Post by Amina Dawood on Jul 13, 2015 3:22:09 GMT
1. Why is understanding physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?
Understanding physics and the general rules of the universe are very important in doing philosophy because you cannot try and explain the existence of the universe and everything in it, without knowing what everything is made of and how everything is made. Physics helps us comprehend ideas which necessarily cannot always be seen or measured. Taking a look at the thought process of a 5th grader in Is the Universe Really Made of Tiny Rubber Bands? demonstrates how we need physics to philosophize matter and the existence of everything around us accurately. Shaun uses a quote by Richard Feynman in his book which simply explains the need for a connection between physics and philosophy, “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it is wrong.” (65) Substitute “theory” with philosophy and “experiment” with physics and then you know the need for each study to support the other.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Eliminative materialism is explained in three of the videos posted for week 2. In “Eliminative Materialism, part three”, the speaker simply defines it as “reason with logic.” A more comprehensive definition of the idea is provided in “Eliminative Materialism, part one”, in which the speaker states that “if a phenomenon cannot be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics, then one turns to physics. If that too is incomplete, then to chemistry. Then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology.” Basically, one should always try to find the answer to their scientific questions from areas of study that are based on factual and logical information. It is like using the method of elimination to find the answer you desire. If you cannot reach an answer which satisfies your mind, then just say that “God did it.” Three examples of eliminative materialism would be replacing the idea of a “thunder god” with electrical magnetic currents, spirits as the cause of diseases with bacteria and viruses, and ghosts in our bodies as the cause of muscle movements with the central nervous system. Replacing primitive ideas with no scientific bases with researched and studied terminology is the essence of eliminative materialism.
EXTRA CREDIT: respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the forum as well as on your website.
Kolton Martin-Question 2
Eliminative materialism is a system for solving questions, "If the phenomenon can not be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics then one turns to physics, if that to is incomplete, then to chemistry, then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology. There is an old joke that if none of these subjects can solve the question, it is fine to say, "Well, God did it". An example of eliminative materialism we have used throughout history is replacing our old mythic beliefs with more accurate terminology, such as, instead of talking about Thor the thunder god, we talked about electrical magnetic currents. Instead of blaming spirits for the cause of sickness and disease, we talked about bacteria and viruses. People in the past use to have beliefs that Thor was the cause of thunder, and spirits the cause of sickness, and ghosts the cause of muscle movement. Now that we have advanced in science, and by using eliminative materialism, we now know the real causes of these things.
My Response
I would like to expand on your second answer. I like how you said that "Eliminative materialism is a system for solving questions." It reminded me of how we would use the method of elimination in middle school math classes to find the answer to two unknowns in two equations. Similarly, in eliminative materialism we use one subject to explain something and if that doesn't work, we move on to another subject to find our answer.
Understanding physics and the general rules of the universe are very important in doing philosophy because you cannot try and explain the existence of the universe and everything in it, without knowing what everything is made of and how everything is made. Physics helps us comprehend ideas which necessarily cannot always be seen or measured. Taking a look at the thought process of a 5th grader in Is the Universe Really Made of Tiny Rubber Bands? demonstrates how we need physics to philosophize matter and the existence of everything around us accurately. Shaun uses a quote by Richard Feynman in his book which simply explains the need for a connection between physics and philosophy, “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it is wrong.” (65) Substitute “theory” with philosophy and “experiment” with physics and then you know the need for each study to support the other.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Eliminative materialism is explained in three of the videos posted for week 2. In “Eliminative Materialism, part three”, the speaker simply defines it as “reason with logic.” A more comprehensive definition of the idea is provided in “Eliminative Materialism, part one”, in which the speaker states that “if a phenomenon cannot be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics, then one turns to physics. If that too is incomplete, then to chemistry. Then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology.” Basically, one should always try to find the answer to their scientific questions from areas of study that are based on factual and logical information. It is like using the method of elimination to find the answer you desire. If you cannot reach an answer which satisfies your mind, then just say that “God did it.” Three examples of eliminative materialism would be replacing the idea of a “thunder god” with electrical magnetic currents, spirits as the cause of diseases with bacteria and viruses, and ghosts in our bodies as the cause of muscle movements with the central nervous system. Replacing primitive ideas with no scientific bases with researched and studied terminology is the essence of eliminative materialism.
EXTRA CREDIT: respond in detail (50 words or more) to another student's essay answers and post them on the forum as well as on your website.
Kolton Martin-Question 2
Eliminative materialism is a system for solving questions, "If the phenomenon can not be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics then one turns to physics, if that to is incomplete, then to chemistry, then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology. There is an old joke that if none of these subjects can solve the question, it is fine to say, "Well, God did it". An example of eliminative materialism we have used throughout history is replacing our old mythic beliefs with more accurate terminology, such as, instead of talking about Thor the thunder god, we talked about electrical magnetic currents. Instead of blaming spirits for the cause of sickness and disease, we talked about bacteria and viruses. People in the past use to have beliefs that Thor was the cause of thunder, and spirits the cause of sickness, and ghosts the cause of muscle movement. Now that we have advanced in science, and by using eliminative materialism, we now know the real causes of these things.
My Response
I would like to expand on your second answer. I like how you said that "Eliminative materialism is a system for solving questions." It reminded me of how we would use the method of elimination in middle school math classes to find the answer to two unknowns in two equations. Similarly, in eliminative materialism we use one subject to explain something and if that doesn't work, we move on to another subject to find our answer.