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Assume v. Presume

I'm reasonably content with extremely large, just not very large (or, in the case of helicopters, a little bit more). Prefer unimaginably large though!
 
gomezz said:
Nah! I can imagine "unimaginably large" as I have an ultra large imagination. :D
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Can we imagine the impossible though? What do we really mean when we say we can imagine something? If we imagine the unimaginable, it is imaginable, a contradiction I am sure you had in mind! So, is the term unimaginable meaningless?

Over to you, BH!
 
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Mike0001 said:
Can we imagine the impossible though?
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Definitely. I can imagine things that aren't possible ... actually any Roadrunner cartoon illustrates this :D
But clearly imagining something deemed unimaginable is not possible, though in most cases the term is misapplied. There probably aren't many things that really are unimaginable - 10 dimensional space is probably a contender.
 
I admit my use of the word "unimaginably" was ill-considered. The concept I am trying to convey is more like "too large to be comprehended in common everyday experience".

I am a bit miffed, however, that you guys are prepared to accept infinite need not literally mean infinite, but miraculous has to mean miraculous. This seems contrary to me (although I am the first to admit being contrary at times myself).
 
Well, I for one don't accept miraculous as meaning anything, apart from either extremely unusual or not yet explained by science. Is dark energy miraculous?

As for infinite, I agree, its usage is degraded, but I can't think of any alternative, except for not using it at all.

Contrary? You? Surely not! :whistling:
 
Black Hole said:
I am a bit miffed, however, that you guys are prepared to accept infinite need not literally mean infinite,
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I don't. Infinite means beyond counting or measuring. If something is finite then it's not infinite. 1/0 = infinity; 1/0.0000000000000000001 = finite.

Miraculous (miracle) is in my mind a religious term, therefore not subject to any rigourous definition such as by maths or science.
 
MikeSh said:
1/0 = infinity; 1/0.0000000000000000001 = finite.

Miraculous (miracle) is in my mind a religious term, therefore not subject to any rigourous definition such as by maths or science.
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1/0 is undefined, not infinity.

Miraculous and any other religious terms are subject to the same rigour as any others, else they are just meaningless, such as guguvvyvyj!
 
Mike0001 said:
1/0 is undefined, not infinity.
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OK. But the point stands that 0 can be repeated an unlimited number of times without reaching 1, or any other value.

Mike0001 said:
Miraculous and any other religious terms are subject to the same rigour as any others, else they are just meaningless, such as guguvvyvyj!
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Well, I do agree. From which you can possibly deduce my feelings about religion ... but let's leave it at that :whistling:
 
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