Episode 2 recap: Wang Miao attended Yang Dong's funeral.
Wang Miao and Ding Yi raised their glasses in celebration, but Ding Yi felt particularly agitated deep inside due to the loss of his fiancée. He also expressed his confusion. Wang Miao mentioned his own relationship status, and Ding Yi jokingly remarked that he had already prepared the wedding house, but his girlfriend was as distant as the stars, and even the light shining upon him felt cold.
Wang Miao then told him that after he left this afternoon, people from the Command Center approached him, hoping he would join the investigation work in the "Boundary of Science." However, he had not yet agreed. Ding Yi agreed with his decision and, holding a book, silently recited the argument that physics does not exist. Wang Miao felt that if Ding Yi believed that, then the object he held in his hand also did not exist.
Ding Yi, upon hearing this, threw the book to the ground. He believed that if that were the case, then Newton and Einstein should be floating in the sky. In his frustration, he began throwing things around, and Wang Miao immediately stepped forward to help him tidy up. The two of them then conducted five collision experiments.
The first four experiments were conducted at different locations and different times, while the fifth experiment was repeated at the same location but at a different time. Surprisingly, the results of all five collisions were the same. Neither of them was surprised by this data. Ding Yi then asked Wang Miao to explain the results in the language of physics.
Wang Miao quickly analyzed his conclusion. He believed that in the previous five experiments, there was no change in the relationship between the mass of the white ball and the black ball. If the reference frame was taken as the pool table, there was no change either. The collision between the white ball and the black ball was essentially the same each time, resulting in an unchanged momentum exchange during the collision. That is why the black ball could be pocketed with each shot.
Ding Yi praised him for discovering a great law and everything was based on that law. However, Wang Miao didn't understand what he was trying to express. Ding Yi asked him to imagine an alternative conclusion.
Time quickly rewinds to before Yang Dong's death, and the police quickly find her. When Yang Dong stares at the items on the list, she becomes stunned. She finds it unbelievable because she discovered a problem with time. The data she found matches exactly with Yang Dong's data, which she hadn't finished experimenting with before it ended up in the hands of Professor Manfred.
Wang Miao finds it unbelievable and firmly refuses to believe this fact. Ding Yi also wants to know why time and location don't matter, which means that physics doesn't exist. He believes this is why some people believe in the shooter and farmer hypotheses because it gives people a glimmer of hope. But in reality, that hope might drag people into the abyss. Ding Yi quickly realizes his mistake and keeps drinking.
On the way back, Wang Miao seems somewhat disoriented. He keeps muttering about the nonexistence of physics, and as he looks at the ground, his vision becomes blurry. Like this, he returns to the Science Frontiers Association, where Shen Yu Fei warmly welcomes him. She hopes that everyone can participate and understand them.
Inside, Wang Miao listens attentively to their arguments. When he comes out, he quickly encounters Shi Qiang, who has been waiting outside for a long time. Wang Miao directly tells him about their plan at the time and even wonders if Yang Dong's death was a suicide. He confidently gets into Shi Qiang's car and leaves.
On the way back, Shi Qiang and Chang Wei Si bet that Wang Miao will definitely show up at Yang Dong's funeral. Chang Wei Si asks Shi Qiang to investigate the scientists' cases thoroughly. Shi Qiang plans to start with Wang Miao's case and reminds Chang Wei Si to help him as soon as possible with his suspension from duty.
As expected, Wang Miao attends Yang Dong's funeral as her friend. The family of the deceased expresses gratitude to him. He even prepares to hand over something related to Yang Dong's photos to the family but quickly takes it back.
After coming out, Wang Miao encounters Shi Qiang once again and tells him not to follow him anymore.
Upon returning home, Wang Miao immediately studies the matter of Yang Dong's photos carefully. He quickly discovers some clues and immerses himself in them without hesitation.
I believe that the boundary of science is philosophy, or rather, the limit of human cognitive and practical abilities. This boundary is constantly expanding in society. Therefore, the boundary of science is also continuously extending.
Every major advancement and discovery in human history has touched upon the border of science, but has never been able to precisely and completely reach the boundary. The so-called boundary of science is merely the extent to which humans can observe, explore, and understand. The concept of spacetime, in fact, does not inherently exist. Spacetime is merely a reference frame for human observations.
