First extract of Richard Dawkins new book.

[Kyuuketsuki]

(9th September 2009 19:31)Saerules Wrote:  Actually... Dawkins got one thing slightly wrong (well, those philosophers did at any rate ). Things can only be proved by logic, and mathematics are some of the absolute BEST proofs in existence. What philosophy accomplishes that mathematics doesn't: is to answer why, or more often why not.

Yeah well mathematics, although abstract, is more in line with the philosophy of science in that it works, it has practical application and so on, just like science but philosophy and metaphysics quite simply don't!

You see the thing is we need science, we (and science) need maths but there is no way that we actually need philosophy except in the sense that they already exist within those tow areas ... science and math work, why? Because the bridges stay up!

"Things can only be proven by logic"? In many ways your language alone leads me to think I'm right ... science never *proves* anything because NOTHING in science is ever held so absolutely that it is beyond challenge! Theists often make out that's a weakness but it's actually it's greatest strength because science goes where the evidence leads.

Now you may be thinking I'm a dinosaur and quite possibly that's true and I am well aware that philosophy can feed ideas into science where they can be subsequently tested but I have asked this question repeatedly with no satisfactory answer (which may well be just me) ... what has philosophy ever proven alone (without empirical testing)?

Kyu