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At Least in Biophysical Novelties Amihud Gilead
The Twilight of Determinism: At Least in Biophysical Novelties Amihud Gilead Department of Philosophy, Eshkol Tower, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838 Email: [email protected] Abstract. In the 1990s, Richard Lewontin referred to what appeared to be the twilight of determinism in biology. He pointed out that DNA determines only a little part of life phenomena, which are very complex. In fact, organisms determine the environment and vice versa in a nonlinear way. Very recently, biophysicists, Shimon Marom and Erez Braun, have demonstrated that controlled biophysical systems have shown a relative autonomy and flexibility in response which could not be predicted. Within the boundaries of some restraints, most of them genetic, this freedom from determinism is well maintained. Marom and Braun have challenged not only biophysical determinism but also reverse-engineering, naive reductionism, mechanism, and systems biology. Metaphysically possibly, anything actual is contingent.1 Of course, such a possibility is entirely excluded in Spinoza’s philosophy as well as in many philosophical views at present. Kant believed that anything phenomenal, namely, anything that is experimental or empirical, is inescapably subject to space, time, and categories (such as causality) which entail the undeniable validity of determinism. Both Kant and Laplace assumed that modern science, such as Newton’s physics, must rely upon such a deterministic view. According to Kant, free will is possible not in the phenomenal world, the empirical world in which we 1 This is an assumption of a full-blown metaphysics—panenmentalism—whose author is Amihud Gilead. See Gilead 1999, 2003, 2009 and 2011, including literary, psychological, and natural applications and examples —especially in chemistry —in Gilead 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014a–c, and 2015a–d. -
The Political and Social Philosophy of Auguste Comte
THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY OF AUGUSTE COMTE. BY HARRY ELMER BARNES. I. LIFE AND WORKS. IT was one hundred years in May of this year since Auguste Comte pubHshed the famous prospectus of his comprehensive social philosophy under the title of Plan dcs travaux scientifiques ncccssaires pour reorganiser la societe} In the century which has passed many one-sided philosophies of society have been proposed and many incomplete schemes of social reform propounded. Many writers in recent years have, however, tended to revert to the position of Comte that we must have a philosophy of society which includes a consideration of biological, psychological and historical factors, and a program of social reform which will provide for an increase both in technical efficiency and in social morale.- Further, there has also developed a wide-spread distrust of the "pure" democracy of the last century and a growing feeling that we must endeavor more and more to install in positions of political and social power that intellectual aristocracy in which Comte placed his faith as the desirable leaders in the reconstruction of European society.'' In the light of the above facts a brief analysis of the political and social philosophy of Comte may have practical as well as historical interest to students of philosophy and social science. Auguste Comte ws born in MontpelHer in 1798, and received his higher education at the Ecole Polytcchnique. During six years 1 See the brief article on this matter in the American Journal of Sociology, January, 1922, pp. 510-13. - See Publications of the American Sociological Society, 1920, pp. -
The Epistemology of Evidence in Cognitive Neuroscience1
To appear in In R. Skipper Jr., C. Allen, R. A. Ankeny, C. F. Craver, L. Darden, G. Mikkelson, and R. Richardson (eds.), Philosophy and the Life Sciences: A Reader. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. The Epistemology of Evidence in Cognitive Neuroscience1 William Bechtel Department of Philosophy and Science Studies University of California, San Diego 1. The Epistemology of Evidence It is no secret that scientists argue. They argue about theories. But even more, they argue about the evidence for theories. Is the evidence itself trustworthy? This is a bit surprising from the perspective of traditional empiricist accounts of scientific methodology according to which the evidence for scientific theories stems from observation, especially observation with the naked eye. These accounts portray the testing of scientific theories as a matter of comparing the predictions of the theory with the data