"Relativism," "Postmodernism"

Asimov - The Relativity of Wrong: http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm

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Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Relativism
• Postmodernism
• science
• sokal
• affair
• thomas
• kuhn
• structure
• scientific
• revolutions
• language
• truth

[xUberfail]

I wished you'd used relativity instead of quantum mechanics. :p

[ContraPoints]

@xUberfail It would have been better. I used relativity in my last video and ran into less trouble. This is the problem with not writing scripts. But I don't have time to write scripts, and I'm just good enough at improvising videos that I'm willing to deal with the consequences of the inevitable mistakes.

[dichotomyofone]

When has an existentialist attacked science? I'm an existentialist and I respect science because A. it works and B. it has amazing predicting powers. Anything beyond that, so far as regarding science is concerned, would be equivalent to worshiping the metaphysical golden calf of science and really no one should be so stupid.

[ContraPoints]

@dichotomyofone Perhaps I overstated my case. Existentialism isn't anti-science per se, but it does reject it as an inadequate way to understand the human being.

[burnthesystem11]

@praeposterus Get a book on how to think and write about philosophy. I can't stress this enough. I am sure that this is not part of the curriculum at most universities, or at least from what I have heard. It makes no sense to me. Anyways, I think writing about it is challenging and in the phil courses I have taken it was not touched on. Second would be to get a general history of phil book and get familiarized the major figures and their ideas. Just my 2 cents.

[burnthesystem11]

@MexxPowers That question, or an answer to it, would depend on ones ontological position on the mind body problem. Truth is there is no satisfactory answer to the problem of "hard" consciousness. I think of it as fiction, a product of brain chauvinism, but on the chance that it does exit, I think that might be an epiphenomenal property.

[burnthesystem11]

Your statement, or the quote your used by Neil Degrasse, implies a truth exists and would suggest we are progressing toward it linearly. Maybe I am taking a few liberties with my interpretation. I think I prefer, science, ideally, moves use towards the more useful.

Maybe instead of talking about post modernism, seeing that it is a platitude, you could talk about deconstruction and obscurantism in the humanities. You touch on it ... somewhat. What are your interests in Phil and Pysc btw?

[joevegan123]

Truth requires concepts and words... big deal... what did you prove? Fuck all

[SonytoBratsoni]

@socrates856 This is probably of the greatest posts I've seen on these issues . As of late , I've witnessed the word postmodernism thrown around without any frame of reference .

[Chronphobia42]

So mannix the pirate on his new channel (vanripley) said that there could be a possible rumor going around that there is a slim chance that you could possibly be a rapist.

[socrates856]

As for the asymptotic argument, well quantum mechanics indeed approaches classical mechanics asympotically for large scale adiabatic limits. And GR asympotitically approaches classical mechanics for small scales and low energies. I.e. we understand why classical mechanics worked despite it being a flawed model. If better theories will have clear asymptotes in the future is open, however, so you are right to be skeptical.

[socrates856]

Good discussion. Frankly "relativism" and "postmodernism" are empty shells thrown around as scare-words. You are completely right that there is no particular antagonism between many postmodern ideas and science, despite that Sokal and some others tried to paint. In fact I am a strong advocate for scientific epistemic claims and see lots of useful ideas in so-called post-modern though. But I can certainly say that most people who demonize the word have not the first clue what it is.

[MexxPowers]

Yes, I agree with Neil Degrasse, that science show how less wrong we are.

But your received criticism seams like a bad mixture of two problems. what is knowledge and what is justice ? It would help if the two where better separated and or specified.

PS.

What is consciousness !? ;)

[praeposterus]

As someone new to philosophy, yet wanting to take a step into the philosophical community and become familiarized with the current ongoing of it, what books should i begin to read?