Philosophy of Physical Science, Miscellaneous

The idea of science being the best – or the only – way to reach the truth about our cosmos has been a major belief of modern civilization. Yet, science has grown tall on fragile legs of clay. Every scientific theory uses axioms and assumptions that by definition cannot be proved. This poses a serious limitation to the use of science as a tool to find the truth. The only way to search for the latter is to redefine the former (...) to its original glory. In the days well before Galileo and Newton, science and religion were not separated. They worked together to discover the truth and while the latter had God as its final destination, the former had God as its starting point. Science is based on the irrational (unproven) belief that the world is intelligible along many other assumptions. This poses a serious limitation to science that can only be overcome if we accept the irrationality of the cosmos. The motto “Credo quia absurdum” holds more truth than one can ever realize at first glance. There is nothing logical in logic, whereas there is deep wisdom in the irrational. For while the former tries to build castles on moving sand, the latter digs deep inside the depths of existence itself in order to build on the most concrete foundations that there can be: the cosmos itself. The only way forward is backwards. Backwards to a time when religion led the quest for knowledge by accepting what we cannot know, rather than trying to comprehend what we do not. Science was anyway based on that in the first place. (shrink)

Physics is the best tool to investigate nature ("physics does it better") and philosophy, far from being a competitor, is a companion in its quest for knowledge ("so why be afraid of philosophy?"). In this article it is observed that the anti-philosophical positions within the modern scientific community come from misconceptions and that scientists can't be "against philosophy". As a conclusion, the expressions "laws of physics" and "laws of nature" are discussed.

We think of kinetic energy (KE) as a quantity possessed by rest mass in motion. But somehow electromagnetic (EM) radiation transports KE across space without any rest mass. In addition, a single photon passing through a double slit diffracts into multiple paths in space without affecting its KE. This is hard to explain. Quantum theories that confront the double slit problem do not address these two issues directly. The ontology of radiation KE is examined which leads to some new ideas (...) as to the nature of KE transmission by radiation. (shrink)

Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity was once the leading theory in theoretical physics. Unfortunately the theory describes macroscopic reality without a clear link with the the microcosm in respect to the properties of spacetime. However the theory of General Relativity has proved to predict macroscopic phenomena in a very accurate way. Nowadays most theoretical physicists use the conceptual framework of quantum theory. So it is not surprisingly that the question about the “true nature” of spacetime becomes very intrigue.

The force of gravity is the result of the creation of matter within vacuum space by the structure of the basic quantum fields. The scalar vectors of the flat Higgs field lost their symmetry and the result are scalar vectors from everywhere around in vacuum space that point in the direction of the created matter. Gravity shows to be a push force and is equal to Newtonian gravity (except the concept of a pull force).

Ignited by Einstein and Bohr a century ago, the philosophical struggle about Reality is yet unfinished, with no signs of a swift resolution. Despite vast technological progress fueled by the iconic EPR paper (EPR), the intricate link between ontic and epistemic aspects of Quantum Theory (QT) has greatly hindered our grip on Reality and further progress in physical theory. Fallacies concealed by tortuous logical negations made EPR comprehension much harder than it could have been had Einstein written it himself in (...) German. It is plagued with preconceptions about what a physical property is, the 'Uncertainty Principle', and the Principle of Locality. Numerous interpretations of QT vis à vis Reality exist and are keenly disputed. This is the first of a series of articles arguing for a physical interpretation called ‘The Ontic Probability Interpretation’ (TOPI). A gradual explanation of TOPI is given intertwined with a meticulous logico-philosophical scrutiny of EPR. Part I focuses on the meaning of Einstein’s ‘Incompleteness’ claim. A conceptual confusion, a preconception about Reality, and a flawed dichotomy are shown to be severe obstacles for the EPR argument to succeed. Part II analyzes Einstein’s ‘Incompleteness/Nonlocality Dilemma’. Future articles will further explain TOPI, demonstrating its soundness and potential for nurturing theoretical progress. (shrink)

The content of the manuscript represents a bold idea system, it is beyond the boundaries of all existing knowledge but the method of reasoning and logic is also very strict and scientific. The purpose of the manuscript is to unify the natural categories (natural philosophy, natural geometry, quantum mechanics, astronomy,…), and to open a new direction for most other sciences. Abstract of the manuscript: About Philosophy: • Proved the existence of time and non-dilation. • Proved that matter is always motionless (...) in space. • Conclusion that space is energy. • … About Mathematics: • Solved the squaring the circle problem(a millennium problem). • Using the equation to calculate speed of light is 471.000.000 m/s • … About Physics : • Explained the nature of gravity. • Explained dark energy, spin value of Nucleon. • Explained matter and antimatter. • …. (shrink)

Defined are gravitational formulas in terms of Planck units and units of $\hbar c$. Mass is not assigned as a constant property but is instead treated as a discrete event defined by units of Planck mass with gravity as an interaction between these units, the gravitational orbit as the sum of these mass-mass interactions and the gravitational coupling constant as a measure of the frequency of these interactions and not the magnitude of the gravitational force itself. Each particle that is (...) in the mass-state (defined by a unit of Planck mass) per unit of Planck time is directly linked to every other particle also in the mass-state by a discrete unit of $m_P v^2 r = \hbar c$, the velocity of a gravitational orbit is summed from these individual $v^2$. As this approach presumes a digital time, it is suitable for use in programming Simulation Hypothesis models. As this link is responsible for the particle-particle interaction it is analogous to the graviton. Orbital angular momentum of the planetary orbits derives from the sum of the planet-sun particle-particle orbital angular momentum irrespective of the angular momentum of the sun itself and the rotational angular momentum of a planet includes particle-particle rotational angular momentum. (shrink)

Over 40 years ago, I put forward a new philosophy of science based on the argument that physics, in only ever accepting unified theories, thereby makes a substantial metaphysical presupposition about the universe, to the effect it possesses an underlying unity. I argued that a new conception of scientific method is required to subject this problematic presupposition to critical attention so that it may be improved as science proceeds. This view has implications for the study of the metaphysics of science. (...) The view has however been ignored by recent contributions to the field. I indicate broader implications of the view, and consider reasons why the view has been neglected. (shrink)

Cele mai multe experimente au confirmat relativitatea generală cu ajutorul tehnologiilor nou dezvoltate. S-a creat o bază tehnologică pentru astronomia undelor gravitaționale. S-au construit antene barogene criogenice și antene interferometrice laser performante, asociate cu analiza teoretică a experimentelor cu masele de testare, rezultând că sensibilitatea experimentelor depinde de izolarea termică, dacă dispozitivul înregistrează continuu coordonatele sensibilitatea antenei este limitată, și se poate crește sensibilitatea dacă se folosesc proceduri cuantice. Antenele pot ajuta în observarea radiației gravitaționale de fond și testarea relativității (...) generale în cazul ultra-nelinar. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.34549.63200. (shrink)

