Post by qiangao on Jul 12, 2015 18:40:23 GMT
1. Understanding the general rules of the universe is crucial to approaching the world from any sort of philosophical stand point because philosophy is, in itself, the study of the universe around us. A huge part of philosophy is determining what is real to us and what is perception, what we accept as fact and what we can only theorize about. As a result, understanding the building blocks of the world and universe around us, through things like quantum mechanics, helps provide a baseline from which we can discuss broader philosophical ideas. As the reading notes, “One could argue that the reason quantum theory is so baffling to understand is because it upends our deepest and most cherished ideas about what is real and what is not,” (Lane 1). Here we see the intersection of physics and philosophy: physics has the potential to shake up our conception of the universe from a philosophical standpoint. Agreeing on one side of this coin helps us discuss the other from a more logical and grounded standpoint. There is also the idea that everything we study in physics is affected by our own philosophy. As stated in the quantum thinking video, “We don’t unlock nature pure and pristine, but as nature reacts to our measuring devices,” (“Quantum Thinking”). By observing the universe around us we affect it with our own minds, our own personal philosophies.
2. Eliminative materialism can be defined as a way to approach understanding the concept of consciousness by running tests through all sorts of different academic disciplines. “If the phenomena cannot be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics, then one turns to physics, and if that too is incomplete, then to chemistry, then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology,” (“Elminative Materialism: God Did It?”). It is essentially a more exhaustive means of applying the scientific method to the broader questions of the nature of consciousness, and how we approach the study of all aspects of consciousness. Examples of how this can be applied are evidenced by theories that have overtaken previous historical notions of why natural phenomena occur within our natural world. We talk about electrical magnetic currents fields instead of Thor as the cause of thunder. Spirits are not the causes of diseases, but rather bacteria. Ghosts within our bodies are not causing random impulse firings, but rather the central nervous system is governing those movements (“Eliminative Materialism: The Death of Thor”). Eliminative materialism helps us advance past outdated paradigms by running theories through as many different tests and disciplines as we can think of. One potential hiccup with the theory of eliminative materialism is that it provides a limited examination of our own consciousness and our own minds. Our language for how we discuss our own consciousness is still largely grounded in outdated terminology that is grounded in mythology or mysticism, as opposed to firm scientific knowledge or neurological understanding.
2. Eliminative materialism can be defined as a way to approach understanding the concept of consciousness by running tests through all sorts of different academic disciplines. “If the phenomena cannot be explained fully and comprehensively by mathematics, then one turns to physics, and if that too is incomplete, then to chemistry, then to biology, then to psychology, then to sociology,” (“Elminative Materialism: God Did It?”). It is essentially a more exhaustive means of applying the scientific method to the broader questions of the nature of consciousness, and how we approach the study of all aspects of consciousness. Examples of how this can be applied are evidenced by theories that have overtaken previous historical notions of why natural phenomena occur within our natural world. We talk about electrical magnetic currents fields instead of Thor as the cause of thunder. Spirits are not the causes of diseases, but rather bacteria. Ghosts within our bodies are not causing random impulse firings, but rather the central nervous system is governing those movements (“Eliminative Materialism: The Death of Thor”). Eliminative materialism helps us advance past outdated paradigms by running theories through as many different tests and disciplines as we can think of. One potential hiccup with the theory of eliminative materialism is that it provides a limited examination of our own consciousness and our own minds. Our language for how we discuss our own consciousness is still largely grounded in outdated terminology that is grounded in mythology or mysticism, as opposed to firm scientific knowledge or neurological understanding.