generated by these observations, which are taken to provide an objective link to reality. One lesson philosophers of science have learned in the last 40 years is that even observation with the naked eye is not as epistemically straightforward as was once assumed. What one is able to see depends upon one’s training: a novice looking through a microscope may fail to recognize the neuron and its processes (Hanson, 1958; Kuhn, 1962/1970).2 But a second lesson is only beginning to be appreciated: evidence in science is often not procured through simple observations with the naked eye, but observations mediated by complex instruments and sophisticated research techniques. What is most important, epistemically, about these techniques is that they often radically alter the phenomena under investigation. -
Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Chemistry
Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Chemistry Jaap van Brakel Abstract: In this paper I assess the relation between philosophy of chemistry and (general) philosophy of science, focusing on those themes in the philoso- phy of chemistry that may bring about major revisions or extensions of cur- rent philosophy of science. Three themes can claim to make a unique contri- bution to philosophy of science: first, the variety of materials in the (natural and artificial) world; second, extending the world by making new stuff; and, third, specific features of the relations between chemistry and physics. Keywords : philosophy of science, philosophy of chemistry, interdiscourse relations, making stuff, variety of substances . 1. Introduction Chemistry is unique and distinguishes itself from all other sciences, with respect to three broad issues: • A (variety of) stuff perspective, requiring conceptual analysis of the notion of stuff or material (Sections 4 and 5). • A making stuff perspective: the transformation of stuff by chemical reaction or phase transition (Section 6). • The pivotal role of the relations between chemistry and physics in connection with the question how everything fits together (Section 7). All themes in the philosophy of chemistry can be classified in one of these three clusters or make contributions to general philosophy of science that, as yet , are not particularly different from similar contributions from other sci- ences (Section 3). I do not exclude the possibility of there being more than three clusters of philosophical issues unique to philosophy of chemistry, but I am not aware of any as yet. Moreover, highlighting the issues discussed in Sections 5-7 does not mean that issues reviewed in Section 3 are less im- portant in revising the philosophy of science. -
Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge
....... CONJECTURES sense similar to that in which processes or things may be said to be parts of the world; that the world consists of facts in a sense in which it may be said to consist of (four dimensional) processes or of (three dimensional) things. They believe that, just as certain nouns are names of things, sentences are names of facts. And they sometimes even believe that sentences are some- thing like pictures of facts, or that they are projections of facts.7 But all this is mistaken. The fact that there is no elephant in this room is not one of the processes or parts ofthe world; nor is the fact that a hailstorm in Newfound- 10 land occurred exactIy I I I years after a tree collapsed in the New Zealand bush. Facts are something like a common product oflanguage and reality; they are reality pinned down by descriptive statements. They are like abstracts from TRUTH, RATIONALITY, AND THE a book, made in a language which is different from that of the original, and determined not only by the original book but nearly as much by the principles GROWTH OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE of selection and by other methods of abstracting, and by the means of which the new language disposes. New linguistic means not only help us to describe 1. THE GROWTH OF KNOWLEDGE: THEORIES AND PROBLEMS new kinds of facts; in a way, they even create new kinds of facts. In a certain sense, these facts obviously existed before the new means were created which I were indispensable for their description; I say, 'obviously' because a calcula- tion, for example, ofthe movements of the planet Mercury of 100 years ago, MY aim in this lecture is to stress the significance of one particular aspect of carried out today with the help of the calculus of the theory of relativity, may science-its need to grow, or, if you like, its need to progress. -
Causality and Determinism: Tension, Or Outright Conflict?