Previzualizare carte -/- Cartea explorează principalele teme și teorii ale științei și filozofiei contemporane a științei, evidențiind întrebările fascinante și provocatoare actuale din știință în generală și filosofia științei, cu accent pe metodele științifice. O mare parte din înțelegerea noastră provine din cercetarea fundamentală bazată pe curiozitate. Acest lucru duce la opțiuni pentru progres tehnologic care nu au fost planificate sau, uneori, nici măcar imaginate. Investigaţia ştiinţifică este cea care corespunde metodei ştiinţifice, un proces al cărui scop este evaluarea cunoştinţelor (...) empirice. În sens mai larg, cuvântul ştiinţă deseori descrie orice domeniu de studiu sistematic sau cunoştinţele căpătate în urma acestui studiu. Filosofia științei caută o înțelegere profundă a ceea ce înseamnă această metodologie care stă la baza cercetării, și dacă cunoașterea obținută este sau nu reală. Subiectele abordate includ informații generale despre știință (comunitatea științifică, practica științifică, cunoașterea științifică, fenomene științifice), istoria științei (istoria fizicii în particular, filosofia naturală, revoluția științifică), clasificări științifice (taxonomii, clasificarea în matematică, fizică și biologie), cercetarea științifică (instrumente științifice, argumente, literatura științifică, etica în cercetare), teorii științifice (legi științifice), filosofia științei (școli de gândire, limitările cognitive, filosofia fizicii, filosofia spațiului și timpului, filosofia tehnologiei, filosofia inteligenței artificiale), metode științifice acceptate în filosofia științei (modelarea științifică, raţionamentul inductiv, predicţii, problema demarcației, falsificabilitatea, pseudoștiința). -/- CUPRINS: -/- 1. Știința - - - Ce este ştiinţa? - - - Metode științifice - - - - - - Matematica și științele formale - - - Comunitatea științifică - - - - - - Ramuri și domenii - - - - - - Instituţii - - - - - - Literatura - - - Practica științifică - - - - - - Cercetarea fundamentală și aplicată - - - - - - Cercetarea în practică - - - - - - Impactul practic al cercetării științifice - - - - - - Femeile în știință - - - - - - Politica științei - - - - - - Perspectivele media - - - - - - Utilizarea politică - - - - - - Știința și publicul - - - Filosofia ştiinţei - - - - - - Certitudine și știință - - - - - - Pseudoştiinţă, știință marginală, și știință falsă - - - Clasificarea ştiinţelor - - - Cunoașterea științifică - - - - - - Definirea cunoaşterii în filosofie - - - - - - Comunicarea cunoașterii - - - - - - Cunoașterea situată - - - - - - Cunoașterea parțială - - - - - - Cunoașterea științifică - - - - - - Semnificația religioasă a cunoașterii - - - - - - - - - Ca o măsură de religiozității (în sociologia religiei) - - - Fenomene științifice - - - - - - Folosirea filosofică modernă - - - - - - Științific - - - - - - Mecanic - - - - - - Grup și social - - - Știința și tehnologia - - - - - - Știință, inginerie și tehnologie - - - Știința și arta - - - Știința și religia - - - - - - Perspective - - - - - - Perspective ale comunității științifice - - - Critici ale științei - - - - - - Critici filosofice - - - - - - - - - Epistemologia - - - - - - - - - Prejudecăți cognitive și de publicare în cadrul științei - - - - - - - - - Reproductibilitatea - - - - - - - - - Etica 2. Istoria științei - - - Culturile timpurii - - - - - - Africa - - - - - - Orientul Apropiat timpuriu - - - - - - Antichitatea greco-romană - - - - - - India - - - - - - China - - - În Evul Mediu - - - - - - Imperiul Bizantin - - - - - - Lumea islamică - - - - - - Europa de Vest - - - Impactul științei în Europa - - - - - - Epoca iluminării - - - - - - Romantismul în știință - - - Istoria fizicii - - - - - - Fizica în antichitate - - - - - - Fizica în Evul Mediu - - - - - - Fizica în sec. XVI-VIII - - - - - - Fizica în sec. XIX - - - - - - Fizica în sec. XX - - - - - - Știința modernă - - - - - - - - - Stiințele naturii - - - - - - - - - - - - Fizică - - - - - - - - - - - - Chimie - - - - - - - - - - - - Geologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Astronomie - - - - - - - - - - - - Biologie și medicină - - - - - - - - - - - - Ecologie - - - - - - - - - Stiințele sociale - - - - - - - - - - - - Politologia - - - - - - - - - - - - Lingvistica - - - - - - - - - - - - Economia - - - - - - - - - - - - Psihologia - - - - - - - - - - - - Sociologia - - - - - - - - - - - - Antropologia - - - - - - - - - Discipline emergente - - - - - - Disciplină academică - - - - - - - - - Teorii și sociologia istoriei științei - - - - - - - - - Situația multor inovatori științifici - - - Filosofia naturală - - - - - - Originea și evoluția termenului - - - - - - Domeniul de aplicare al filosofiei naturale - - - - - - Ramurile și conținutul filosofiei naturale - - - Revoluția științifică - - - - - - Introducere - - - - - - - - - Semnificaţie - - - - - - Metoda științifică - - - - - - - - - Empirism - - - - - - - - - Știința baconiană - - - - - - - - - Experimentarea științifică - - - - - - - - - Matematizarea - - - - - - - - - Filosofia mecanică - - - - - - - - - Instituţionalizarea - - - - - - Noi idei - - - - - - - - - Astronomie - - - - - - - - - - - - Heliocentrism - - - - - - - - - - - - Gravitația 3. Clasificări științifice - - - Discipline ştiinţifice - - - - - - Ştiințele naturii - - - - - - - - - Ştiinţele fizice - - - - - - - - - - - - Fizica - - - - - - - - - - - - Chimia - - - - - - - - - - - - Ştiinţa Pământului - - - - - - - - - - - - Ecologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Oceanografie - - - - - - - - - - - - Geologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Meteorologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Știința spațială sau astronomia - - - - - - - - - Știința vieții - - - - - - - - - - - - Biologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Zoologie - - - - - - - - - - - - Biologie umana - - - - - - - - - - - - Botanică - - - - - - Stiintele sociale - - - - - - Științele formale - - - - - - - - - Teoria deciziei - - - - - - - - - Logica - - - - - - - - - Matematica - - - - - - - - - Statistica - - - - - - - - - Teoria sistemelor - - - - - - - - - Informatica teoretică - - - - - - Stiința aplicată - - - Taxonomii - - - - - - Aplicații - - - - - - Istorie - - - - - - Utilizarea taxonomiilor în diverse discipline - - - - - - - - - Taxonomii în ingineria software - - - - - - - - - - - - Taxonomiile de testare software - - - - - - - - - Taxonomii în publicarea cercetărilor - - - - - - Relațiile este-un și are-un - - - Matematica - - - Fizica - - - - - - Istorie - - - - - - - - - Astronomia antică - - - - - - - - - Filosofia naturală - - - - - - - - - Fizica în lumea islamică medievală - - - - - - - - - Fizica clasică - - - - - - - - - Fizica modernă - - - - - - Fizica și filosofia - - - - - - Teorii de bază în fizică - - - - - - - - - Fizica clasică - - - - - - - - - Fizica modernă - - - - - - - - - Diferența între fizica clasică și fizica modernă - - - - - - Cercetarea în fizică - - - - - - - - - Metode științifice - - - - - - - - - Teorie și experiment - - - - - - Domenii de aplicare și obiective - - - - - - - - - Domenii de cercetare - - - - - - - - - Direcții de dezvoltare - - - - - - - - - Direcții actuale de cercetare - - - - - - Ramuri ale fizicii - - - - - - - - - Mecanica clasică - - - - - - - - - Termodinamica si mecanica statistică - - - - - - - - - Electromagnetismul - - - - - - - - - Relativitatea - - - - - - - - - Mecanica cuantică - - - - - - - - - Domenii interdisciplinare - - - Clasificarea biologică - - - - - - Definiție - - - - - - Tipuri biologice - - - - - - Clasări taxonomice - - - Evoluția - - - - - - Mecanisme - - - - - - - - - Selecția naturală - - - - - - - - - Mutația favorizantă - - - - - - - - - Deriva genetică - - - - - - - - - Auto-stopul genetic - - - - - - - - - Fluxul de gene - - - Cosmologia - - - - - - Discipline - - - - - - - - - Cosmologie fizică - - - - - - - - - Cosmologia religioasă sau mitologică - - - - - - - - - Cosmologia filosofică 4. Cercetarea - - - Definiții - - - Forme de cercetare - - - Cercetarea științifică - - - Metoda istorică - - - Pași în cercetare - - - Metode de cercetare - - - - - - Controverse privind metoda de cercetare - - - Etica cercetării - - - Probleme în cercetare - - - - - - Metode de cercetare - - - - - - Lingvism - - - - - - Publicarea recenziilor - - - - - - Influența mișcării de acces deschis - - - - - - Perspective viitoare - - - Instrumente științifice - - - - - - Istorie - - - - - - Domeniu - - - - - - Era digitală - - - Investigații - - - - - - Surse clasice - - - - - - - - - Deducția - - - - - - - - - Inducţia - - - - - - - - - Abducția - - - - - - Investigaţii criminale - - - Declarații - - - - - - Declarația ca o entitate abstractă - - - Argumente - - - - - - Formal și informal - - - - - - Tipuri standard - - - - - - - - - Argumente deductive - - - - - - - - - Argumente inductive - - - Extragerea cunoașterii - - - - - - Privire de ansamblu - - - - - - Exemple - - - - - - - - - Legarea entităților - - - - - - - - - Baze de date relaționale RDF - - - - - - Extragerea din surse structurate în RDF - - - - - - - - - 1:1 Maparea din tabele/vizionări RDB în entități/atribute/valori RDF - - - - - - - - - Mapări complexe ale bazelor de date relaționale RDF - - - - - - - - - XML - - - - - - - - - Metode/Instrumente - - - - - - Extracția din surse naturale de limbaj - - - - - - - - - Extracție de informații (EI) tradițională - - - - - - - - - Extracția de informații bazată pe ontologie (EIBO) - - - - - - - - - Învățarea ontologiei - - - - - - - - - Adnotare semantică - - - - - - - - - Instrumente - - - - - - Descoperirea de cunoștințe - - - Literatura științifică - - - - - - Tipuri de publicații științifice - - - - - - Articole științifice - - - - - - - - - Preparare - - - - - - - - - Comunicarea clară și factorul de impact - - - - - - - - - Structura și stilul - - - - - - Evaluarea colegilor - - - - - - Etica - - - Etica în cercetare - - - - - - Coduri și politici pentru etica cercetării 5. Teorii științifice - - - Teorii - - - Teorii științifice - - - - - - Caracteristici - - - - - - - - - Criterii esențiale - - - - - - - - - Alte criterii - - - - - - - - - Definiții ale organizațiilor științifice - - - - - - Structura teoriilor științifice - - - - - - Formarea - - - - - - Revizuirea și îmbunătățirea - - - - - - - - - Unificarea - - - - - - - - - Exemplu: Relativitatea - - - - - - Teorii și legi - - - - - - Despre teorii - - - - - - - - - Teoriile ca axiome - - - - - - - - - Teoriile ca modele - - - - - - - - - - - - Diferențele dintre teorie și model - - - - - - - - - Presupuneri în formularea teoriilor - - - - - - Descrieri - - - - - - - - - Karl