🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov2.043143.24298@augean.eleceng.adelaide.edu.AU> dabbott@augean.eleceng.adelaide.edu.AU (Derek Abbott) writes:
>Imagine you are a stone age philosopher.
>It is obvious to you that your coarse implements can't measure to any greater
>accuracy than they are already and so engineering to greater precision
>is philosophically impossible, by simple inductive reasoning.
>
>Where is the flaw in his argument?

There is none, given the premise.

If the question is "will science never progress?" then
the answer is always "no."

If the question is "have we exhausted the limits of
progress in the current forms of science?" then
the answer is "perhaps."

If the question is "in certain arms of what appear to
be extremely advanced realms of science, have we
exhausted the limits except to those who have only
begun to learn about the topic?" then the answer can
often be "most likely."

In all cases any attempt to place a limit on science
can be balanced by the certainty that there exist
scientific phenomena of which we have not learned
even their existence.

>Nevertheless, the argument is very powerful, especially in stone age times
>when there would be no immediate counter evidence.

But he'd never heard of metalworking.

>I'm wondering to what extent we are tricking ourselves with words
>(like the stone age man example did) today when we grapple with such
>philosophical mysteries as quantum mechanics, mind-body problem,
>determinism v. free will etc.

Not a lot, if we desire otherwise.

It is possible to fully integrate the extent of current
science into current philosophy.  It is also possible to
predict the value and effect of imagined extents of future
science on future philosophy.  It is always possible to
devise past science to examine past philosophy.

Unfortunately it's done most often from a position of
gross ignorance, and both the science and the philosophy
appear laughable.  Our stone-age philosopher is a creation
of our impression of his scientific frontiers; we may very
well be giving his intellect embarrassingly short shrift.
An example of which is that I can make an arrowhead of
obsidian with an edge much sharper--but not harder--than
any steel edge.

The only trick is the one we permit and believe.

				--Blair
				  "Some of us had never heard of COBE.
				   And then they got a PR man.
				   VOTE PONS/FLEISCHMAN IN '92!"