06-25-2009, 12:01 PM | #1 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Postulates and theorems for an Oracle to use . . .
Greetings, all!
I'm trying to invent consistent 'technobable' for prophets, oracles and the like in my current fantasy campaign. I've decided to try share my ideas for all to see and comment. For instance, the line between postulates and theorems is fuzzy at the moment, and I'm not sure which parts of these 'postulates' to keep at an axiomatic level, and which ones to shift into theorems. Postulates of Events:
Postulates of Predictions:
Definitions of prophecies
On will:
P.S. Dear moderators, could you please fix the 'orcacle' to 'Oracle' in the thread title? Thanks in advance! Last edited by vicky_molokh; 06-25-2009 at 12:08 PM. |
06-26-2009, 06:41 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West of R'lyeh
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Re: Postulates and theorems for an Oracle to use . . .
I think Event I., Event II, and Event V. contradict each other with respect to the very first event in a causal universe. Event I. says that the very first event must have a cause. Event V. says that the first event is caused by the shift. Event V. says that the shift itself is not causal. Is the shift an event? Is it an event with belongs in the acausal universe? If the shift is an event that belongs to acausal universe, then it is an event with a consequence and violates Event. II. If the shift is an event that belongs to the causal universe, then it is an event without a cause and violates Event I.
One thing that I think is missing is that the prophecy itself is an event, and thus may have consequences, which interact in some way with subsequent events. Should there be a postulate regarding the cardinality of consequences for any given event in a causal universe? I know that this is supposed to be technobabble, but I find it grating to define continuous and discrete as infinite and finite. Discrete things may be infinite (the set of integers). However, I don't think that it is possible to be continuous and finite (the set of real numbers between 2 and 3 is infinite I think). Here my knowledge of mathematics reaches its limit, but I think that this is because integers and real numbers belong to sets with different degrees of infinity. Anyhoo, I'm rambling now. Just saying that I don't Event VI. and Event VII to be very convincing technobabble is all. Event IV. feels like it should be a theorem. I can't quite put my finger on the chain of logic that follows from other postulates, but I feel it should follow on about rules regarding cardinality of causes and consequences. This is seriously hurting my brain now, so I think I will stop. |
06-26-2009, 06:54 AM | #3 | |||
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Postulates and theorems for an Oracle to use . . .
Quote:
Postulates of Events, part 1.
Quote:
Quote:
And thanks! |
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Tags |
brainstorm, destiny, fantasy, oracle, prophecy |
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