Popper - - - - - - - - - Analogii și metafore - - - - - - În fizică - - - Legi științifice 6. Filosofia științei - - - Introducere - - - - - - Definirea științei - - - - - - Explicația științifică - - - - - - Justificarea științei - - - - - - Observație inseparabilă de teorie - - - - - - Scopul științei - - - - - - Valori și știință - - - Istoria - - - - - - Pre-modernă - - - - - - Modernă - - - - - - Pozitivismul logic - - - - - - Thomas Kuhn - - - Abordări curente - - - - - - Ipoteze axiomatice - - - - - - Coerentism - - - - - - Orice e bun - - - - - - Sociologia cunoașterii științifice - - - - - - Filosofia continentală - - - Alte subiecte - - - - - - Reductionism - - - - - - Responsabilitatea socială - - - Filosofia științelor particulare - - - - - - Filosofia statisticii - - - - - - Filosofia matematicii - - - - - - Filosofia fizicii - - - - - - Filosofia chimiei - - - - - - Filosofia științei Pământului - - - - - - Filosofia biologiei - - - - - - Filosofia medicinei - - - - - - Filosofia psihologiei - - - - - - Filosofia psihiatriei - - - - - - Filosofia economiei - - - - - - Filosofia științelor sociale - - - Școli de gândire în filosofia științei - - - - - - Certitudine și știință - - - - - - Pseudoştiinţă, știință marginală, și știință falsă - - - Limitările cognitive filosofice - - - - - - Colin McGinn - - - - - - Friedrich Hayek - - - - - - John Tyndall - - - - - - Noam Chomsky - - - - - - Fenomene și obiecte și evenimente care nu se pot simți (numene) - - - - - - Noi misterieni - - - Filosofia fizicii - - - - - - Filosofia spațiului și timpului - - - - - - - - - Timp - - - - - - - - - Călătoria în timp - - - - - - - - - Spaţiu - - - - - - Filosofia mecanicii cuantice - - - - - - - - - Interpretarea Everett - - - - - - - - - Principiul incertitudinii - - - Filosofia inteligenței artificiale - - - - - - Poate o mașină să aibă o inteligență generală? - - - - - - - - - Inteligența - - - - - - - - - - - - Testul Turing - - - - - - - - - - - - Definirea agentului inteligent - - - - - - - - - Argumente că o mașină poate avea inteligență generală - - - - - - - - - - - - Creierul poate fi simulat - - - - - - - - - - - - Gândirea umană este procesarea simbolurilor - - - - - - - - - - - - Argumente împotriva procesării simbolurilor - - - - - - - - - - - - Argumente anti-mecanistice gödeliene - - - - - - - - - - - - Dreyfus: primatul abilităților inconștiente - - - - - - Poate o mașină să aibă minte, conștiință și stări mentale? - - - - - - - - - Conștiință, minte, stări mentale, înțeles - - - - - - - - - Argumente că un computer nu poate avea minte și stări mentale - - - - - - - - - - - - Camera chineză a lui Searle - - - - - - - - - - - - Argumente înrudite: moara lui Leibniz, schimbul de telefon a lui Davis, națiunea chineză a lui Block și Blockhead - - - - - - - - - - - - Răspunsuri la camera chineză - - - Filosofia spațiului și timpului - - - - - - Abordări antice și medievale - - - - - - Realism și anti-realism - - - - - - Absolutism și relaționalism - - - - - - - - - Leibniz și Newton - - - - - - - - - Mach - - - - - - - - - Einstein - - - - - - Convenţionalism - - - - - - Structura spațiu-timpului - - - - - - - - - Relativitatea simultaneității - - - - - - - - - Invarianță vs. covarianță - - - - - - - - - Cadre istorice - - - - - - - - - Găuri - - - - - - Direcția timpului - - - - - - - - - Soluție de cauzalitate - - - - - - - - - Soluție termodinamică - - - - - - - - - Soluții legice - - - - - - Flux temporal - - - - - - Dualități - - - - - - Presentismul și eternismul - - - - - - Endurantismul și perdurantismul - - - Filosofia tehnologiei - - - - - - Istorie - - - - - - - - - Filosofia greacă - - - - - - - - - Secolul al 19-lea - - - - - - - - - Secolul 20 - - - - - - - - - Filosofia contemporană - - - - - - - - - Tehnologie și neutralitate - - - Emergența - - - - - - În filosofie - - - - - - - - - Definiții 7. Metode științifice - - - Istorie - - - Prezentare generală - - - - - - Procesul - - - - - - - - - Formularea unei întrebări - - - - - - - - - Ipoteza - - - - - - - - - Predicția - - - - - - - - - Testarea - - - - - - - - - Analiza - - - - - - Exemplu ADN-ului - - - - - - Alte componente - - - - - - - - - Replicarea - - - - - - - - - Examinarea externă - - - - - - - - - Înregistrarea și partajarea datelor - - - Investigații științifice - - - - - - Proprietățile cercetării științifice - - - - - - Credințe și prejudecăți - - - Elementele metodelor ştiinţifice idealizate - - - Elemente ale metodei științifice - - - - - - Caracterizări - - - - - - Incertitudine - - - - - - Definire - - - - - - Caracterizări ale ADN - - - - - - Un alt exemplu: precesiunea lui Mercur - - - - - - Dezvoltarea ipotezelor - - - - - - - - - Ipoteza ADN - - - - - - Predicții din ipoteze - - - - - - - - - Predicții ADN - - - - - - - - - Un alt exemplu: relativitatea generală - - - - - - Experimente - - - - - - - - - Experimente ADN - - - - - - Evaluare și îmbunătățire - - - - - - - - - Iterații ADN - - - - - - Confirmarea - - - Modele de cercetare științifică - - - - - - Modelul clasic - - - - - - Modelul ipotetico-deductiv - - - - - - Modelul pragmatic - - - Știința sistemelor complexe - - - Comunicarea și comunitatea - - - - - - Evaluarea colegială (inter pares) - - - - - - Documentarea și replicarea - - - - - - Arhivarea - - - - - - Partajarea datelor - - - - - - Limitări - - - - - - Dimensiunile practicii - - - Filosofia și sociologia științei - - - - - - Rolul hazardului în descoperire - - - Relația cu matematica - - - - - - Relația cu statistica - - - - - - Logica argumentării științifice - - - Aspecte ale metodelor ştiinţifice - - - - - - Observaţia - - - - - - Ipoteza - - - - - - Predicţia - - - - - - Verificarea - - - - - - Evaluarea - - - - - - Alte aspecte ale metodelor ştiinţifice - - - Modelarea științifică - - - - - - Prezentare generală - - - - - - Elementele fundamentale ale modelării științifice - - - - - - - - - Modelarea ca înlocuitor pentru măsurarea și experimentarea directă - - - - - - - - - Simularea - - - - - - - - - Structura - - - - - - - - - Sisteme - - - - - - - - - Generarea unui model - - - - - - - - - Evaluarea unui model - - - - - - - - - Vizualizarea - - - Raţionamentul inductiv - - - - - - Raționamentul inductiv vs. raționamentul deductiv - - - - - - Critici - - - - - - - - - Prejudecăţi - - - - - - Tipuri de raționament inductiv - - - - - - - - - Generalizare - - - - - - - - - Silogismul statistic - - - - - - - - - Inducția simplă - - - - - - - - - Argumentul din analogie - - - - - - - - - Inferența cauzală - - - - - - - - - Predicția - - - - - - Inferența bayesiană - - - - - - Inferența inductivă - - - Măsurători - - - - - - Analiza dimensională - - - Referinţe - - - - - - Etimologie și semnificații - - - - - - Semantică - - - - - - - - - Sens - - - - - - - - - Referent absent - - - - - - - - - Semnul lingvistic - - - - - - Informatică - - - - - - Biblioteci și știința informației - - - - - - Psihologie - - - - - - Școala - - - - - - Lege - - - - - - Artă - - - Date - - - - - - Date, informații, cunoaștere și înțelepciune - - - - - - În alte domenii - - - Baze de date guvernamentale - - - - - - Uniunea Europeană - - - Metadate - - - - - - Definiție - - - Statistici - - - - - - Domeniu - - - - - - - - - Statistica matematică - - - - - - - - - Prezentare generală - - - Predicţii - - - - - - Predicţii informale pe bază de ipoteze - - - - - - Sondaje de opinie - - - - - - Statistici - - - - - - Supranaturalul (profeţii) - - - - - - Predicţia în ştiinţă - - - - - - Finanţe - - - Problema demarcației - - - - - - Știința greacă antică - - - - - - Pozitivismul logic - - - - - - Falsificabilitatea - - - - - - Postpozitivismul - - - - - - Feyerabend și Lakatos - - - - - - Thagard - - - - - - Unele perspective ale istoricilor - - - - - - Laudan - - - - - - Semnificaţie - - - Falsificabilitatea - - - - - - Prezentare generală - - - - - - Falsificarea naivă - - - - - - - - - Două tipuri de declarații: observaționale și categorice - - - - - - - - - Inferența categorică inductivă - - - - - - - - - - - - Falsificarea deductivă - - - - - - Falsificaționism - - - - - - Criteriul de demarcare - - - - - - - - - Verificaționism - - - - - - - - - Utilizarea în instanțe judecătorești - - - - - - Critici - - - - - - - - - Filosofi contemporani - - - - - - - - - Kuhn și Lakatos - - - - - - - - - Feyerabend - - - - - - - - - Sokal și Bricmont - - - - - - - - - Economie - - - - - - - - - Evoluţie - - - - - - - - - Creaționismul biblic - - - - - - - - - Istoricism - - - - - - - - - Matematică - - - - - - Citate - - - Științe marginale - - - - - - Descriere - - - - - - Exemple - - - - - - - - - Istoric - - - - - - - - - Teorii contemporane - - - - - - - - - Științe marginale acceptate ulterior ca științele prncipale - - - - - - Opinii - - - - - - - - - Controverse - - - Pseudoștiința - - - - - - Ştiinţa şi pseudoştiinţa - - - - - - - - - Metodologie ştiinţifică - - - - - - - - - Falsificabilitatea - - - - - - - - - Normele Merton - - - - - - - - - Refuzul de a recunoaşte problemele - - - - - - - - - Critica termenului - - - - - - Identificarea pseudoştiinţei - - - - - - - - - Concepte - - - - - - - - - Utilizarea unor revendicări vagi, exagerate sau netestabile - - - - - - - - - Supra-încrederea mai degrabă în confirmare decât în respingere - - - - - - - - - Lipsa de deschidere pentru testare de către alți experți - - - - - - - - - Lipsa progresului - - - - - - - - - Personalizarea problemelor - - - - - - - - - Utilizarea limbajului înșelător - - - - - - Granițele dintre știință și pseudoștiință - - - Ştiinţa patologică Referințe Despre autor - - - Nicolae Sfetcu - - - - - - De același autor - - - - - - Contact Editura - - - MultiMedia Publishing. 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The notion of so-called "postulated ontology" appears in the context of a well- -known thesis of the underdetermination of scientific theories by empirical data. It is argued in the paper, that the conviction of the existence of some kind of relation between a given theory and ontological ideas can be derived from this thesis, regardless of its particular form. Therefore, certain solutions to classical philosophical questions can be obtained, in principle, by careful inspection of scientific achievements. However, if the thesis (...) of underdetermination holds, such philosophical solutions are not imposed by science itself. In order to arrive at some kind of ontology based on science, it seems necessary to accept certain philosophical presuppositions in the first place. This, and the fact that scientific theories change in time show that although such a kind of ontology is possible, and perhaps desirable, it can never be ultimate. (shrink)

