Poll: Is Anything Possible?

[Not-here-anymore]

So, different dimensions, and magic.

That's like asking "If absolutely everything is possible, is anything impossible"

Also, me, in this reality, right now, killing a whale with a sharpened ski. Not happening!
(Yay! A loophole!)

Maybe you are killing a whale with a sharpened ski, you just don't realize it.

Unlikely; I lost my skis a few months ago in a fairly bad accident.
*looks down*
When did I get a new pair of skis?
And why is one of them stuck in a whale?
More importantly, how the hell did a whale fit into my room?

It's fine, the whale isn't fatally wounded. Thus you are proved wrong!

The whale is fatally wounded, you just happen to be stucked in a VR environment that tries to convince you otherwise.

Outside of that VR environment would be a different reality, thus conflicting with my original point of me killing a whale in this reality. Score one for pedantic logic!

Outside the VR environment would be the same reality, only your perception of it would differ (e.g. the despair squid [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despair_squid#Despair_Squid])

Surely if I perceive it as a different reality, it is one - if it's real to me, as such a virtual reality would be, then it is the reality in which I act, thus preventing me from killing the whale.

Yep, I'm now trying to use bizarre logic to save the life of an imaginary whale in a virtual reality. Which, living or otherwise, I've still apparently stabbed. Never forget how an argument like this starts, they can get to be funny quickly!
FOR THE IMAGINARY VIRTUAL WHALE!

 

[JLML]

Well, I'm 100% sure that you CAN'T be 100% sure about anything. my no.1 paradox

So yea, anything is actually possible, since it's IMPOSSIBLE to prove that something is, in fact, impossible.

 

[Paddin]

I'm sure this has been said before, but with 7 pages I missed it.

Anything's possible within the limits of the laws. The laws that the universe has put in place, such as the Law of Time. That will never be broken, you will never be able to break out of the current stream of time as it is impossible.

 

[dochmbi]

I'm sure this has been said before, but with 7 pages I missed it.

Anything's possible within the limits of the laws. The laws that the universe has put in place, such as the Law of Time. That will never be broken, you will never be able to break out of the current stream of time as it is impossible.

How are we to know that these laws are universally applicable?

 

[crudus]

No.
It is impossible to jump off the ES building, in all current situations, including placement, gravitational pull, air resistance, ground viscosity etc, land on my head (with no type of helmet) and survive without some sort of intervention.

Not in this universe. I try to not say "go to a different universe" in this thread but that is what I have to do. Either a universe has different laws, different gravity, etc but somewhere there is a universe where you would.

Also you can divide by zero in some situations (kind of) using l'hopials' rule on an equation that tends to 0/0

You aren't dividing by zero in a limit though. You are merely seeing what an equation tends to as you get closer to infinity or zero.

 

[Cpt. Red]

No, there's allot of things that is impossible as what happens still happens independent on what you believe will happen. So with other words there are things that is impossible even though we might not be able to prove them to be so.

Now for a proof that there must be something impossible.
If everything is possible then nothing is impossible.
If nothing is impossible then it's impossible for something to be impossible.
But that means that something is impossible.
QED.

 

[AnOriginalConcept]

It must be. If everything is possible, then it must be possible to find something impossible. There.

Edit: Oops, beaten to it.

 

[MurderousToaster]

And have you done anything to prove that it is possible to divide by zero? All you have done is say "Your argument is invalid because you cannot expand."

You made the claim my friend. The burden of proof is on you.

It is a fact, however. Turn on a calculator. Smack in the numbers. X divided by zero. Your calculator will tell you it has experienced a maths error.

I can (and have) program a calculator to say "ask Chuck Norris" and "Please stop touching me there" when you divide by 0 or by any number you want.

But that's not dividing by zero, is it? That's just telling the calculator to provide a set response rather than fulfilling the actual sum.

 

[crudus]

But that's not dividing by zero, is it? That's just telling the calculator to provide a set response rather than fulfilling the actual sum.

Thanks for rebuking your own response. I love it when my opponents do my job for me. You can argue with me any day.

p.s. that is what all calculators do. That is what all computers do.

 

[shadowagent]

No.
It is impossible to jump off the ES building, in all current situations, including placement, gravitational pull, air resistance, ground viscosity etc, land on my head (with no type of helmet) and survive without some sort of intervention.

