On Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 12:56:56 PM UTC-5, Brent wrote: > > > > On 10/16/2018 1:00 AM, Philip Thrift wrote: > > > > On Monday, October 15, 2018 at 8:50:57 PM UTC-5, Brent wrote: >> >> >> >> The "separation" of science from religion was the invention of science as >> a way of knowing what was fact and what was superstition. Science was >> testing beliefs and holding them only provisionally. >> >> Brent >> >> >> > They had myths. We have models. > > "As an empiricist I continue to think of the conceptual scheme of science > as a tool, ultimately, for predicting future experience in the light of > past experience. Physical objects are conceptually imported into the > situation as convenient intermediaries -- not by definition in terms of > experience, but simply as irreducible posits comparable, epistemologically, > to the gods of Homer. Let me interject that for my part I do, qua lay > physicist, believe in physical objects and not in Homer's gods; and I > consider it a scientific error to believe otherwise. *But in point of > epistemological footing the physical objects and the gods differ only in > degree and not in kind. Both sorts of entities enter our conception only as > cultural posits.* The myth of physical objects is epistemologically > superior to most in that it has proved more efficacious than other myths as > a device for working a manageable structure into the flux of experience." > -- Willard Van Orman Quine > > "It's models almost all the way up and all the way down." > -- Ronald Giere > > > That misses the point. Of course religions and science have models. The > difference is that science test the models. Science isn't a body of > beliefs, it's an attitude. > > Brent > Science has questions that may never be answered. Religion has answers > that may never be questioned. > --- Bob Zanelli >
It's true that myths aren't tested, but models are (in general) tested. But there are some scientists (e.g. @skdh <https://twitter.com/skdh>) who say that some scientists' models are myths. Stephen Hawking says that myth may be needed in the final TOE in his final book: "to a large extent we shall have to rely on mathematical beauty and consistency to find the ultimate theory of everything" -- Stephen Hawking ("Brief Answers To The Big Questions") - pt -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
