Scoobie Doo Realism 2 Aug 201022 Jun 2018 Came across this at Big Monkey, Helpy Chalk: Scoobie-Doo Realism wants to posit that there is an intellectual movement that should be called “Scoobie-Doo Realism.” People take up a stance of Scoobie-Doo Realism when they pose as hard nosed advocates of science and objectivity, because they can unmask a traditionally mysterious figure. This despite the fact that their own explanations make no sense and they hang out with a talking dog. Philosophy Science Philosophy
Evolution Notes on novelty 1: Introduction 14 Dec 201115 Jan 2012 Notes on Novelty series: 1. Introduction 2. Historical considerations – before and after evolution 3: The meaning of evolutionary novelty 4: Examples – the beetle’s horns and the turtle’s shell 5: Evolutionary radiations and individuation 6: Levels of description 7: Surprise! 8: Conclusion – Post evo-devo I like to take the most extreme view I can… Read More
Evolution Evolution quotes 31 May 2010 Evolution itself, it must be remembered, does not necessarily mean, applied to society, the movement of man to a desirable goal. It is a neutral, scientific conception, compatible either with optimism or with pessimism. According to different estimates it may appear to be a cruel sentence or a guarantee of… Read More
This seems to be more of an issue in fiction than anywhere else, where something seems like it is magical but then turns out not to be, but the scientific explanation is really just shouting out the word “Science!” really loudly. The recent Sherlock Holmes movie fit strongly in this category. That said, the examples that Big Monkey actually uses are not very good ones. In particular, quantum mechanics may seem weird but it has a lot of evidence behind it.
He uses moral realism also. But I had in mind those who think that science explains all, and we do not need to attend to philosophical questions. This form of Scoobism is often asserted.
Or to quote Monty Python: Gorilla #1: “We’re gorillas!” Gorilla #2: “Are we? I thought we were orang-utans!” Gorilla #1: “We are not orang-utans! We don’t look anything remotely like orang-utans!” Which, out of all Monty Python quotes, is surely the most pertinent to Evolving Thoughts. It’s got species concept references and everything.
Velma pulls the white gorilla suit’s head. John: “I would have gotten away with philosophy if it wasn’t for these meddlng kids!”
John: Is this a cousin? He seems to be thinking about his next blog entry. Current cover of Genetics: http://www.genetics.org/current.dtl