1 Causality and Determinism: Tension, or Outright Conflict? Carl Hoefer ICREA and Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Draft October 2004 Abstract: In the philosophical tradition, the notions of determinism and causality are strongly linked: it is assumed that in a world of deterministic laws, causality may be said to reign supreme; and in any world where the causality is strong enough, determinism must hold. I will show that these alleged linkages are based on mistakes, and in fact get things almost completely wrong. In a deterministic world that is anything like ours, there is no room for genuine causation. Though there may be stable enough macro-level regularities to serve the purposes of human agents, the sense of “causality” that can be maintained is one that will at best satisfy Humeans and pragmatists, not causal fundamentalists. Introduction. There has been a strong tendency in the philosophical literature to conflate determinism and causality, or at the very least, to see the former as a particularly strong form of the latter. The tendency persists even today. When the editors of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy asked me to write the entry on determinism, I found that the title was to be “Causal determinism”.1 I therefore felt obliged to point out in the opening paragraph that determinism actually has little or nothing to do with causation; for the philosophical tradition has it all wrong. What I hope to show in this paper is that, in fact, in a complex world such as the one we inhabit, determinism and genuine causality are probably incompatible with each other. -
Philosophy (PHIL) 1
Philosophy (PHIL) 1 Philosophy (PHIL) Courses PHIL 5210. Special Topics in Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours. Arranged each semester. Please consult the instructor. Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate. Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit. PHIL 5211. Intermediate Logic. 3 Credit Hours. This course will go through the soundness and completeness proofs for a first-order deductive system (i.e., the kind used in intro logic). The main goal of the course will be to deepen the students' understanding of logic by acquainting them with these formal results. But we'll also try to spend a little time on some philosophical issues (e.g., what, if anything, does logic have to do with reasoning). Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate. Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits. PHIL 5216. Philosophy of Science. 3 Credit Hours. Basic issues in the current philosophy of science, and particularly various accounts of such key notations of science as hypotheses, confirmation, laws, causation, explanation, and theories. Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate. Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits. PHIL 5217. Feminist Epistemology and the Philosophy of Science. 3 Credit Hours. This course explores the effects of gender on scientific creativity, method and decision making. Thomas Kuhn, in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), was one of the first to show that political, social and psychological factors affect scientific change. Feminist criticisms of science, developed over the last thirty years, are one way in which his views have been developed. -
Philosophy 1
Philosophy 1 for an Advanced Placement score of 4 or 5 in any discipline recognized PHILOSOPHY by the College. One unit of credit is awarded for a score of 6 or 7 on a Higher Level International Baccalaureate Examination in a liberal arts Philosophy is concerned with fundamental questions about the nature subject. One unit of credit is awarded for a score of A/A* or B on an A- of reality; the foundations of science, ethics and art; and the nature Level exam in a liberal arts subject. The College does not award credit and scope of human knowledge. Philosophy is actually the meeting for the IB Standard Exam or the AS-Level Exam. AP, IB, and A-Level credit place for all disciplines, for any discipline becomes philosophical once may be used to satisfy deficiencies and common area requirements. it begins seriously to examine its own methodology and fundamental Each academic department has its own policy regarding the use of presuppositions. Ultimately, philosophy is much more than the AP or IB credit for placement in courses and progress in the major. acquisition of a certain kind of knowledge. It is the ability to think The Department Chair must also review the A-Level score to determine reflectively and to raise questions about problems that lie at the root placement in courses and progress in the major. See departmental of what might appear self-evident. The study of philosophy is therefore descriptions for further information. recommended to all students, regardless of their major. Jeffrey A. Bernstein, Ph.D., Professor and Chair Philosophy involves both systematic forms of inquiry and a prolonged reflection upon its own history. -
01. Pre-Socratic Cosmology and Plato I. Basic Issues (1) Metaphysical (A) What Do Things Consist Of? • One Substance (Monism) Socrates ("SOH-Kra-Teez") Died: 399 B.C
