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In the sciences we tend to start from the assumption that what we measure is real. As a practical matter, that's fine, but there is no sound rational basis for
by 2muchcoffeeman 8y ago
In the sciences we tend to start from the assumption that what we measure is real. As a practical matter, that's fine, but there is no sound rational basis for that assumption. It's an unprovable assumption.
Can you show that what we measure is not real? If you can’t prove anything one way or the other, who cares? Why even bother with this line of thinking?
- pell 8y agoWhy exactly is 1 + 1 = 2? Yes, postmodernism is in a sense very theoretical and I would also say the word itself has been misused or used too broadly in ways, but the essense of it definitely is a step further from the previous default.
- 2muchcoffeeman 8y agoMaybe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principia_Mathematica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principia_Mathematica
- pell 8y agoGödel countered this with the incompleteness theorems. If you're interested, have a look here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/goedel-incompleteness/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/goedel-incompleteness/
- Alex3917 8y ago> Can you show that what we measure is not real? Yes, just buy any book on the epistemology of measurement.
- idontpost 8y ago> Can you show that what we measure is not real? Do you realize how nonsensical that question is? I cannot show by measurement that I cannot show things by measurement. It's tautological. Postmodernism doesn't assert that measurements aren't real. It asserts that we cannot know if they are. It is, in a sense, an extension of epistemological skepticism to its extreme conclusion.