Smyslov_Fan wrote on 03/17/08 at 02:34:22:


Here I am trying to detail my knowledge of the larger archipelago and all I do is end up making an isthmus out of myself.



As for our current world crisis, don't blame me, I voted for physics.

"Physics still being the most successfull and influential branch of science of the last 200 years"

I'm intrigued by this.  I've always enjoyed physics but I've often heard that the biological sciences were the most successful in the past century or two.
I'm thinking about germ theory of medicine, genetics (and epigenetics), plus the very successful use of bio-chemistry in creating things like antibiotics, anesthetics, and vaccines.  Diseases were really only  treated for centuries but have only started getting cured in the past 150 years thanks to people like Salk.   

Physics has obviously grown at a phenomenal rate, but with the life expectancy growing several fold in certain parts of the globe in the past 100 years, its a tough call as to success.  I, personally, am rather impressed by Epidemiology's ability to save literally millions of lives over the past few generations.    And how does one measure 'success' in a field of science?  By greater clarification of ideas?  By providing solutions to problems?

Nietzsche

p.s. - How would Hume respond to modern particle physics since it almost completely lies well outside of phenomenological experience?

OstapBender wrote on 03/16/08 at 21:50:20:

Maybe you are right.  What do you think it means?

J-dog wrote on 03/16/08 at 20:58:03:

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

drkodos wrote on 03/16/08 at 18:35:21:


Being a simple teacher in physics I am scared to use words like "truth" and "reality". I don't really know what these mean. Physics only presents some mathematical models, which predict the outcome of experiments. Sometimes these predictions come true - again the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 1945 are convincing examples, sometimes not. But I doubt very much if physics presents the "truth" or explains "reality". Physics still being the most successfull and influential branch of science of the last 200 years I often wonder if the concepts "truth" and "reality" are useful.
Btw I am not of academic level as I never have finished university. I have studied political science for 1½ year.

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 03/16/08 at 15:37:28:


Except he was a Sicilian.  "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line."

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 03/16/08 at 15:43:52:

I think your grad. advisor's saying is more witty and poetic than true.  To me, we ARE that truth and to say it is unvailable is to say we are unavaible to ourselves, which is bizarre to me. Once you  access this Reality all this becomes apparent.

I think the holy grail has deep symbolism about this very topic: finding our Selves and thus the Truth.