Jose – thank you for introducing me to Alhazen. Significantly predates René Descartes, whom I recall being taught was the originator of the Method of Systematic Doubt. Quite clearly the priority belongs to Alhazen.
I wrote: > Like the reason why the human eye couldn't have arisen by blind chance. That was a serendipitous blunder. Pun not intended, and not even noticed, until Raul pointed it out. Yes, the Devil's Dictionary is a work of splendid absurdity, and that particular entry a topic for dangerous meditation… Perhaps we'd had gills – and lost them? Perhaps we were supposed to evolve them all by ourselves? After all, the Elohim only gave themselves a day to create us (…albeit they wasted the following day). Come to think of it, nobody ever explained to me where the Garden Of Eden actually was – or where it disappeared to after the Fall. :-D On Fri, 21 Jun 2019 at 00:35, Jose Mario Quintana < [email protected]> wrote: > " > Science is only ever 'settled' in the sense of "it looks stable for now". > " > > The following is a translation of what was reportedly written around 1,000 > years ago: > > *The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if > learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he > reads, and attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he > performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into > either prejudice or leniency.* > > > *— Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham)* > > More recently, the following is attributed to Karl Popper: > > *No number of sightings of white swans can prove the theory that all swans > are white. The sighting of just one black one may disprove it.* > > " > My vision of TABULA is as a tool to show students what's possible. Not to > chisel out idols to bow down to. > " > > Amen ;) > > " > Like the reason why the human eye couldn't have arisen by blind chance. > " > > For some reason that reminded me of the following entry in the *Devil's > Dictionary*: > > *Ocean, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for > man—who has no gills.* > > > > > On Thu, Jun 20, 2019 at 12:41 PM Ian Clark <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > (…"the science is settled"). > > > > Science is only ever "settled" in the sense of "it looks stable for now". > > > > My vision of TABULA is as a tool to show students what's possible. Not to > > chisel out idols to bow down to. > > > > And I mean it primarily for students. What I recall of school was > enduring > > impatience with debates on matters where we knew the answer was known. We > > wanted to be told what was so and what wasn't. And when it wasn't, we > > wanted to be given one reason why not, to hurl back at critics. Battle > > cries, not debates. > > > > But some of the "reasons" we were given don't stand up to simple > modelling. > > Like the reason why the human eye couldn't have arisen by blind chance. > Or > > that natural selection can give rise to sterile worker ants (Darwin > spent a > > lot of time on these topics: > > http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22764/22764-h/22764-h.htm#page171 ). > > > > Maybe that's just the cultural bubble I was brought up in? I hope that's > > the case, and it's a bubble long burst. But I see little evidence of it > > with my children, and now grandchildren. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