Modern science began as natural philosophy, an admixture of philosophy and science. It was then killed off by Newton, as a result of his claim to have derived his law of gravitation from the phenomena by induction. But this post-Newtonian conception of science, which holds that theories are accepted on the basis of evidence, is untenable, as the long-standing insolubility of the problem of induction indicates. Persistent acceptance of unified theories only in physics, when endless equally empirically successful disunified rivals (...) are available, means that physics makes a persistent, problematic metaphysical assumption about the universe: that all disunified theories are false. This assumption, precisely because it is problematic, needs to be explicitly articulated within physics, so that it can be critically assessed and, we may hope, improved. The outcome is a new conception of science—aim-oriented empiricism—that puts science and philosophy together again, and amounts to a modern version of natural philosophy. Furthermore, aim-oriented empiricism leads to the solution to the problem of induction. Natural philosophy pursued within the methodological framework of aim-oriented empiricism is shown to meet standards of intellectual rigour that science without metaphysics cannot meet. (shrink)

An academic enterprise that sought to promote human welfare rationally would give intellectual priority to tackling problems of living, including global problems, and would take the basic aim to be to seek and promote wisdom. Universities today, devoted to the pursuit of knowledge - insofar as they are not devoted to money - when judged from the standpoint of promoting human welfare, betray reason, and as a result betray humanity. Why? Because a bad philosophy of inquiry is built into the (...) intellectual/institutional structure of universities all over the world. Philosophers are, unfortunately, blind to this widespread adoption of an irrational, damaging philosophy of inquiry. They fail to appreciate that the basic aim of academia ought to be wisdom, and not just knoweldge. Despite the fact that "philosophy" means "love of wisdom", academic philosophers reveal in their blindness to their proper task, that they do not love wisdom. (shrink)

