Category Archives: Science

by | May 20, 2012

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 →

7 Comments

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

by | May 12, 2012

Evolution quotes: Theories are not the whole of science

I opened Structure of Scientific Theories asserting that the “most central or important” problem in philosophy of science is “the nature and structure of theories . . . . For theories are the vehicle of scientific knowledge and one way … Continue reading →

32 Comments

Filed under Philosophy, Quotes, Science, Theories

by | May 8, 2012

Empirical Perspectives

Jim Goetz, frequent commenter here, has started up what looks to be a physics and science blog at Empirical Perspectives. Go visit and make rude comments.

4 Comments

Filed under Administrative, General Science, Science

by | May 5, 2012

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 →

8 Comments

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

by | April 7, 2012

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 →

31 Comments

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

by | April 3, 2012

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 →

4 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, History, Philosophy, Quotes, Science

by | March 30, 2012

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 →

41 Comments

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

by | March 3, 2012

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 →

14 Comments

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

by | February 11, 2012

Is Santorum the finest mind of the 13th century?

Apparently a reviewer of one of his books so called him that because he applies natural law theory to moral and political policy. I think he’s just warmed over neo-Thomism with a dash of Newman, no small thing in itself, … Continue reading →

18 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, History, Science

by | February 7, 2012

Did Popper and Quine invent “Aristotelian essentialism”?

There are many narratives told about evolution. One of the most widely told is the Essentialism Story, replayed in textbook, popular storytelling and philosophy alike. It goes like this: Before Darwin, biologists were constrained by essentialist thinking, in which they … Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under Biology, Evolution, History, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Science, Species and systematics, Species concept, Systematics