Category: Philosophy

Falsifiability is useful, but a matter of judgment

Our discussions last week on Jim Baggott's book, 'Farewell to Reality', and Sean Carroll's Edge response, left me pondering falsifiability, the idea that theories should be falsifiable in order to be considered science. Falsifiability is a criteria identified by the philosopher Karl Popper.  Popper was arguing against a conception held at the time by logical … Continue reading Falsifiability is useful, but a matter of judgment →

Determinism isn’t as certain as many assume

Conversation on yesterday's post on free will has me thinking about determinism. First, what is determinism?  According to Merriam-Webster, my favorite dictionary because they seem to be extremely good at cutting to the chase, determinism is defined as: a theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena … Continue reading Determinism isn’t as certain as many assume →

Free will? Free of what?

The concept of free will is intimately tangled up with the idea of responsibility.  Are you responsible for your actions?  To what degree are your actions predetermined?  If they are predetermined, how can we hold anyone accountable for their actions?  Does the idea of moral responsibility even make sense? Libertarian free will The classic definition … Continue reading Free will? Free of what? →

Do mathematics model real world patterns?

I've recently seen a couple of interesting posts pondering to what degree mathematics models actual real world objects. For an upcoming episode of the Rationally Speaking podcast, Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef interviewed Max Tegmark, who seems to believe that all of reality is ultimately mathematical.  Note that Tegmark doesn't mean that it is precisely described … Continue reading Do mathematics model real world patterns? →

Science, philosophy, and caution about what we think we know

What is the difference between science and philosophy?  While there are enterprises that are clearly in one or the other, the dividing line isn't always a sharp one.  Science grew out of philosophy, particularly natural philosophy.  Some would say that science is itself a type of philosophy.  But what is the difference between what we … Continue reading Science, philosophy, and caution about what we think we know →

Comet ISON and our lack of fear

Lots of people are excited about comet ISON and the spectacular show it will hopefully provide.  However, unlike most people throughout history, most of us do not regard it as an evil omen, an attack from an angry god, or fear it for any other reason.  There's a reason this.  Science! Aristotle thought that comets … Continue reading Comet ISON and our lack of fear →

Countering emotion with logic is often not effective

Massimo Pigliucci posted yesterday: Rationally Speaking: Irrationality, a personal study, his personal frustration in a conversation with a relative who, despite being a fairly rational person, had an emotional aversion to gay marriage.  Massimo lamented the difficulty in convincing people to approach things rationally. I think trying to counter emotional positions with logic is a tricky … Continue reading Countering emotion with logic is often not effective →

Why science, philosophy, or religion cannot determine morality

There are some famous thinkers, Sam Harris and Michael Shermer, among others, who are currently attempting to sell the idea that we should have a "science of morality".  They assert that moral propositions reduce to matters of fact about the wellbeing of conscious creatures.  Many philosophers, such as Massimo Pigliuci, take umbrage at this, seeing … Continue reading Why science, philosophy, or religion cannot determine morality →