Immediate perception is good, except for
We need a “Plan B”
Idea represented by
Both aim to Separate Essence from Accident
It is common that philosophers disagree on their reasoning
They start from different hypotheses
They use the same words with different meanings
Their logic may not be solid
Hypothesis are clearly defined
Meaning of words are clearly defined
Uses well defined logic
Math is not about nature
It is all imaginary
Math only exists in our minds
Rational thinking chemically pure
Feelings are not important, but truth feels good
Beauty is not important, but truth is beautiful
Abstraction disconnects from details
The priority of our organism is
So fast and instinct decisions are automatic
Instead of thinking, we “guess” or “ask someone else”
We take a shortcut
“My dad is always right”
Most of our knowledge comes from other people
Our parents
Our professors
Books
Scientific papers
Authority
Medieval/feudal point of view
“Aristotle was the most intelligent man,
he must have
been right”
Knowledge is in “The Books”
Catholic church was built on this premise
“The boss is always right about everything”
This approach just delays the question
If our knowledge comes from someone else,
how did they know what is true?
In medieval times, his theories were taken as truth
He was indeed a smart person, but…
“Males have more teeth than females in the case of men, sheep, goats, and swine; in the case of other animals observations have not yet been made”
he said
“History of Animals” by Aristotle
“Do Men Have More Teeth? (Aristotle Was Wrong; You Could
Be, Too)” by Grayson Quay
“All material is a mix of these four elements”
For example
People believed that Earth was inside crystal spheres
Excess or deficiency of any of four distinct bodily fluids (humors) influences temperament and health
Used until the 19th century to “heal” people
“Although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives’ mouths.”
Bertrand Russell
“To the Greeks of Aristotle’s time, and for two thousand years afterward, scientific truth was best discovered and expressed by deducing the nature of things from a set of self-evident premises.”
Neil Postman in “Amusing Ourselves to Death”
What other things are believed by smart people despite evidence on the contrary?
The age of discoveries showed that the old books did not have all answers
What about America?
What about Australia?
The Truth is Out There