GianCarlo Ghirardi passed away on June 1st, 201. He would have turned 83 on October 28, 2018. He was without any doubt one of the most prominent theoretical physicists working on the foundation and the philosophy of quantum mechanics. In this paper I review some of his achievements and underline how his research influenced the philosophy of physics community.

I have read many recent discussions of the limits of computation and the universe as computer, hoping to find some comments on the amazing work of polymath physicist and decision theorist David Wolpert but have not found a single citation and so I present this very brief summary. Wolpert proved some stunning impossibility or incompleteness theorems (1992 to 2008-see arxiv dot org) on the limits to inference (computation) that are so general they are independent of the device doing the computation, (...) and even independent of the laws of physics, so they apply across computers, physics, and human behavior. They make use of Cantor's diagonalization, the liar paradox and worldlines to provide what may be the ultimate theorem in Turing Machine Theory, and seemingly provide insights into impossibility, incompleteness, the limits of computation, and the universe as computer, in all possible universes and all beings or mechanisms, generating, among other things, a non- quantum mechanical uncertainty principle and a proof of monotheism. There are obvious connections to the classic work of Chaitin, Solomonoff, Komolgarov and Wittgenstein and to the notion that no program (and thus no device) can generate a sequence (or device) with greater complexity than it possesses. One might say this body of work implies atheism since there cannot be any entity more complex than the physical universe and from the Wittgensteinian viewpoint, ‘more complex’ is meaningless (has no conditions of satisfaction, i.e., truth-maker or test). Even a ‘God’ (i.e., a ‘device’with limitless time/space and energy) cannot determine whether a given ‘number’ is ‘random’, nor find a certain way to show that a given ‘formula’, ‘theorem’ or ‘sentence’ or ‘device’ (all these being complex language games) is part of a particular ‘system’. -/- Those wishing a comprehensive up to date framework for human behavior from the modern two systems view may consult my book ‘The Logical Structure of Philosophy, Psychology, Mind and Language in Ludwig Wittgenstein and John Searle’ 2nd ed (2019). Those interested in more of my writings may see ‘Talking Monkeys--Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Religion and Politics on a Doomed Planet--Articles and Reviews 2006-2019 2nd ed (2019) and Suicidal Utopian Delusions in the 21st Century 4th ed (2019) . (shrink)

Diese Schrift enthält eine Reihe von sieben Artikeln, in der es um die Beziehung der Wissenschaften zu aufgeklärten, liberalen Formen religiöser Vorstellungen geht. Im Gegensatz zu verbreiteten Ansichten zumal des vorigen Jahrhunderts führt die moderne Naturwissenschaft zu einer zwar weitgehenden, aber prinzipiell nicht vollständigen Erklärung der Wirklichkeit. Sie kann die Rätselhaftigkeit der Welt für uns Menschen nicht aufheben; die Grundfähigkeiten des menschlichen Denkens sind schließlich nicht nur Gegenstand der Wissenschaft, sondern auch Voraussetzungen jeder wissenschaftlichen Tätigkeit. Auf der „meta-theoretischen“, nämlich der (...) philosophischen, kulturellen und religiösen Ebene bleibt die Welt mehrdeutig; wir dürfen und können wählen. Nach meiner Ansicht sprechen dabei Weisheit und Lebenskunst für eine pro-religiöse Einstellung; verbindlich kann und soll sie aber nicht sein. Die Artikel folgen dieser Gedankenspur. Sie sind voneinander unabhängig entstanden, sollen auch unabhängig lesbar sein und sind dazu als Volltext einbezogen. Etwas an Wiederholungen in der Reihe ist so nicht zu vermeiden, und dafür bitte ich um Nachsicht. Am Beginn steht eine kurze Antwort des Autors zur Frage „Was ist der Mensch?“, welche die Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften etwa achtzig Personen gestellt hat. Es folgt ein Artikel zur biologischen Entstehung der höheren geistigen Fähigkeiten unserer Spezies „Mensch“, insbesondere der kognitionsgestützten Empathie. Zentraler Aspekt ist in den weiteren Überlegungen das menschliche Bewusstsein; es gibt prinzipielle, erkenntnistheoretisch robuste Gründe gegen die Möglichkeit einer vollständigen naturwissenschaftlichen Erklärung. Schon der geniale mittelalterliche Theologe Meister Eckhart hat den Urgrund des menschlichen Bewusstseins als göttlich angesehen. Unter den modernen Naturwissenschaftlern gehe ich exemplarisch auf Wolfgang Pauli ein, der neben Physik und Logik besonders die psychischen Voraussetzungen wissenschaftlicher Entdeckungen betont. Im Bezug auf Religion zeigte er Sympathie für östliche Gedankenwelten, liebte Schopenhauer, der den Buddhismus für westliche Denker wieder entdeckt hatte. Sodann erkläre ich meine Gründe für pro-religiösen „metaphysischen Optimismus“ – das göttliche Heil ist für Alle da - und das nicht nur im Kontext des Christentums. Nach diesem mehr persönlichen Artikel (ohne Zitate!) schließe ich mit einer systematischen Analyse von Aspekten moderner Biologie, die verschiedene, sowohl agnostische wie auch pro-religiöse Deutungen ermöglichen, und argumentiere für Offenheit der Erörterung. -/- The basic issue of this book on “Science, the enigma of consciousness, and pro-religious ideas” is the relation of modern science that encompasses, among its topics, its own intrinsic limitations, to enlightened, liberal versions of religion. The relation allows for more than one logically consistent interpretation on the “metatheoretical“, that is on the philosophical and cultural level. This includes religious as well as agnostic views. Choices and preferences are mainly a matter of wisdom and art of living, and not just of knowledge, and this may lead us towards a pro-religious option. -/- . (shrink)

A ‘duality’ is a formal mapping between the spaces of solutions of two empirically equivalent theories. In recent times, dualities have been found to be pervasive in string theory and quantum field theory. Naïvely interpreted, duality-related theories appear to make very different ontological claims about the world—differing in e.g. space-time structure, fundamental ontology, and mereological structure. In light of this, duality-related theories raise questions familiar from discussions of underdetermination in the philosophy of science: in the presence of dual theories, what (...) is one to say about the ontology of the world? In this paper, we undertake a comprehensive and non-technical survey of the landscape of possible ontological interpretations of duality-related theories. We provide a significantly enriched and clarified taxonomy of options—several of which are novel to the literature. (shrink)

