----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Clark" <peter-clark@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: OT: The Geography Of A Discworld and the surrounding
universe.
> On Thursday 08 August 2002 11:36, H. S. Teoh wrote:
> > On Thu, Aug 08, 2002 at 11:43:21AM -0500, Peter Clark wrote:
> > [snip]
> >
> > > ours. At this point, you basically have complete fiat. You can say
that
> > > your discworld rests on the backs of four elephants that are being
> > > carried on the back of a giant turtle, and we'd all go, "Sure, ok,
> > > whatever you say." Physics discussions, alas, are out of the
question.
> >
> > Unless you have a set of consistent physical laws that apply in that
> > fictional universe. It doesn't *have* to be giant turtles just
because it
> > contradicts one or two laws in our universe; there's nothing wrong
with
> > having slightly different laws of physics that would allow such
phenomena,
> > and yet still be quite similar to our world.
>
> I have no problem with consistant laws, it's just that Joe's
not being
> consistant in making them! :) First he says that everything is the
same as in
> our universe, then he says that some of the basic premises have been
tweaked
> with, and then he goes and makes a wildly different universe! I'm not
going
> to play that game. Once we get into fantasy universes, then all bets
are off.
> That's why I said he had absolute fiat; by abandoning our universe, he
can do
> whatever he likes, and it's all good.
> And, despite what Q (obligatory Sar Trek reference) may say,
you cannot just
> change the gravitational constant of the universe and expect things to
remain
> similar to our world. Just think of the implications in which the
center of
> the universe was dense enough to significantly act on small bodies
billions
> of light years away. Just think of what would happen if space really
was an
> ether of liquid hydrogen. Those are NOT minor changes!
> :Peter
We could well say that; on the surface of the disk, most physical
phenomena are observed as on the the surface of Earth. What really
causes those phenomena might be an alternate universe's physics or magic
or whatever.
-- Carlos Th