01. Pre-Socratic Cosmology and Plato I. Basic Issues (1) Metaphysical (a) What do things consist of? • one substance (monism) Socrates ("SOH-kra-teez") Died: 399 B.C. • many substances (pluralism) Problem of the One and the Many - How is diversity derived from unity? - How is unity derived from diversity? (b) What is the nature of change? (2) Epistemological (a) What is the nature of knowledge? (b) How is knowledge obtained? Three questions to keep in mind: 1. What counts as a "scientific" explanation of a phenomenon? • An account of the causes of the phenomenon? • An account that places the phenomenon within a larger explanatory framework? • An account of the phenomenon that indicates how it follows from basic laws of nature? 2. What counts as "scientific" knowledge? • Knowledge of causes, natural laws, and/or general physical principles? • Knowledge based on observation and inductive inference? • Knowledge that makes no appeal to supernatural causes? 3. What distinguishes a natural explanation from a supernatural explanation? • testability? • reliability? • accuracy? • repeatability? II. Pre-Socratics (~6th - 5th cent. B.C.) 1. Milesians and Monism (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes) Thales ("THAY-leez") ~585 B.C. • The Earth rests on water. • Water is the archê (source) of all things. • All things are full of gods. • The magnet has a soul. Anaximander ("Ah-NAX-ee-mander") ~550 B.C. • Monism based on "apeiron". • "apeiron" = the infinite/indeterminate/unlimited. • lacking in qualities (boundedness, determinateness, limits, etc). Possible motivation • Observable phenomena are constituted from earth, air, fire, water. • But the elements are opposed to each other. • Thus, there must be some basic neutral substratum devoid of qualities out of which everything, including the elements, is constituted. -
Aristotle's Anticommunism Author(S): Darrell Dobbs Source: American Journal of Political Science, Vol
Aristotle's Anticommunism Author(s): Darrell Dobbs Source: American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Feb., 1985), pp. 29-46 Published by: Midwest Political Science Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2111210 Accessed: 10/12/2010 23:50 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=mpsa. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Midwest Political Science Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Journal of Political Science. http://www.jstor.org Aristotle'sAnticommunism DarrellDobbs, Universityof Houston This essayexamines Aristotle's critical review of Plato's Republic,the focus of whichreview is restricted,surprisingly, to Socrates'communistic political institutions; Aristotle hardly men- tionsany of theother important themes developed in thedialogue. -
Discussion Notes for Aristotle's Politics
Sean Hannan Classics of Social & Political Thought I Autumn 2014 Discussion Notes for Aristotle’s Politics BOOK I 1. Introducing Aristotle a. Aristotle was born around 384 BCE (in Stagira, far north of Athens but still a ‘Greek’ city) and died around 322 BCE, so he lived into his early sixties. b. That means he was born about fifteen years after the trial and execution of Socrates. He would have been approximately 45 years younger than Plato, under whom he was eventually sent to study at the Academy in Athens. c. Aristotle stayed at the Academy for twenty years, eventually becoming a teacher there himself. When Plato died in 347 BCE, though, the leadership of the school passed on not to Aristotle, but to Plato’s nephew Speusippus. (As in the Republic, the stubborn reality of Plato’s family connections loomed large.) d. After living in Asia Minor from 347-343 BCE, Aristotle was invited by King Philip of Macedon to serve as the tutor for Philip’s son Alexander (yes, the Great). Aristotle taught Alexander for eight years, then returned to Athens in 335 BCE. There he founded his own school, the Lyceum. i. Aside: We should remember that these schools had substantial afterlives, not simply as ideas in texts, but as living sites of intellectual energy and exchange. The Academy lasted from 387 BCE until 83 BCE, then was re-founded as a ‘Neo-Platonic’ school in 410 CE. It was finally closed by Justinian in 529 CE. (Platonic philosophy was still being taught at Athens from 83 BCE through 410 CE, though it was not disseminated through a formalized Academy.) The Lyceum lasted from 334 BCE until 86 BCE, when it was abandoned as the Romans sacked Athens. -
Social Contract As Bourgeois Ideology Stephen C
Social Contract as Bourgeois Ideology Stephen C. Ferguson II John Rawls (Photo © Steve Pyke.) Since the publication of John Rawls’ magnum opus A Theory of Justice in 1971, there has been a significant resurgence of philosophical work in the tradition of contractarianism. The distinguished bourgeois political philosopher Robert Nozick has argued that A Theory of Justice is one of the most important works in political philosophy since the writings of John Stuart Mill. “Political philosophers,” Nozick concludes, “now must either work within Rawls’ theory or explain why.”1 It is not far from the truth that Rawls single-handedly not only gave life to analytical political philosophy, but also resuscitated contractarianism, a philosophical tradition that — in many respects — had been lying dormant in a philosophical coma. In fact, social contract theory has become the hegemonic tradition in liberal social and political philosophy. As the Afro-Caribbean My thanks for advice, guidance and/or invaluable criticism of earlier drafts to John H. McClendon III, Ann Cudd, Rex Martin, Tom Tuozzo, Robert J. Antonio and Tariq Al-Jamil. I would also like to extend a hearty thanks to Greg Meyerson and David Siar for their invaluable editorial comments. And, lastly, thanks to my wife, Cassondra, and my two sons, Kendall and Trey, for your unqualified love and support in times of tranquility as well as times of crisis. 1 Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia (New York: Basic Books, 1974): 183. Copyright © 2007 by Stephen C. Ferguson and Cultural Logic, ISSN 1097-3087 Ferguson 2 philosopher Charles Mills has put it, contract talk is, after all, the political lingua franca of our times.2 In this essay, we will examine the ideological character and theoretical content of contractrarianism as a philosophical tradition beginning with its classic exposition in the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and, finally, culminating in the work of John Rawls.