klutedavid
Well-Known Member
I did not ask a metaphysical question, all I asked was, whether the path of the floating bottle could be predicted.Very likely, as the reactions of the bottles themselves to the wind and current are highly contingent. But you are raising a metaphysical question where only a practical question is implied. Remember, the scientific definition of "random" was "predictable by no known algorithm," not necessarily inherently unpredictable. In any case, I am not a determinist, nor do I believe that determinism is necessary as a vehicle of divine providence (In case that's where you are going with this).
These days we can throw sophisticated buoys in the ocean and measure currents and even at depth. We can also measure wind strengths and wind direction across the ocean. We already do this for shipping purposes.
Would it be feasible to predict where a floating bottle would end up a few days later?
Of course we could predict where the bottle could be found. This is not an example of a random event.
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