Philosophy 101

Did I ever say that it was a theory? Were theories even mentioned in the post where I introduced that example?

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Jesus was a liberal hippie

I can't find the paper outside a subscription wall.I guess my problem is that I don't see how children could communicate any view whatsoever prior to acquiring language--and at least some additional culture along with it.

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Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?
-Shakespeare

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Real things always push back.
-William James

The misapprehension that things like arbitrary co-ordinate systems used for navigation do constitute scientific theories would certainly explain your previous nonsense.Nwr : "Apparently, I was not clear enough. I'll say it again. Scientific theories have nothing to say about how nature behaves."Nwr: "A scientific theory is, primarily, a description of the method rather than a description of the world. This ought to be obvious, since the purpose of the theory is to communicate the science."Do you stand by these little gems of wisdom?Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.

What's special about an eclipse? How does your 'answer' address my challenge to you?

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Check out No webpage found at provided URL: Apollo's Temple!
Ignorance is temporary; you should be able to overcome it. - nwr

Just saw this again: While true & no argument from me, I'm thinking that instead this might serve as a good description of the purpose of philosophy - to explain itself!

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- xongsmith, 5.7d

Have you ever seen a really good one? Well an eclipse is a predictable natural event. Not a method. But if you are going to be a dickwit I shall just refer you back to Message 53. So Jon do you agree with nwr that "Scientific theories have nothing to say about how nature behaves."Go on Jon. Say something sensible. I know you can if you try.

Almost profound. And possibly true to at least some degree.But philosophy is also arguably required to define what science is and to help us explain why it is so successful and what it's limitations are. These are things science cannot derive about itself.And then there is political and moral philosophy.......

They're neat; sure. But so what? Are you sure? Is an eclipse really an 'event' at all? Do 'events' even exist outside of our ability and capacity to define them? Can we witness an eclipse without use of the observational methodologies so central to the scientific method? All religious theories are 100% accurate reflections of reality. In fact, religion's sole purpose is in describing the behavior of nature, which it does exceptionally well.Jon

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Check out No webpage found at provided URL: Apollo's Temple!
Ignorance is temporary; you should be able to overcome it. - nwr

Now there's some useless drivel!

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Check out No webpage found at provided URL: Apollo's Temple!
Ignorance is temporary; you should be able to overcome it. - nwr

Please define what you consider an 'Event' to be for me so I can better respond to your statement.

So questions pertaining to how society is structured and how we treat each other have no worth at all as far as you are concerned?

Define 'sure'. Define 'event'. What are neat Jon? I thought you were disputing that anything occurred at all? BZZZZZZT. Go bak to to Message 53. Do not pass Go. Do not collect 200. Define 'exist'. As an algorithm in Percy's software designed to test my patience can you really be said to 'exist' Jon? To observe the world you do indeed need to observe the world. Well done. Except when it does it badly. Expect me to quote this back at you extensively in the future. Well the next time you communicate with Scarab the godly dung beetle who carries the Sun across the sky each day do tell him to keep up the good work won't you?Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.

In plain English you seem to be asking if we can observe an eclipse without observing one.No, we can't. What of it?

No doubt you will also be astonished to hear that real battles are not fought according to the rules of chess. If you are not conflating the construction of arbitrary conventions with scientific theories can you explain what the point of your little arbitrary convention example in the context of a philosophy of scientific theories was exactly? Key Question: Why do you think some theories yield more accurate and reliable predictions regarding the bevaviour of nature than others? Until you can answer this question your little pet theory is dead in the water.

Observation is at the heart of the scientific method. To witness an eclipse, we must make certain scientific observations: note the position of the Sun relative to us, note the position of the Moon relative to the Sun and us, etc. We apply reasoning to these observations to form a conclusion: Moon in front of Sun; Sun gone for a while.If we predicted an eclipse, but never followed through with the observational methodologies required to confirm or refute our prediction, we couldn't confirm or refute our prediction. Thus, the full working of science hinges on repeated observationobservational methodologies.Our prediction is made on the basis of observation; our prediction is tested on the basis of observation; our prediction is confirmed or refuted on the basis of observation. Observation is a key component of the methodology of science. When we predict an eclipse, all we're really predicting is our future use of the methodour future observation. No?Jon

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Check out No webpage found at provided URL: Apollo's Temple!
Ignorance is temporary; you should be able to overcome it. - nwr