Aus dem vielfältigen Werk von Hermann von Helmholtz versammelt diese Ausgabe die im engeren Sinne philosophischen Abhandlungen, vor allem zur Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Erkenntnistheorie, sowie Vorträge und Reden, bei denen der Autor seine Ausnahmestellung im Wissenschaftsbetrieb nutzte, um die Wissenschaften und ihre Institutionen in der bestehenden Form zu repräsentieren und zu begründen. -/- Ein Philosoph wollte Helmholtz nicht sein, aber er legte der philosophischen Reflexion wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnis und wissenschaftlichen Handelns große Bedeutung bei. Vor allem bezog er, in der Regel ausgehend von (...) seinen fachwissenschaftlichen Forschungen, in den verschiedensten Kontexten zu erkenntnistheoretischen und methodologischen Problemen der Wissenschaften Stellung. Bereits »Ueber die Erhaltung der Kraft« (1847) lässt erkennen, wie verwoben naturwissenschaftliche Grundlagenforschung und philosophische Grundlagenreflexion in seinem Werk sind. Die aus den frühen sinnesphysiologischen Forschungen hervorgegangene empiristische Wahrnehmungslehre trug ihm den Ruf ein, ein maßgeblicher Vertreter des Neukantianismus zu sein. Spätere Arbeiten v.a. zur Geometrie und Arithmetik – das zeigt die vorliegende Ausgabe – stellen jedoch eine radikale Absage an den konstitutiven Kern des Kantianismus (nämlich die Existenz synthetischer Urteile a priori) dar. -/- Helmholtz’ philosophische Beiträge sind bisher in ihrer Vollständigkeit nicht annähernd so gut zugänglich wie sein naturwissenschaftliches Werk. Die Ausgabe enthält außerdem bibliographische Vorberichte zur Einordnung, detaillierte Namens- und Sachregister sowie mit 575 Einträgen für den Zeitraum zwischen 1842 und 2012 die erste umfassende Bibliographie von Helmholtz verfasster Werke überhaupt. -/- »Ich glaube, dass der Philosophie nur wieder aufzuhelfen ist, wenn sie sich mit Ernst und Eifer der Untersuchung der Erkenntnissprocesse und der wissenschaftlichen Methode zuwendet. Da hat sie eine wirkliche und berechtigte Aufgabe.« Helmholtz in einem Brief um 1875. (shrink)

I argue that the best interpretation of the general theory of relativity has need of a causal entity, and causal structure that is not reducible to light cone structure. I suggest that this causal interpretation of GTR helps defeat a key premise in one of the most popular arguments for causal reductionism, viz., the argument from physics.

The Emergic Cognitive Model (ECM) is a unified computational model of visual filling-in based on the Emergic Network architecture. The Emergic Network was designed to help realize systems undergoing continuous change. In this thesis, eight different filling-in phenomena are demonstrated under a regime of continuous eye movement (and under static eye conditions as well). -/- ECM indirectly demonstrates the power of unification inherent with Emergic Networks when cognition is decomposed according to finer-grained functions supporting change. These can interact to raise (...) additional emergent behaviours via cognitive re-use, hence the Emergic prefix throughout. Nevertheless, the model is robust and parameter free. Differential re-use occurs in the nature of model interaction with a particular testing paradigm. -/- ECM has a novel decomposition due to the requirements of handling motion and of supporting unified modelling via finer functional grains. The breadth of phenomenal behaviour covered is largely to lend credence to our novel decomposition. -/- The Emergic Network architecture is a hybrid between classical connectionism and classical computationalism that facilitates the construction of unified cognitive models. It helps cutting up of functionalism into finer-grains distributed over space (by harnessing massive recurrence) and over time (by harnessing continuous change), yet simplifies by using standard computer code to focus on the interaction of information flows. Thus while the structure of the network looks neurocentric, the dynamics are best understood in flowcentric terms. Surprisingly, dynamic system analysis (as usually understood) is not involved. An Emergic Network is engineered much like straightforward software or hardware systems that deal with continuously varying inputs. Ultimately, this thesis addresses the problem of reduction and induction over complex systems, and the Emergic Network architecture is merely a tool to assist in this epistemic endeavour. -/- ECM is strictly a sensory model and apart from perception, yet it is informed by phenomenology. It addresses the attribution problem of how much of a phenomenon is best explained at a sensory level of analysis, rather than at a perceptual one. As the causal information flows are stable under eye movement, we hypothesize that they are the locus of consciousness, howsoever it is ultimately realized. (shrink)

Der Verzicht auf absolut gültige Erkenntnis, heute in den Naturwissenschaften beinahe schon selbstverständlich, ist erst jüngeren Datums. Noch im vergangenen Jahrhundert zweifelte die experimentelle Forschung kaum an der vollkommenen Begreifbarkeit der Welt. Diesen Wandel zu erkunden und aufzuzeigen ist Thema der vorliegenden Studie. Der erste Teil präsentiert verschiedene Typen neuzeitlicher und moderner Wissenschaftsauffassungen von Galilei über Newton bis hin zu Kant. Im zweiten Teil werden Entwicklung und Wandel der Wissenschafts- und Naturauffassung bei Helmholtz (1821-1895) erstmals mittels detaillierter Textanalysen einer umfassenden (...) Rekonstruktion unterzogen. Die Relativierung des Wahrheitsanspruchs erlaubt es Helmholtz, seine Naturauffassung trotz der antimechanistischen Kritik innerhalb der Physik, die im letzten Viertel des vergangenen Jahrhunderts laut wurde, als Hypothese aufrechtzuerhalten. Auch gewährt die Studie eine neue Sichtweise des Verhältnisses zwischen Helmholtz und Kant, das in der Vergangenheit kontroverse Beurteilungen erfuhr. (shrink)

In my book Understanding Scientific Progress, I argue that fundamental philosophical problems about scientific progress, above all the problem of induction, cannot be solved granted standard empiricism (SE), a doctrine which most scientists and philosophers of science take for granted. A key tenet of SE is that no permanent thesis about the world can be accepted as a part of scientific knowledge independent of evidence. For a number of reasons, we need to adopt a rather different conception of science which (...) I call aim-oriented empiricism (AOE). This holds that we need to construe physics as accepting, as a part of theoretical scientific knowledge, a hierarchy of metaphysical theses about the comprehensibility and knowability of the universe, these theses becoming increasingly insubstantial as we go up the hierarchy. Fundamental philosophical problems about scientific progress, including the problems of induction, theory unity, verisimilitude and scientific discovery, which cannot be solved granted SE, can be solved granted AOE. In his review of Understanding Scientific Progress, Moti Mizrahi makes a number of criticisms, almost all of which are invalid in quite elementary ways. (shrink)

The concept of similar systems arose in physics, and appears to have originated with Newton in the seventeenth century. This chapter provides a critical history of the concept of physically similar systems, the twentieth century concept into which it developed. The concept was used in the nineteenth century in various fields of engineering, theoretical physics and theoretical and experimental hydrodynamics. In 1914, it was articulated in terms of ideas developed in the eighteenth century and used in nineteenth century mathematics and (...) mechanics: equations, functions and dimensional analysis. The terminology physically similar systems was proposed for this new characterization of similar systems by the physicist Edgar Buckingham. Related work by Vaschy, Bertrand, and Riabouchinsky had appeared by then. The concept is very powerful in studying physical phenomena both theoretically and experimentally. As it is not currently part of the core curricula of STEM disciplines or philosophy of science, it is not as well known as it ought to be. (shrink)

It is amazing that a person who has worked in Pharmacy his career (Meijer) founded (almost at the end of his career) the solution to the mind-brain problem!!! He has published papers related to the domain of Pharmacy, but INCREDIBLE just now he furnished us the solution to the mind-brain problem!

