Glen, 

 

There is another solution to suicidal skepticism which Is to embrace scientism 
but broaden the definition of science.  This, I think, is CSPeirce's way.  We 
define good thought as any thought that will, in the fullness of time ... the 
very, very fullness of time .. be agreed upon.  Good thought is thought that, 
once and for all, assuages doubt.  By doubt, here, I don't mean entertained 
doubt.  I mean doubt sufficiently profound that one cannot, when one needs to, 
pursue any course of action.  REAL doubt.  Paralyzing doubt.

 

Now, science is defined as that method, that will be agreed, in the very long 
run to produce good thinking.  

 

Notice that this way out of the scientism debate concedes that a value lies at 
the bottom of scientismicists’  affection for science ... the assuaging of REAL 
doubt.  

 

Therefore, I stipulate that anybody who embraces REAL doubt as a way of life is 
NOT going to be happy with this solution.  

 

Nick 

 

PS to Glen:  The seas seem to have stopped pitching for a bit.  

 

Nicholas S. Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology

Clark University

http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Friam [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of u?l? ?
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2018 2:35 PM
To: FriAM <[email protected]>
Subject: [FRIAM] What's so bad about Scientism?

 

by Moti Mizrahi

 <https://philpapers.org/archive/MIZWSB.pdf> 
https://philpapers.org/archive/MIZWSB.pdf

 

Given that many of my disagreements with the local atheists hinge on their 
cultish and non-skeptical acceptance of scientific results and me, therefore, 
accusing them of "scientism", I found this article helpful.  In this forum, we 
talk a lot about how science journalism reports results (hyped or not even 
wrong).  But even *if* a "Science News fanboi" does a good job parsing the 
difference between the journalism and the actual content of a journal article, 
there are still plenty of caveats to any lab, research project, or entire 
domain that can color its produce.  So, I tend toward cynicism when reading any 
science whatsoever.

 

That said, I think I *am* guilty of something like this _Weak Scientism_, for 
better or worse.

 

--

☣ uǝlƃ

 

============================================================

FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv

Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe  
<http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com> 
http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com

FRIAM-COMIC  <http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/> 
http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove

Reply via email to