[Corpora-List] ANC, FROWN, Fuzzy Logic

[Peter Kühnlein]

Mark P. Line wrote:

>Peter Kühnlein wrote:
>
>>Mark P. Line wrote:
>>
>>>I would have to disagree. I think science is defined not by a search for
>>>truth but by use of scientific method.
>>>
>>Mark, may I ask, then, what constitutes the "scientific method"?
>>Isn't it the search for true propositions about nature?
>>
>
>First, I should note that I didn't say "the scientific method". [...]
>
That's right, Mark, you didn't; but you used the singular form "method". 
And you characterized the activity common to all sciences thus:

>"Objectively repeatable construction of
>useful models" is about as close as I can come to a common denominator.
>
But your common denominator doesn't seem to exclude your favorite 
counter-examples like religion; given some purpose these might be 
considered useful models of nature as well. Plus your emphasis on 
usefulness seems to exclude "pure" fundamental research (where it's 
sometimes hard to see any use and scientists are proud of that) and blur 
the distinction between applied sciences and engineering.

>I think the search for true propositions about nature is part of
>philosophy, including theology, but not science.
>
At least for philosophy, this seems to be a strange claim: philosophy 
should rather be characterized as the search for what *might* be true 
(and, hence, what is necessarily false) as opposed to what *is* true - 
that's the difference between philosophy and sciences.

I'd like to continue this discussion, if you do, Mark; there is more to 
say about the parts of your previous mail I omitted. However, Corpora 
list seems the wrong place for it and I feel we're spamming people. 
(It's maybe not useful for them.) Let's invite everybody interested in 
the search for the truth regarding usefulness for a "private" mailing 
list we might found ad-hoc. So, everyone interested: feel free to send 
me an email "offline".

-Peter

-- 
http://www.peter-kuehnlein.net

"There is dignity in personal appearance. There is dignity in a calm aspect. There is dignity in a paucity of words. There is dignity in flawlessness of manners. There is dignity in solemn behavior. And there is dignity in deep insight and a clear perspective."
(Hagakure)

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/corpora/attachments/20060727/9d151be2/attachment.htm>