An abstract in English is included in the download. Wolfgang Pauli war einer der Grossen unter den Physikern des 20. Jahrhunderts, nicht ganz so berühmt wie Heisenberg und Einstein, aber annähernd ebenso bedeutend. Er war es, der bei der Entwicklung der Quantenphysik das sogenannte Ausschließungsprinzip entdeckte und damit den Weg zu unserem physikalischen Grundverständnis der ganzen Chemie eröffnete. Seine Gedanken galten aber auch hintergründigen wissenschaftsphilosophischen Fragen, und die gängigen Auffassungen über die Rolle von Vernunft und Materialismus in der Naturwissenschaft waren (...) ihm zu eng. Er betonte vielmehr, dass wissenschaftliches Verständnis immer wesentlich auch psychisch ist, dass das erlebte Glücksgefühl, welches mit einer Entdeckung verbunden ist, entscheidendes Motiv ist, dass dabei Ordnungen der Natur mit Urbildern unserer Psyche verknüpft werden, und dass eine sinnvolle Weltsicht zwar auch, aber nicht nur durch abendländisches Vernunftdenken zustande kommen kann; er strebte nach einer Verbindung mit einem gefühlten Einheitsdenken in der Tradition der östlichen asiatischen Kulturen. Abschliessend betont der Artikel, wie vielseitig überhaupt die Gedanken der Begründer der modernen Physik im 20. Jahrhundert in Bezug auf Grundfragen des religiösen Denkens waren. (shrink)

In this essay we analyze the question of the origin of purpose. Due to the overwhelming success of science in explaining phenomena, it is often asked, when, and how science could explain purpose and consciousness by use of purely mechanical laws. Here I argue that such a reduction is impossible.

Many realists argue that present scientific theories will not follow the fate of past scientific theories because the former are more successful than the latter. Critics object that realists need to show that present theories have reached the level of success that warrants their truth. I reply that the special theory of relativity has been repeatedly reinforced by unconceived scientific methods, so it will be reinforced by infinitely many unconceived scientific methods. This argument for the special theory of relativity overcomes (...) the critics’ objection, and has advantages over the no-miracle argument and the selective induction for it. (shrink)

Special relativity has changed the fundamental view on space and time since Einstein introduced it in 1905. It substitutes four dimensional spacetime for the absolute space and time of Newtonian mechanics. It is believed that the validities of Lorentz invariants are fully confirmed empirically for the last one hundred years and therefore its status are canonical underlying all physical principles. However, spacetime metric is a geometric approach on nature when we interpret the natural phenomenon. A geometric flaw on this will (...) be exhibited and the alternative is suggested. The reasonable geometric model of space and time is a three dimensional space which is translating along the time direction. This model legitimately represents the true characteristic of nature. (shrink)

In this work we show that our self-awareness and perception may be successfully explained using two dimensional holistic structures with closed topology embedded into our brains - elastic membranes. These membranes are able to preserve their structure during conscious processes. Their elastic oscillations may be associated with our perceptions, where the frequency of the oscillations is responsible for the perception of different colors, sounds and other stimuli, while the amplitude of the oscillations is responsible for the feeling of a distance. (...) According to the model the squeezed regions of a membrane correspond to the brain zones involved into awareness and attention. The model may be useful for prediction, explanation and interpretation of various conscious phenomena. (shrink)

The General Relativity understands gravity like inertial movement of the free fall of the bodies in curved spacetime of Lorentz. The law of inertia of Newton would be particular case of the inertial movement of the bodies in the spacetime flat of Euclid. But, in the step, from general to particular, breaks the law of inertia of Galilei since recovers apparently the rectilinear uniform movement but not the repose state, unless the bodies have undergone their collapse, although, the curved spacetime (...) becomes flat and the curved geodesies becomes straight lines. For General Relativity is a natural law, within of a gravitational field, the accelerated movement of the bodies, that leads to that a geometric curvature puts out to the bodies in such geodesic movement. In this paper this error of General Relativity, like generalization of the law of inertia of Galilei, is examined and it is found that it is caused by suppression of mass and force that allows conceiving acceleration like property of spacetime. This is a mathematical and non-ontological result. Indeed, mass and force are the fundament that the gravitational acceleration is independent of the magnitude of mass of the bodies but gravity not of the mass and the gravitational force. The action of the gravity force, on inertial and gravitational masses of a body, produces mutual cancellation during its free fallen but too its weight when this cease. By means of the third law of Newton it shows that gravity is a force since weight is caused by gravity. (shrink)

Although Whitehead’s particular style of philosophizing--looking at traditional philosophical problems in light of recent scientific advances--was part of a trend that began with the scientific revolutions in the early 20th century and continues today, he was marginalized in 20th century philosophy because of his outspoken defense of what he was doing as “metaphysics.” Metaphysics, for Whitehead, is a cross-disciplinary hermeneutic responsible for coherently integrating the perspectives of the special sciences with one another and with everyday experience. The program of such (...) a meta-discipline is challenging to philosophical orthodoxy because it enlarges, rather than narrows, the range of empirical evidence that philosophy must acknowledge. This places Whitehead’s philosophy in a perennial tradition that seeks to resolve fundamental antinomies through synthesis and reconciliation rather than reduction or elimination. (shrink)

The authors survey some debates about the nature and structure of physical theories and about the connections between our physical theories and naturalized metaphysics. The discussion is organized around an “ideal view” of physical theories and criticisms that can be raised against it. This view includes controversial commitments regarding the best analysis of physical modalities and intertheory relations. The authors consider the case in favor of taking laws as the primary modal notion, discussing objections related to alleged violations of the (...) laws, the apparent need to appeal to causality, and the status of probability. The “ideal view” includes a commitment that fundamental physical theories are explanatorily sufficient. The authors discuss several challenges to recovering the manifest image from fundamental physics, along with a distinct challenge to reductionism based on acknowledging the contributions of less fundamental theories in physical explanations. (shrink)

the same procedure that is in ancient Greece philosophy is reveal in the history of physics. the path from realism to idealism. in ...

General Relativity defines gravity like the metric of a Lorentzian manifold. Einstein formulated spacetime as quality structural of gravity, i.e, circular definition between gravity and spacetime, also Einstein denoted "Space and time are modes by which we think, not conditions under which we live" and “We denote everything but the gravitational field as matter”, therefore, spacetime is nothing and gravity in first approximation an effect of coordinates, and definitely a geometric effect. The mathematical model generates quantitative predictions coincident in high (...) grade with observations without physical meaning. Philosophy intervened: in Substantivalism, spacetime exists in itself while in Relationalism as metrical relations. But, it does not know what spacetime. The outcomes of model have supported during a century, validity of the General Relativity, interpreted arbitrarily. Einstein formulated, from quadrupoles of energy, the formation of ripples in spacetime propagating as gravitational waves abandoned, in 1938, when he said that they do not exist. LIGO announced the first detection of gravitational waves from a pair of merging black holes. They truly are waves of quantum vacuum. (shrink)

