Post by Chloe Sambrano on Jul 11, 2016 23:53:02 GMT
1. Why is understanding physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?
Google's definition states that philosophy is " the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline." That definition right there says it all. As humans and as a universe, we all need to understand basic principles that are applied to science. Philosophy helps us dig deeper and ask why when it cannot be explained. "It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it is wrong." - Richard Feynman, Physicist. I like this quote a lot from Is The Universe Really Made of Tiny Rubber Bands?: A Kid's Exploration of String Theory Paperback by Shaun Michael Lane. My own interpretation of this quote says no matter if you are a brilliant scientist, some things when experimented do not work out, are meant for the best. Some things in this world are just not meant to work together because certain objects were made for one thing but not for another. Or this quote by Niels Bohr, "Physics is to be regarded not so much as the study of something a priori given, but rather as the development of methods of ordering and surveying human experience.” I had to look up the definition of priori to understand this quote better; "priori: relating to what can be known through an understanding of how certain things work rather than by observation" (Merriam Webster). "Niel's Bohr's Philosophy of Physics, that Bohr was less an idealist and more a pragmatist when it came to interpreting the implications of quantum mechanics. What this means is that Bohr tried to let the physics itself lead to its own interpretation and not try to impose upon it his own already made philosophy." All these quotes intertwine with one another. They all say the same thing but in a slightly different way. If something is meant to grow and be there, then just leave it and let earth take over and then understand as to why it does what it does. And if we cannot understand why it happens then God Did It, and for us its meant to stay a beautiful mystery.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that eliminative materialism (or eliminativism) "is the radical claim that our ordinary, common-sense understanding of the mind is deeply wrong and that some or all of the mental states posited by common-sense do not actually exist. Descartes famously challenged much of what we take for granted, but he insisted that, for the most part, we can be confident about the content of our own minds. Eliminative materialists go further than Descartes on this point, since they challenge the existence of various mental states that Descartes took for granted." In Eliminative Materialism: part one, it provides explanation and examples of the subconscious phenomena that translates the different academic approaches in order to understand through mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, and sociology; if humans cannot understand or come up with some kind of conclusion then we say "God did it." In Eliminative Materialism: part two, it states and provides examples of the advancement of technology and medicine over time. Constantly throughout the years to replace outdated concepts and ideas, not that the older technology was not working properly, but it helps with being more accurate with data and time moves faster. Lastly, in Eliminative materialism: part three, it provides a healthy explanation of how the world is constantly evolving over time and how ideas are always being exchanged and recycled through one another. How the advancement of technology is a easier access for information made available right in our very own hands. Understanding why certain events transpire through our life time are made either through eliminating or reducing over years of time.
Google's definition states that philosophy is " the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline." That definition right there says it all. As humans and as a universe, we all need to understand basic principles that are applied to science. Philosophy helps us dig deeper and ask why when it cannot be explained. "It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it is wrong." - Richard Feynman, Physicist. I like this quote a lot from Is The Universe Really Made of Tiny Rubber Bands?: A Kid's Exploration of String Theory Paperback by Shaun Michael Lane. My own interpretation of this quote says no matter if you are a brilliant scientist, some things when experimented do not work out, are meant for the best. Some things in this world are just not meant to work together because certain objects were made for one thing but not for another. Or this quote by Niels Bohr, "Physics is to be regarded not so much as the study of something a priori given, but rather as the development of methods of ordering and surveying human experience.” I had to look up the definition of priori to understand this quote better; "priori: relating to what can be known through an understanding of how certain things work rather than by observation" (Merriam Webster). "Niel's Bohr's Philosophy of Physics, that Bohr was less an idealist and more a pragmatist when it came to interpreting the implications of quantum mechanics. What this means is that Bohr tried to let the physics itself lead to its own interpretation and not try to impose upon it his own already made philosophy." All these quotes intertwine with one another. They all say the same thing but in a slightly different way. If something is meant to grow and be there, then just leave it and let earth take over and then understand as to why it does what it does. And if we cannot understand why it happens then God Did It, and for us its meant to stay a beautiful mystery.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that eliminative materialism (or eliminativism) "is the radical claim that our ordinary, common-sense understanding of the mind is deeply wrong and that some or all of the mental states posited by common-sense do not actually exist. Descartes famously challenged much of what we take for granted, but he insisted that, for the most part, we can be confident about the content of our own minds. Eliminative materialists go further than Descartes on this point, since they challenge the existence of various mental states that Descartes took for granted." In Eliminative Materialism: part one, it provides explanation and examples of the subconscious phenomena that translates the different academic approaches in order to understand through mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, and sociology; if humans cannot understand or come up with some kind of conclusion then we say "God did it." In Eliminative Materialism: part two, it states and provides examples of the advancement of technology and medicine over time. Constantly throughout the years to replace outdated concepts and ideas, not that the older technology was not working properly, but it helps with being more accurate with data and time moves faster. Lastly, in Eliminative materialism: part three, it provides a healthy explanation of how the world is constantly evolving over time and how ideas are always being exchanged and recycled through one another. How the advancement of technology is a easier access for information made available right in our very own hands. Understanding why certain events transpire through our life time are made either through eliminating or reducing over years of time.