Sure.

You didn't say from which story one has to jump off. Technically, I could jump from ground level into the street, fall on my head and survive (I would probably get a concussion though).

 

[MajorKris]

I know for a fact that I am awesome.

Giving out just that much info can't be proven wrong, right?

 

[DarkLordofDevon]

I dare anyone to disprove ANYTHING, if you factor in magic, other planets, and alternate dimensions. My logic is that we can't prove that something definitely doesn't exist/ happen somewhere out there. That is the one thing that is impossible. But by all means, try to disprove something to me.
P.S. anyone trying to disprove something visual I?m sick of repeating my self so here goes, maybe x is happening, you just don't realize it.

You can't alter the past. Fact.

If you alter the past the future is altered and either a) creates a paradox so it either can't exist or destroys the universe, hence impossible, or b) the future changes WITHOUT you so you didn't alter the timeline you originally came from, you created an entirely new timeline. Hence, THIS timeline is stable and cannot be altered.

Also you can't do anything against the laws of physics. Magic isn't real, and alternate dimensions are still governed by laws of physics, though possibly different ones. No laws = no universes, so within every universe there is something that is impossible.

 

[MurderousToaster]

But that's not dividing by zero, is it? That's just telling the calculator to provide a set response rather than fulfilling the actual sum.

Thanks for rebuking your own response. I love it when my opponents do my job for me. You can argue with me any day.

p.s. that is what all calculators do. That is what all computers do.

You are beginning to infuriate with your repeated show of ability to skirt around the original point.

I was saying thus:

You cannot divide by zero.

You are saying: Ooh look at me, I can make my calculator make Chuck Norris jokes.

Just, here, skip the shit.

Provide me with mathematical proof that it is possible to divide by zero.

I did not rebuke my own response in that I said that the calculator (when calculating a mathematical sum, not spewing out programmed words, could not divide by zero). You saying that you can make your calculator display text when asked to divide by zero is beside the point completely, as it is not dividing by zero.

If you just say something unconnected again, I'll just not respond at all.

And, as a side note, in your p.s you appear to have misread me. Here's what I said:
That's just telling the calculator to provide a set response rather than fulfilling the actual sum. It seems you skim read my post, or just decided to completely ignore the last section of the sentence to make your point more valid.

 

[GRocci]

This is rather silly, the problem with saying that "absolutely anything is possible" is the first word, it's an absolute, being able to disprove it in a single instance disproves it completely. Simply put, any number of things that truly aren't possible, of which there are a great many, disprove it and the only challenge comes in choosing which one. Divide by zero, or simply saying, it is impossible that I do not exist, after all if I didn't exist I couldn't even conceptualize that statement. Also, if anything is possible it would mean that it's possible for something to be impossible...oh god cyclical thinking. Regardless you're own statement disproves itself at the end of the day

edit: It's rather astounding(and sad) to me how many people voted yes, just a personal observation

 

[asam92]

Maybe not in this reality, but in an alternate dimension I might be.

But this could be yoor response to anything anyone says to dissprove you. I say you can't fly, not to mention anyone else for that matter.

 

[Marmooset]

Uwe Boll = good film.
If you can pull that one off, all other arguments are minimalized.

 

[crudus]

Just, here, skip the shit.

Provide me with mathematical proof that it is possible to divide by zero.

Again, you made the statement. The burden of proof is on you. Sadly you have missed the point entirely of this. I was trying to get you to back up your statements instead of restating your premise, shutting your ears and declaring victory, or relying on shaky arguments. I would have accepted a copy+paste from any site on the web, even a link would have been sufficient. Just so you know, this is the answer: There exists no such element x in Real numbers such that x^(-1) is the multiplicative inverse of 0 yielding the multiplicative identity element of 1. I am no math major but what we call zero seems to be pretty universal. I would doubt we could find a universe where this proof doesn't hold true. I can be wrong though.

If you just say something unconnected again, I'll just not respond at all.

And, as a side note, in your p.s you appear to have misread me. Here's what I said:
That's just telling the calculator to provide a set response rather than fulfilling the actual sum.

That is all computers(which a calculator is) do though. They provide a set response set by the programmer. That error you see on a calculator is a set response put in by the programmer.