RE: How does one respond to this argument?It's long but an interesting read. Thanks :)
May 19, 2016 at 5:08 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 1:49 pm)robvalue Wrote: Yes, reality is the physical world. Physical means (literally) real; as opposed to an abstract concept. "Nonphysical existence" is a contradiction in terms, as far as I can see.
Yes, philosophy alone deals only with the abstract. As soon as you take any measurements from reality, you're doing science as well.
"Science" is not part of reality, it's a method. So yes, science is regulated by philosophy; it requires underpinning principles. It is like the adapter between philosophy and reality.
[Feel free to correct me science dudes!]
That is incorrect. You are not defining a word. You are making a philosophical statement that reality consists only of physical things. If the supernatural exists, that would then be part of reality yet non-physical. If you espouse dualism, then the mind would be part of reality yet non-physical. If you are a platonist, than abstract objects are part of reality yet not physical.
Regarding "philosophy alone deals only with the abstract", perhaps it's just your wording, but this article from Wikipedia clearly shows that philosophy is woven through science (not abstract):
Quote:Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultimate purpose of science. This discipline overlaps with metaphysics, ontology, and epistemology, for example, when it explores the relationship between science and truth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_science
I don't think science is the adapter between philosophy and reality. Not just because the definition of reality can easily be more than the physical world, but I think it might be more accurate to say that philosophy is the adapter (meaning explanatory filter) between science and reality. In that sense, philosophy would also server as the adapter between any hypothesis and reality (for example God).
