Does nature actually abhor anything?

[moejoe15]

There's a saying that nature abhors a straight line. It's not totally true because crystals have straight lines.

One thing I don't recall seeing in nature is a knot. Is there an example of a knot in nature? Does nature abhor a knot?

 

[Dembadon]

There's a saying that nature abhors a straight line. It's not totally true because crystals have straight lines.

[...]

The crystal appears to have straight lines, but I think if you were to examine it closely enough, you would see that its edges aren't straight at all.

 

[turbo]

If you examine lianas or any other clinging plant that has tendrils, like grape vines, you'll see plenty of knots.

 

[lisab]

A vacuum. I'm not fond of them, either.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

A vacuum.

What about the vacuum of space?

 

[wuliheron]

Ritual
Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted;
Closely held beliefs are not easily released;
So ritual enthralls generation after generation.
Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is naturally attained;
But ritual is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain it.
Lao Tzu

 

[Office_Shredder]

Nature abhors your face

 

[ArcanaNoir]

Ritual
Well established hierarchies are not easily uprooted;
Closely held beliefs are not easily released;
So ritual enthralls generation after generation.
Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is naturally attained;
But ritual is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain it.
Lao Tzu

But ritual occurs all the time in nature.

 

[lisab]

What about the vacuum of space?

Nature hates space.

 

[turbo]

Nature hates space.

My wife loves vacuum. She has bought a half-dozen of them in the last 35 years. The last one was a high-end Miele. I sincerely hope that is IS the last one.

 

[arildno]

My wife loves vacuum. She has bought a half-dozen of them in the last 35 years. The last one was a high-end Miele. I sincerely hope that is IS the last one.

Okay, so your wife sits and gazes admiringly at her clean vacuum Miele contraption, while you are ordered to pick the dust grains up by hand?

 

[turbo]

Okay, so your wife sits and gazes admiringly at her clean vacuum Miele contraption, while you are ordered to pick the dust grains up by hand?

She will happily vacuum, but Duke and I need to go for a nice ride in the Honda truck for our own piece of mind.

 

[ArcanaNoir]

Nature hates space.

There sure is lots of it for something nature hates.

And about straight lines, light travels in a straight line, at least sometimes, doesn't it?

 

[turbo]

There sure is lots of it for something nature hates.

Perhaps an infinite amount of it. We don't know. If nature abhors it, nature is slacking.

 

[Pengwuino]

A change in magnetic flux.

 

[arildno]

She will happily vacuum, but Duke and I need to go for a nice ride in the Honda truck for our own piece of mind.

She might try to vacuum Duke if she got the chance??

 

[turbo]

She might try to vacuum Duke if she got the chance??

perhaps, but I brush him with a de-shedder every day. We get along OK.

 

[moejoe15]

To be clear by knot I mean a loop with one end poked through like you would tie in a piece of string. I've looked at vines and stuff but haven't seen an actual knot. I'll have to look again.

Nature also seems to abhor a climbing vine that twists clockwise around whatever it's climbing (in the northern hemisphere anyway). Seems strange because if it was following the sun it would be CW instead of CCW.

 

[wuliheron]

But ritual occurs all the time in nature.

That's a contradiction. Nature is by definition spontaneous.

Spontaneous
adjective
1. coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause.
2. (of a person) given to acting upon sudden impulses.
3. (of natural phenomena) arising from internal forces or causes; independent of external agencies; self-acting.
4. growing naturally or without cultivation, as plants and fruits; indigenous.
5. produced by natural process.

Rituals are by definition artificial and contrived. The peacock does his dance to attract a mate, but it instinct and not ritual.

 

[click]

monopoles :P

 

[Dembadon]

That's a contradiction. Nature is by definition spontaneous.

[...]

Here's the definition of "nature" from the Oxford English Dictionary:

nature |ˈnāCHər|
noun

1 the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations: the breathtaking beauty of nature.

• the physical force regarded as causing and regulating these phenomena: it is impossible to change the laws of nature. See also Mother Nature.

2 [ in sing. ] the basic or inherent features of something, esp. when seen as characteristic of it: helping them to realize the nature of their problems | there are a lot of other documents of that nature .

• the innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal: it's not in her nature to listen to advice | I'm not violent by nature . See also human nature.
• inborn or hereditary characteristics as an influence on or determinant of personality. Often contrasted with nurture.
• [ with adj. ] archaic a person of a specified character: Emerson was so much more luminous a nature.

I don't think "spontaneous" is a requirement for any of those definitions.

 

[click]

Spontaneity is, however, by definition natural.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Nature abhors humans.

 

[Pythagorean]

nature arbors existence

 

[Saladsamurai]

Abhorealis?

 

[Loren Booda]

Knot theory (and its applications): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_theory"

 

[Loren Booda]

Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_knot_theory"

 

[wuliheron]

Spontaneity is, however, by definition natural.

It depends on the context. Quanta are evidently stochastic and random and we might describe such behavior as "spontaneous", but argue that it does not obey natural law. If you want you could even define such behavior as "supernatural" for being above or beyond natural law. At any rate, to define something random as a "law" is a contradiction.

 

[Evo]

Abhorealis?

Good one!

 

[BadBrain]

According to the Law of Entropy, nature abhors a vacuum (sorry about your wife, turbo), and is busy filling space in, albeit restrained by those reticular structures in the universe that I've heard about but really know nothing about.

 

[zoobyshoe]

There's a saying that nature abhors a straight line.

There's no such saying. You are mixing two separate sayings together: 1.) "There are no straight lines in Nature", and 2.) "Nature abhors a vacuum".

 

[Pythagorean]

Nature abhors a change in flux

 

[bp_psy]

Nature abhors giving away free stuff." There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".