The Archer and Farmer hypotheses can only be speculations. These speculations can never be fully proven because beyond what we know, there are additional dimensions beyond the second dimension and the third dimension—there are multiple dimensions. When we continuously approach the boundaries of the three dimensions, new Farmer hypotheses will emerge.
Therefore, such hypotheses at most reflect the desires and aspirations of human cognitive and practical capabilities, which can never be empirically verified but are always on the path of exploration. The most important thing for people is to live in the present, continuously drive scientific progress and development. This not only has positive implications for humanity itself but also helps answer certain questions from the past that were previously considered unsolvable, although we will undoubtedly encounter new questions. Living in the present is more important than anything else.
I didn't expect my reflections to generate so much discussion among fellow participants. I appreciate it. Here, I would like to further discuss the idea that the end of science is religion. In essence, both philosophy and religion belong to the realm of ideology and are influenced by subjective human perspectives. Therefore, it may be helpful to examine the differences between the two.
Philosophy tends to emphasize rationality, while religion leans towards the emotional and intuitive. However, the boundaries between them are not always clear-cut. In a certain sense, philosophy can be seen as a form of religion, and religion can be seen as a form of philosophy. But such distinctions do not align well with our contemporary understanding of the two.
By employing the reductionist approach, if we remove some of the superstitious elements and emotional aspects from religion, we can see that it shares common ground with philosophy. Both disciplines seek to explore fundamental questions about existence, meaning, and ethics. However, science, as a distinct and empirical method of inquiry, focuses on the study of the natural world and the formulation of testable hypotheses.
In conclusion, while philosophy and religion overlap in certain aspects, they also possess unique qualities that differentiate them. It is important to recognize and appreciate the diversity of human perspectives and the various ways in which we seek to understand the world.
Imagine this: Within a year, turkey scientists not only discover that food arrives at a fixed time in the morning but also find that chickens die if they contract avian influenza, starve if they don't eat, and that turkey wings can be used to fly over fences. These theorems have meaningful implications.
Science itself is a constantly evolving and falsification-driven philosophy. Just because turkey scientists discovered an erroneous theorem doesn't mean we should completely deny all their contributions and even dismiss science as a whole. From my perspective, this kind of thinking is entirely unscientific. That's why the person in the drama who vehemently denies being a turkey scientist appears so ludicrous. The turkey is not the one to be laughed at; the laughter arises from the fear of making mistakes, which leads to stagnation and resignation.
Unless Thanksgiving truly arrives one day, any research conducted by turkey scientists before that is worthy of respect, exploration, and continuous iteration.
Having food for lunch every day is a fundamental aspect of physics, much like how a turkey would starve to death if it doesn't eat. Other turkeys can only engage in any activities when there is food to eat. Even if the farmer doesn't come to kill the turkeys, they would still die of starvation without food. Once fundamental physics is blocked or restricted, physics itself loses its meaning.
I apologize for any confusion. Let me clarify. Take mathematics, for example. 1+1=2, and 2+2=4. These are the basics of mathematics. All complex mathematical formulas are built upon well-defined mathematical models. If, one day, you conduct an experiment and find that 1+1=3, and then another experiment shows that 1+1=85, and yet another experiment yields a result of 1+1=486, then the previous mathematical formulas would no longer hold true, and there would be no discernible pattern. Do you understand now?
Scientists don't die simply because they can't do science.
Human science is based on fundamental "empiricism," and all theories are built upon causality.
Now, imagine if I told you that causality doesn't exist. All the experiences you have known would become irrelevant, and all the theories you have observed and concluded, all the theories that perfectly applied to your world, could be completely overturned. They could make 1+1=3, make the sun shine colder, and when you drink water, it could either grant you eternal life or cause sudden death. Everything would be beyond scientific explanation, without any discernible patterns. In such a world, would you want to live or would you prefer to die?
Are scientists not the ones who verify the seemingly impossible, identify problems, and strive to explain and solve them? Isn't their purpose to challenge conventions and surpass existing boundaries? Why do they get frustrated when their experiments fail? Scientific research often involves countless instances of trial and error, both failures and successes. A scientist's resilience and mental fortitude should ideally be among the strongest, as they navigate the path of scientific discovery.
I suddenly remembered a day in high school during a physics class when the teacher mentioned a news article about errors in a particle collider experiment from the previous day. It caused quite a sensation at the time, but I casually glanced at it without fully understanding why it was such a big deal.
