Evolution quote 6 Aug 2010 As all sciences are based upon facts, known, or to be known from experience, so are they, in their early state of developement [sic], matters of pure observation. It is only when we have acquired the power of generalising these facts, when such generalisations agree among themselves and with every thing we see or know of nature, that the theory of a science becomes either absolutely demonstrative, or approaches so near to certainty, by the force of analogical reasoning, that it is not contradicted by anything known. The case of natural history, then, is precisely this; in its early stages it is a science of observation; in its latter, it is one of demonstration. [William Swainson. 1834. Preliminary discourse on the study of natural history. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman, page 105.] Swainson is one of the infamous “Quinarians”, but his discussion on natural classification is influential. It is clear that Darwin had read him and his history of classification in the preceding chapter. History Natural Classification Quotes Science Systematics History
History The meaning of Christmas 22 Dec 201122 Jun 2018 Tony Piro creatively borrows from Peanuts. Click on the picture to see the full comic. Tony has Linus give a fairly standard view, that Christmas is based on prior religious traditions. He carefully avoids making Linus repeat the “Christmas is the birthdate of [insert deity or religious figure]” view, which… Read More
Book Darwin as a historiographer 9 Nov 200818 Sep 2017 I was very pleased to receive today my copy of this book: A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography, edited by A. Tucker. Chichester UK: Wiley-Blackwell. I got it because on pp 405-415 is my essay “Darwin”, which I am rather proud of. I have long thought that… Read More
Epistemology Attacks on philosophy by scientists 30 Dec 2010 Something that I never really fully understand is why academics feel the need to denigrate other academic disciplines. Just because one happens to think something is so worthwhile that they devoted their lives to it doesn’t thereby mean that everything else is crap. But that seems to be the attitude… Read More
If: 1). Science zeros in on certainly about what is 2). An ought cannot be derived from what is. 3). An ought can change what is. then …can science ever approach any ultimate truth about what is? (may also have relevance to a previous topic)