(January 18, 2017 at 4:16 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote:(January 18, 2017 at 3:29 pm)Mister Agenda Wrote: Science is what helps us determine that a pattern we perceive isn't jus apophenia. Can you walk me through how Asmodee is undermining the objectivity of science, please? Despite my tendency to apohenia, I don't see it.
The post from which his objection is this one: http://atheistforums.org/thread-47143-po...pid1489317
The question I addressed was whether the models and descriptions of science strongly suggest that the apparent order of the physical universe reflects real fundamental order. If no such underlying order exists, then scientific inquiry isn't oriented towards any external object to informs or proscribes such an order. In that case, science does not produce actual knowledge.
This takes us deeply into semantics and meanings of words, unfortunately, as, by one way of looking at it, science actually does not produce "knowledge". It doesn't increase what we "know" about the universe and, in fact, it's fundamental nature is not to "know" anything. Once you "know" something, once it is "true", then you don't question it. Once you stop questioning, you stop learning. I would say science produces "understanding", or perhaps even just "perceived understanding". The underlying theory does not have to be correct, it just has to be useful. And science should not be "oriented towards" any particular goal more than simple understanding. Any such goals would add an unacceptable bias.
Also, I would need to to explain what you mean by "order". The universe, in so much of it as we have observed, does follow certain rules, if I can use that word without having to elaborate that the "rules of the universe" is a usage of the word in no way similar to "rules" set forth by an intelligence to govern behavior. Can you give any examples of order which are not easily explained by physical laws or which, if held true, would necessitate something other than ordinary natural causes?
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