soon move beyond its database of articles and research leads, into a format of direct, informal discussion of experimental ideas in fields ranging from physics and cognitive sciences to alternative medicine and parapsychology. However, although the response from the research community has been more than flattering (we have received complimentary letters and contributions from the likes of R D Nelson, Dan Benor, Larry Dossey, Rupert Sheldrake, Edgar Mitchell and many others) the real time, direct exchanges are still an unfulfilled dream. (One notable exception has been your own M. Sue Benford, who has provided us with invaluable support both through her scientific contributions and unwavering enthusiasm). I am slowly beginning to realize that the hard realities of survival in the research world will probably always translate into an unwillingness to openly explore new ideas in a public format such as the one I had envisioned - hence that writing (and trying to publish) formal papers is the only way I can hope to make a contribution.

As I read your journal's mission statement, I realized that you have, in fact, found the right formula to satisfy both our shared ideals of unhindered scientific exploration and free educational access, and the necessity of official endorsement for your contributors. It is indeed an extraordinary idea, and one that I would be happy to support in any way possible.

Dr. Lian Groza Sidorov  <lian_g71@hotmail.com>

The Beginning of Time (?)

I wish to correct some comments made by Roderick Rees in his comments on an article by Daniel Light. It is not the notion of "the beginning of time" itself that is logically or conceptually untenable, but rather the suggestion in the Big Bang theory that this beginning is also a beginning IN time, a datable event. As Aristotle pointed out in the Physics, there cannot be a beginning in time of time. It does not work to argue against the very notion of the beginning of time by pointing out that there can be no time before this beginning, since the claim is precisely that there is no time before.

Daniel Athearn  <dra@efn.org>

Dr. Siepmann's response:

An excellent comment. Though I think that Roderick Rees would agree with your argument, I believe that he was using it to illustrate a different point:  If it can not be conceived, then of what use is it?

I agree that time can not have a beginning in time as you stated. Likewise one can not date its beginning as you state unless one arbitrarily assigns it the value of zero ("zero" is not a reality as most would think but rather it is a concept which that did not find widespread use until the 1600's AD; see http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Zero.html).

You happened to bring up two of my favorite topics, time & logic, of which I am currently writing a book on each, so pardon my enthusiasm. You may also be interested in St. Augustine's view of "time" was that the past and future do not exist, only the present. He thought that if you were to extend the present by any duration, it would no longer be the present. Thus the present is a moment without duration; it is infinitely small.

Sincerely,

Dr. Siepmann, Editor-in-Chief <archive@journaloftheoretics.com>

A New Perspective on AIDS and ZPE

I would first like to commend you on your stand. I couldn't agree more with you philosophy and how you are going about doing what you believe in.

Having said that, I have recommended your service to two others. One is a group of scientists who work at the leading hospital (Royal Perth Hospital) in my home town of Perth. They have substantial evidence that AIDS is not caused by a virus and have developed their own theory what does cause AIDS. They are simply know as The Perth Group. If you are interested I suggest you visit their website at: http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/perthgroup/index.html.

The other person I am contacting is through an associate. It is Thomas Bearden who has been researching what many refer to as Zero-Point Energy (ZPE) or simply "free energy". The following was taken from Bearden's paper that is available on-line [Bearden on Free Energy], if you are interested:  "Nearly everything fundamental that we've been taught about EM energy is wrong or incomplete. Even the definition of energy in physics is wrong! Let me summarize a few of the things that are wrong with the classical electromagnetics (CEM) model as follows..."

Again, congratulations on a service that is very badly needed.

Sincerely,

Trevor Osborne  <wharmony@iinet.net.au>