The teacher even jokingly said that if the experimental results in the news were true, then we wouldn't need to study physics anymore. I didn't grasp the significance back then, and even when I read books, I didn't connect it to that incident mentioned at the beginning.
But now, watching that explanation in the drama about why physics no longer exists through billiards, it suddenly reminded me of that high school memory. It was like a moment of enlightenment, and I finally understood. Physics and chemistry are truly fascinating.
It's a pity that I, being a mediocre student, didn't excel in those subjects...
The debate between the archer and the turkey, if we can touch the boundaries, then we can explore. If we can't tear open that gap, then it's better to adopt a "thus-gone" view. The end of the Möbius loop may not be immediately found (of course, I don't know if there is an end), but any step forward is meaningful.
Why be so entangled?
Fans of the original work are very satisfied. I looked at the lines and even brought out the book. The dialogue in the first season is really faithful to the original work, with almost an 80% similarity. As for the pacing of the storyline being a bit slow, it's understandable since the Three-Body Problem novel is quite extensive.
The main actors are all seasoned performers, and their acting skills are impeccable. If you didn't fully understand the first episode, don't worry, the plot is closely tied to the book. As the story progresses, it becomes easier to comprehend and follow.
[Regarding the Shooter and Farmer Hypothesis] Humans in the universe are like intelligent two-dimensional creatures in a shooting range with a sharpshooter, or like turkeys on a farm with a farmer. The limitations in space and time dimensions prevent us from fully comprehending the universe.
The existing laws of nature are likely the product of some higher-level will acting arbitrarily.
We humans are like turkeys, two-dimensional beings. Our scientists are exploring the farmer and the hunter, but even if they uncover their secrets, what can really change? The turkey will eventually die on Thanksgiving Day, and the two-dimensional beings may cease to exist.
When we realize that we are exploring something unknown and beyond our reach, we will no longer be the masters of the world.
Hello, fellow fictional characters! As an incredibly ignorant high school student, I have two questions. The first question is, has physics reached a point where it can no longer be experimentally tested at both the macroscopic and sub-microscopic levels?
And the second question is, why do turkey scientists believe that dimensional superiority is absolute? The laws that particle experiments were supposed to reveal have been disrupted.
In the dimension of time, future events are already determined and can be known by hostile higher-dimensional beings but not by lower-dimensional beings. We should have a mental imprint that tells everyone that this is not the time to commit suicide because, as a turkey scientist, can you really expect to encounter challenges crazier than this?
Of course, I'm just passing by and making some snarky remarks.
On a macro level, there are scientific experiments being conducted. Wang Miao's flying blade is an example, but protons have a greater impact on microscopic experiments.
As for your question about what scientists think about dimensions being an absolute advantage, the video didn't specifically mention that. It's something that will likely be addressed in the later content.
Regarding the first question, there is actually still a lot of room for research at the macroscopic level. I won't spoil it here, as it will be discussed later. As for the second question, the advantage in dimensions is just a metaphorical description of the differences between the Trisolaran civilization and Earth civilization.
The way the Trisolarans interfere with the experimental results does not involve crossing dimensions. The reason they can predict the results in advance is that they have the ability to change the outcome of the experiment.
It's like if I say I'm about to lift my left foot, as long as I successfully lift my left foot, my words would become an accurate prediction. As for the existence of higher-dimensional beings, that will only be addressed in the third installment of the Three-Body Problem series, so we don't need to consider it here.
As long as human civilization continues to progress, there won't be so many instances of stagnation. It's just encountering temporary bottlenecks. With the changing times, there will always be individuals who can break through those bottlenecks.
If you find it hard to understand, I recommend reading the novel first. If you can't find the ebook version, you can try getting a physical copy of the book. If you don't want to buy it, you can listen to the audio drama of "The Three-Body Problem" on Ximalaya.
After finishing Wang Miao's part, watching the TV series will be a whole new experience.
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这部剧的场景真的太美了！每一帧都像一幅画，简直是视觉盛宴。内地的电视剧制作水平越来越高，真是让人骄傲。期待更多优秀的内娱作品！
The same applies even if you only read the first few chapters of a novel. In the case of lengthy novels like this, it's impossible to have everything explained and resolved in just a few chapters.
Whether it's reading books of this genre or watching movies and TV shows, patience is required!
Actually, there's no need to read the original work. Even the first installment of the original work followed a suspenseful storyline. Different things have different audiences, and some people might not resonate with it...
They came in expecting sci-fi, but ended up entering the realm of suspense.