Philosophy Wire: Who is moving?

Photo by Spiros Kakos @ Pexels

Do tectonic plates move because of motion in the Earth's mantle, or is the mantle driven by the plates' movement? Or could it be that this question is ill-posed? This is the point of view adopted by scientists who regard the solid Earth as a single system. According to their simulations, the surface mainly drives the mantle, although changes occur over time. [1] And old question. Begging for an answer. Am I moving? Or is it you? At the end, both of us can be an answer. And, thus, no one is…

Can you feel it?
You are not moving.

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Philosophy Wire: No propellant. No energy. Standing still. On a moving cosmos.

Researchers at ETH Zurich under the direction of ETH Professor Kristina Shea and colleagues at Caltech in Pasadena, California, have developed a new propulsion concept for swimming robots. The robot exploits temperature fluctuations in the water for propulsion without the need for an engine, propellant or power supply. [1] Flowing without energy. And yet, using the energy of something else. Moving without an engine. And yet, having a structure and moving parts. Exploiting fluctuations without needing a propellant. And yet, using temperature as one. We feel we could exist without the cosmos. And yet we are part of it. We feel we could move on our own. And yet, we never made one single step from where we were. It was the cosmos that was moving…

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