Robert Goldman wrote: > It's not exactly right to say that this is based on formal logic in > any sense that we would understand that term today. Today formal > logic is a branch of mathematics, and mostly concerned with the syntax > of deductively correct arguments (i.e., arguments that can be > determined to be correct on the basis of form, without attending to > their meaning). Formal logic in the fourteenth century was a very > different affair!
I will not argue that formal logic in the fourteenth century is different from what it is now, but that does not mean that Occam's Razor cannot, and is not, defined in terms of predicate calculus. > Actually, I say this is a heuristic because it has been generally > found that the simpler argument IS more likely to be correct. You > would have to ask a philosopher of science to explain why (and I'm > sure you'd only get MORE questions than you started with, and no new > answers if you did). To say that, "...it has been generally found that the simpler argument IS more likely to be correct," is a probabilistic statement and does not imply anything as to whether any single "simple" statement is correct. Which is a common misunderstanding that many people have about probability. Your own reference doesn't draw the conclusion that the similar argument is more likely to be correct. In fact it says, "It does not guarantee that the simplest theory will be correct, it merely establishes priorities [for selecting which arguments to use]." I'm pressing this point because there are already so many fallacious arguments on the List that I don't think that we need people concluding that simple ones are more likely to be true. Michael Atherton Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
