Category Archives: Epistemology

Metaphysical determinism

There is a hypothesis called the Sapir-Whorf Thesis (also known as linguistic relativity) in language that one can only think what one’s language permits you to think, and indeed forces you to think. This idea that some conceptual scheme can … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, General Science, History, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Science, Sermon, Theories

Analytic thinking, religion and science – the rhetoric and the psychology

Over the past few decades there has been an increasingly large literature on styles of thinking and cognitive biases (to which I am grateful to Jocelyn Stoller, a reader of this blog, for introducing me) in psychology, culminating in the marvellous … Continue reading

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Filed under Cognition, Epistemology, Evolution, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Social evolution

The Knight’s Song, or What is a [scientific] theory?

“Or else it doesn’t, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks’ Eyes.’” “Oh, that’s the name of the song, is it?” Alice said, trying to feel interested. “No, you don’t understand,” the Knight said, looking a little … Continue reading

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Filed under Biology, Creationism and Intelligent Design, Ecology and Biodiversity, Epistemology, General Science, Metaphysics, Natural Classification, Philosophy, Science, Sermon, Species and systematics, Systematics

Evolution Quotes: Twain on inference about the past

Now, if I wanted to be one of those ponderous scientific people, and “let on” to prove what had occurred in the remote past by what had occurred in a given time in the recent past, or what will occur … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, History, Philosophy, Quotes, Science

Bayes, evolutionary clocks, and biogeography

I just received a review by Gareth Nelson of Michael Heads’ book Molecular Panbiogeography of the Tropics (publishers’ site). I should have blogged this before, since I got a copy, being on the editorial board for this series (the same one … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Natural Classification, Philosophy, Science, Species and systematics, Systematics

What warrant is there for belief in God?

Every morning on the way to the campus of the University of Melbourne I pass by the United Faculty of Theology, and I often wish that someone would come out and engage me in a debate. Partly because I am … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Philosophy, Religion

Are humans, apes, monkeys, primates, or hominoids?

I suspect the correct literary answer is that we are Yahoos, but here I want to do what I would ordinarily never dare do: disagree with John Hawks. John takes Jerry Coyne to task for calling humans “apes”: Humans are hominoids. … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Natural Classification, Species and systematics, Systematics

What, however, is the EAAN?

[Previous posts: One and Two] I may have been too hasty in my acceptance that Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism was not what I had originally given. As commenter Nick Matzke pointed out, Plantinga seems to be doing a bit … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion

Plantinga’s EAAN revisited

Blogs are places where one tosses out a hastily constructed piece of argument, or commentary, and not where one slowly and thoughtfully writes something that one will eventually earn an income from (unless you are PZ Myers). So when I … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Logic and philosophy, Philosophy, Religion, Science

Doxastic biases and arguments for religion (and other things)

Helen De Cruz has the results of a fascinating survey on how various arguments for and against the existence of God are treated by philosophers… according to their general stance – atheist, agnostic, or theist. Basically it considers not whether … Continue reading

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Filed under Epistemology, Logic and philosophy, Philosophy, Religion