In the standard model of cosmology, λCDM, were introduced to explain the anomalies of the orbital velocities of galaxies in clusters highest according estimated by General Relativity the dark matter and the accelerated expansion of the universe the dark energy. The model λCDM is based in the equations of the General Relativity that of the total mass-energy of the universe assigns 4.9% to matter (including only baryonic matter), 26.8%, to dark matter and 68.3% to dark energy adjusted according observed in (...) Planck mission, therefore, excluding bosonic matter (quantum vacuum). However, the composition of dark matter and dark energy are unknown. Due to that it lacks of a correct physical theory of gravity since General Relativity is only their powerful equations, which in their applications, their results are interpreted arbitrarily. Properties as curvature, viscous fluid, dragging frame and gravity action are attributed mistakenly to the spacetime by the materialist substantivalism, the most credible philosophical interpretation that complements the General Relativity, caused by its absence of physical definition of spacetime and static gravitational field as immaterial, but which violates, the conception of gravity as an effect of coordinates of the generalization of the inertial motion to the accelerated motion and, in particular, the description of the metric tensor of gravity as a geometric field. These properties are really of the quantum vacuum, the main existence form of the matter. In this paper we propose that the quantum vacuum is the source of dark matter and dark energy, therefore, the components of the quantum vacuum are of them. Both are opposite effects of the quantum vacuum that when gravitationally interacts with the cosmic structures, the vacuum it curves and when such interaction tends to cease by declination of the formation of these structures, occurring since near five milliard of years ago, vacuum it maintains quasi plane, since it interacts gravitationally very weakly with itself, accelerating expansion of the universe. (shrink)

This is a scanned draft of my very early work, not completed due to the loss of the original electronic version. The gravitational constant G has been a subject of interest for more than two centuries. Precise measurements indicate that it is equal to 6.673(10)xl0-11 m^3/kgs^2, with relative standard uncertainty of 1.5x10-3. The need for such constant is discussed. Various systems of units of measure have emerged since Newton, and none of them is both practical, and useful in theoretical research. (...) The relevance of a metric system that only has length and time as base units is analysed, and such system proposed. As a result, much higher clarity of physical quantities is achieved. The gravitational and electric constants can be eliminated to become non-dimensional, which results in elimination of the kilogram of mass and the Coulomb of charge in favour of the same composite unit for both physical quantities being m^3/s^2. The system offers a great advantage to General Relativity where only space-time units can be used. (shrink)

This paper attempts to decipher what we really mean when we use the word "Science" by briefly exploring the criterion of "predictive power" with respect to the demarcation problem. It is essentially an articulation of Lakatos' view of Science and attempts to show that predictive power is quintessential to science.

The General Relativity understands gravity like inertial movement of the free fall of the bodies in curved spacetime of Lorentz. The law of inertia of Newton would be particular case of the inertial movement of the bodies in the spacetime flat of Euclid. But, in the step, of the particular to the general, breaks the law of inertia of Galilei since recovers the rectilinear uniform movement but not the repose state, unless the bodies have undergone their union, although, the curved (...) spacetime becomes flat and the curved geodesies becomes straight lines. For General Relativity is a natural law, within of a gravitational field, the uniform accelerated movement of the bodies, that leads to that a geometric curvature puts out to the bodies of the repose state for animate them of the movement of free fallen. In this paper this error of General Relativity, like generalization of the law of inertia of Galilei, is examined and it is found that it is caused by suppression of mass and force that allows conceiving acceleration like property of spacetime. This is a mathematical and non-ontological result. Indeed, mass and force are the fundament that the gravitational acceleration is a constant value for all the bodies, independently of the magnitude of mass but not of the mass and the gravitational force. The action of the gravity force, on inertial and gravitational masses of a body, produces mutual cancellation during its free fallen. In addition, by means of the third law of Newton it demonstrates that gravity is a force since weight is caused by gravity force. (shrink)

ONE of the most celebrated mathematical physicists, Pierre-Simon Laplace is often remembered as the mathematician who showed that despite appearances, the Solar System does conform to Newton’s theories. Together with distinguished scholars Robert Fox and Ivor Grattan-Guinness, Charles Gillispie gives us a new perspective, showing that Laplace did not merely vindicate Newton’s system, but had a uniquely creative and independent mind.

Imre Lakatos' views on the philosophy of mathematics are important and they have often been underappreciated. The most obvious lacuna in this respect is the lack of detailed discussion and analysis of his 1976a paper and its implications for the methodology of mathematics, particularly its implications with respect to argumentation and the matter of how truths are established in mathematics. The most important themes that run through his work on the philosophy of mathematics and which culminate in the 1976a paper (...) are (1) the (quasi-)empirical character of mathematics and (2) the rejection of axiomatic deductivism as the basis of mathematical knowledge. In this paper Lakatos' later views on the quasi-empirical nature of mathematical theories and methodology are examined and specific attention is paid to what this view implies about the nature of mathematical argumentation and its relation to the empirical sciences. (shrink)

We urgently need to bring about a revolution in the aims and methods of science – and of academic inquiry more generally. Instead of giving priority to the search for knowledge, universities need to devote themselves to seeking and promoting wisdom by rational means, wisdom being the capacity to realize what is of value in life, for oneself and others, wisdom thus including knowledge, understanding and technological know-how, but much else besides. A basic task ought to be to help humanity (...) learn how to create a better world. Acquiring scientific knowledge dissociated from a more basic concern for wisdom, as we do at present, is dangerously and damagingly irrational. (shrink)

This paper argues that there is no good reason to suppose that the current physical laws represent the end of the road for science. Taking due account of experience, and especially mystical experience, may lead to an extension of science involving a synthesis of scientific and spiritual knowledge.

In modern philosophy of nature the World is unified and holistic. Cosmic Universe and Human History, microcosm and macrocosm, inorganic and living matter coexist and form a unique unity manifested in multiple forms. The Physical and the Mental constitute the form and the content of the World. The world does not consist of subjects and objects, the “subject” and the “object” are metaphysical abstractions of the single and indivisible Wholeness. Man’s finite knowledge separates the Whole into parts and studies fragmentarily (...) the beings. The Wholeness is manifested in multiple forms and each form encapsulates the Wholeness. The rational explanation of the excerpts and the intuitive apprehension of the Wholeness are required to combine and create the open thought and the holistic knowledge. This means that the measurement should be defined by the ''measure'', but the responsibility for determining the ''measure'' depends on the man. This requires that man overcomes the anthropocentric arrogance and the narcissistic selfishness and he joins the Cosmic World in a friendly and creative manner. (shrink)

I argue that Galileo regarded unaccelerated motion as requiring cause to sustain in. In an inclined plane experiment, the cause ceases when the incline ceases. When the incline ceases, what ceases is acceleration, not motion. Hence, unaccelerated motion requires no cause to sustain it.

We ordinarily assume that we have reliable knowledge of our immediate surroundings, so much so that almost all the time we entrust our lives to the truth of what we take ourselves to know, without a moment’s thought. But if, as Karl Popper and others have maintained, all our knowledge is conjectural, then this habitual assumption that our common sense knowledge of our environment is secure and trustworthy would seem to be an illusion. Popper’s philosophy of science, in particular, fails (...) to do justice to the distinction we ordinarily draw between secure knowledge and mere conjecture. But Popper’s philosophy of science, in particular his attempted solution to the problem of induction, is defective. It fails to take into account that physics, in only accepting unified theories, even though endlessly empirically more successful disunified rivals are always available, makes the persistent metaphysical assumption that all disunified theories are false. Once this point is acknowledged, it becomes clear that a new conception of scientific method is required which sees science as making a hierarchy of metaphysical assumptions concerning the comprehensibility and knowability of the universe. This provides a framework of relatively unproblematic assumptions and associated methods of science within which much more problematic assumptions and associated methods can be critically assessed and improved. This hierarchical view seems at first to intensify the problem of distinguishing certainty from conjecture, in that it emphasizes that scientific knowledge, and even humble common sense knowledge, contain usually unacknowledged cosmological conjectures. But actually it explicates the basis we have for drawing the distinction between trustworthy knowledge and mere conjecture, and even goes some way towards providing a rationale for this distinction, in so far as one exists. (shrink)