I didn't see your reaction to that comic coming, mainly because I've been so inundated with the hard-science types lately (and so disappointed in the soft sciences). Wouldn't you admit that if only rocks existed, gravity and relativity would still function as usual?
I would put philosophy beyond mathematics, although that's relevant only in theory. In practice philosophy tends to get worked up about things that don't really matter. And really, is morality applied sociology? Might it not be applied psychology? Perhaps I'm just overanalyzing.
Mathematics is a subset of philosophy, specifically a subset of formal logic.
As for morality and sociology, morality is a product of the consensus of society (assuming no higher power, which is not exactly a given), and sociology is just a stand-in for social pressures as a whole. It's a weak link, but it's strong enough for the "big picture."
Science, in whatever form, is a human product. "Eppur si muove" if you will. If we lose sight of how flawed our understanding of the universe might be, science becomes a religion of dogma and demands rather than an honest inquiry. If we think we understand the math, we might have missed the bias that allowed us to reduce it that way.
I remember one of my friends from college asking me about this (it was part of a philosophy of science class he was taking). Is water two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom? I don't honestly believe that that is Truth, but I do believe that it behaves that way and it's a useful way of looking at it.
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I would put philosophy beyond mathematics, although that's relevant only in theory. In practice philosophy tends to get worked up about things that don't really matter. And really, is morality applied sociology? Might it not be applied psychology? Perhaps I'm just overanalyzing.
- ImperfectlyInformed
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As for morality and sociology, morality is a product of the consensus of society (assuming no higher power, which is not exactly a given), and sociology is just a stand-in for social pressures as a whole. It's a weak link, but it's strong enough for the "big picture."
Science, in whatever form, is a human product. "Eppur si muove" if you will. If we lose sight of how flawed our understanding of the universe might be, science becomes a religion of dogma and demands rather than an honest inquiry. If we think we understand the math, we might have missed the bias that allowed us to reduce it that way.
I remember one of my friends from college asking me about this (it was part of a philosophy of science class he was taking). Is water two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom? I don't honestly believe that that is Truth, but I do believe that it behaves that way and it's a useful way of looking at it.
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