anyone wanna talk about Karl Popper?

[grayrace]

I finished reading the Open Society and its Enemies a little while ago. I also read Wittgensteins Poker. WHICH IS A VERY FUNNY BOOK. It'll also give you background in Viennies Philosophy pre WWII.

[HawkerHurricane]

1. Popper's theorom...

Which I learned in Science class...

"If there are no circumstances that can disprove your theory, then there are no ways to prove your theory either. And if cannot be disproven, it is not science."

[grayrace]

2. guess what?

the theorem of falsifiability itself can not be falsified, therefor in cannot be scientific. But remember popper always maintained that scientific theories can be wrong and non-scientific ones COULD be right. Its an interesting conundrum.

[DrBB]

3. Nice to have the precise formulation

...of one of the most important principles in epistemology, along with Occam's Razor: Species should not be needlessly multiplied ("species" in the logician's sense of course). Thanks!

I've often wanted to tatoo Popper's theorem on the foreheads of "scientific creationists." Since it is obviously incapable of penetrating their thick skulls, at least it could serve as a reminder to others. "Impossible to disprove" is the opposite of scientific, idiots!

[grayrace]

4. Popper's views on evolution were nonstandard certainly

he actually believed all this "natural selection leads to higher forms" was to deterministic. Whats to stop naturaly selection from allowing a lower from from rising up. You know like the reagen revolution?

[Snow]

5. This guy is the patron saint of my field,

epidemiology. Odd one, eh, but there you are. A few years ago our annual society meetings even had seminars and half-day sessions on Popper.

[grayrace]

6. ya would think reading him that people SHOULDN'T be prone to obsession

but...

[HereSince1628]

15. Interesting, in my epi-training John Snow was the patron saint...

That isn't intended to demean Popper who was undoubtedly a very important philosopher for several generations of empirical scientists. His ideas came up repeatedly in my training.

But you just really have to respect a guy who single (pump-)handledly
can stop an epidemic in its track. A glorious story of the power of rational consideration of available data. I have always held that close to me while working as a surveillanc epidemiologist and as a sanitarian.

[Snow]

16. No, Snow is, ummmm, not Yahweh but maybe Buddha or Lao-tzu

but it wasn't the broad street pump handle that was his masterpiece, IMHO - it was the research on the three water companies. That was the foundation of the field. You could argue on Broad Street he was "riding to glory on the downslope of the epidemic curve".

[creativelcro]

7. Yup, it makes it clear that there is no point in

discussing things that cannot be falsified. For example, god and the like. People are free to believe them, but talking about it and trying to reach an "agreement" is a waste of time. Basically, it always ends up being a rationalization of some social control interest a class of group has.

[Bobby Digital]

8. this is way off

Popper never said it was pointless to discuss non-scientific things--that's more like a Wittgenstein thing to say.

[creativelcro]

12. I did not say Popper said it.

but one could make such an inference. Obviously, Wittgenstein would agree with that inference.

[grayrace]

11. see post number 2

[legin]

9. A nice little intro to Popper

is by Bryan Magee for the Fontana Modern Masters series (british).

It is a very easy to read philosophy book and has been read twice by Margaret Thatcher I believe.

[grayrace]

10. did you hear about Magee getting sued for slander?

comes out he said it was common knowledge among london philosophy circles that one of Bertrand Russels aids in his big foundation/peace/antinuclear thing was a CIA plant.

[legin]

13. New one to me grayrace

but interesting.

[grayrace]

14. found the link

Bertrand Russell aide wins libel damages

The court was told the book had claimed that many people believed Schoenman had been “planted on Bertrand Russell by the CIA with the mission of discrediting him internationally and that is what occurred as a direct result of his handling of Bertrand Russell”.

Mr Justice Morland also heard that Magee described Schoenman, who now lives in San Francisco, as “An appallingly sinsister figure, like an evil dwarf out of Wagner’s Ring, and his motivations were unquestionably calculated and manipulative.”