tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post4949931411790131679..comments2023-08-14T21:18:14.796-04:00Comments on Honest Toil: Scientists Wonder If Philosophy Makes You a Better ScientistChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10838633162146762394noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-77150667522411129132010-04-05T23:55:33.462-04:002010-04-05T23:55:33.462-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.蔥爆牛肉Vivianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15125993192313513388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-39490422636084990492009-07-14T23:22:49.846-04:002009-07-14T23:22:49.846-04:00Copenhagen was motivated by idealist metaphysics m...Copenhagen was motivated by idealist metaphysics more than positivist anti-metaphysics; Einstein the supposed realist was really much closer to the positivists than Bohr was. Bohr misinterpreted EPR when he said Einstein's mistake was assuming realism. EPR really showed a conflict between quantum theory and relativity, not between quantum theory and realism (hence Einstein's conviction Protagorashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12645042531440559735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-17245367882387835822009-07-14T21:27:21.804-04:002009-07-14T21:27:21.804-04:00Aaron Boyden - I think that anti-metaphysical phil...Aaron Boyden - I think that anti-metaphysical philosophers have at times hurt science as well. Didn't the positivists stunt quantum mechanics by convincing the scientists to go for something like the Copenhagen interpretation? It might be a useful way to think while applying some aspects of quantum mechanics, but it seems to get in the way of understanding the foundations of it. But then Kennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09588770173317316837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-57721079081551706652009-07-14T11:25:05.586-04:002009-07-14T11:25:05.586-04:00I suppose the position that metaphysics is pretty ...I suppose the position that metaphysics is pretty much always the enemy is controversial, but it is a controversial view that I hold. If so, then I think philosophy is generally beneficial, because common sense contains plenty of metaphysics. Thus, while I think anti-metaphysical philosophers are most helpful, even pro-metaphysical philosophers are not as harmful as they might seem. They don&#Protagorashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12645042531440559735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-71662010728054598042009-07-13T22:43:13.776-04:002009-07-13T22:43:13.776-04:00One of the things I'm arguing in my book MS is...One of the things I'm arguing in my book MS is that Darwin's adherence to Whewell and Herschel's Newtonian philosophy of science led him astray when constructing the theory of natural selection. Darwin should have listened to LaPlace, Gauss, and Quetelet instead. If I'm right then this is a case where philosophy has hurt science by introducing an obstacle.André Ariewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05966755906967964289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-63160330465680303182009-07-13T16:20:44.388-04:002009-07-13T16:20:44.388-04:00From Einstein himself:
“So many people today -- ...From Einstein himself: <br /><br /><i>“So many people today -- and even professional scientists -- seem to me like somebody who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest. A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-53838505931570266082009-07-12T22:23:40.484-04:002009-07-12T22:23:40.484-04:00Aaron, yes, I agree that there must be cases where...Aaron, yes, I agree that there must be cases where philosophy is helping. I wonder, though, how many times philosophy has hurt science by introducing obstacles to scientific innovation! It would be hard to know for sure where the balance ends up ...Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10838633162146762394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4718590941586269256.post-55704609926111059942009-07-09T15:58:50.761-04:002009-07-09T15:58:50.761-04:00Einstein credited Hume and (the philosophical writ...Einstein credited Hume and (the philosophical writings of) Mach with helping him come to the insight which led to relativity. I suppose it would take some really thorough examination of the history of science to find out how common this sort of thing is, but I doubt this is the only case where scientists were making unnoticed and perhaps unjustified metaphysical assumptions, and a little Protagorashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12645042531440559735noreply@blogger.com