(April 23, 2014 at 9:12 pm)ns1452 Wrote: If empirical investigation cannot deal with these “intangibles”, than can empirical investigation determine God’s existence? The truth is that there are realities that go beyond empirical investigation. There is a limit to what can be determined and understand from empiricism. Therefore, what value does empiricism have in the debate over whether there is a God?
But those things you've mentioned are not beyond empirical observation. We're slowly mapping out the brain and how it functions, but even if we couldn't, we can study humans and their behavior. Along with viewing psychology from an evolutionary point of view, we can begin to observe and understand the motivations behind human actions and the emotions that drive them.
The brain is highly complex and we do have a long ways to go to fully understanding it, but that does not put abstract notions such as courage or beauty beyond empirical reasoning.We have a long ways to go before understanding human behavior becomes a hard science, so much of what we do know is based upon recognizing patterns in that behavior.
Besides, the problem with philosophical endeavors that rely on no empiricism is that the skeptics have completely demolished their validity. That's why empirical evidence is so important, because philosophy without empirical evidence is just wishful thinking.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
