26
votes
What principle protects the objective nature of the prior and the conclusion in Bayes’s theorem?
Bayes' theorem is just that- a theorem. It is no more based on prejudice than Pythagoras' theorem. All calculations are subject to the 'garbage in, garbage out' rule. If I make wild guesses about the ...
- 24.5k
16
votes
What principle protects the objective nature of the prior and the conclusion in Bayes’s theorem?
Bayes' theorem does not dictate how one selects the prior probabilities. Certainly one can fill a Bayesian model with bigotry and unjustified biases, but this is not necessary. One can even use what ...
- 1,140
16
votes
What principle protects the objective nature of the prior and the conclusion in Bayes’s theorem?
So does Bayes’ theorem reduce to ordinary prejudice?
In some circumstances, you could say that, you could say that priors are arguably just rooted in personal biases, but not all applications of ...
- 3,692
10
votes
Any philosophical works that explicitly address the heat death of the Universe and its philosophical implications?
I would suggest taking a look at absurdism and the works of Albert Camus. While, as far as I remember, Camus does not address directly the heat death of the universe, his whole theory of Absurdism ...
- 6,983
6
votes
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
You ask:
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
Well, you are starting your philosophical career in the right place, among philosophers, so Philosophy StackExchange is a good ...
- 29.1k
6
votes
Why do many philosophers consider a past-eternal universe to be self-explanatory but not a universe that began with no cause?
It may help to look at this in the broader sweep of history. The Big Bang is a relatively recent development in cosmology. The concept begins to appear in the early 20th century, but didn't really ...
- 2,247
5
votes
Any philosophical works that explicitly address the heat death of the Universe and its philosophical implications?
99% is a huge over-estimate. 1% would be a huge over-estimate. Heat death involves guessing about the state of the universe in 10^106 years. This requires assuming that the guesses we have about the ...
- 6,770
5
votes
Revival of Logical Positivism?
A lot here depends on what you mean by "logical positivism." If you mean something like Ayer's Language, Truth, and Logic or Carnap's Aufbau, then no, those projects hit dead ends decades ...
- 2,566
4
votes
Is it ever rational or justified to believe in a claim X based on eyewitness accounts if X seems to contradict mainstream scientific theories?
You seem to be asking for a black and white answer to a very vague question. Of course, it depends. When an anomalous variation in the expected orbit of Mercury was first observed by a single ...
- 24.5k
4
votes
What is more important: simplicity or induction?
We could differentiate metaphysical simplicity from explanatory simplicity.
Metaphysical simplicity is what you're talking about: the number of entities existing in reality. This has issues: shouldn't ...
- 10.9k
4
votes
What is more important: simplicity or induction?
Occam's razor is the central principle of induction.
Theoretically, we seek the simplest explanation - in terms of the shortest and simplest formulas - that exactly matches and predicts all of the ...
- 14.7k
4
votes
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
There's an old Buddhist parable that applies here:
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.
Grasping absolute truth (the Western analog of ...
- 21.3k
4
votes
Mechanistic view of the universe
An additional (perhaps minor) point: Maxwell himself spent his later years hypothesizing various mechanistic models for electromagnetic wave propagation in which space was filled with submicroscopic ...
- 8,859
4
votes
Any philosophical works that explicitly address the heat death of the Universe and its philosophical implications?
Freeman Dyson explored the heat death of the universe in "infinite in all Directions": https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-All-Directions-Lectures-April-November/dp/0060728892 In chapter 6, he ...
- 14.6k
4
votes
Is Philosophy decaying into an antiquated subject?
No. Science is descriptive, not prescriptive. It can tell you why many things are the way they are, but it can't tell you the way things should be - that depends on our goals, values, ethics, ...
- 3,045
3
votes
Any philosophical works that explicitly address the heat death of the Universe and its philosophical implications?
There is the Boltzmann brain thought experiment which suggests that if eternal inflation (and some other physical theories) are correct then we are almost certainly brains that spontaneously formed in ...
- 303
3
votes
Mechanistic view of the universe
The term mechanistic is outdated. It characterizes Newtonian mechanics. Already in the 19th century Maxwell’s electrodynamics is a theory which cannot be understood in mechanical terms.
The principle ...
- 34.6k
3
votes
Is it ever rational or justified to believe in a claim X based on eyewitness accounts if X seems to contradict mainstream scientific theories?
In general, an accepted scientific theory does not only confirm an observation but also presents an explanation of the phenomenon. If contradicting observations have been confirmed by reliable ...
- 34.6k
2
votes
Is it ever rational or justified to believe in a claim X based on eyewitness accounts if X seems to contradict mainstream scientific theories?
What you are describing is in fact the history of the understanding of the laws of physics, where trustworthy individuals (scientists) challenge the conventional understanding of these laws (ex. ...
- 2,772
2
votes
What principle protects the objective nature of the prior and the conclusion in Bayes’s theorem?
A mathematical theorem that can be proved to hold true inside a mathematical context, becomes part of the theory itself. In that case you can see it as tool; what you do with that tool, is up to you. ...
- 2,772
2
votes
Accepted
Emergent Behavior: Observer-Constructed or Observer-Independent behavior of systems
You ask:
Are there theoretical perspectives that support this observer-centric interpretation of emergent phenomena? If so, which authors should I research to learn more?
Undoubtedly yes. In ...
- 29.1k
2
votes
Emergent Behavior: Observer-Constructed or Observer-Independent behavior of systems
This answer will be a criticism of your premise rather than references endorsing it.
When you state:
The emergent behaviors claimed to be observed in certain phenomena are not inherent to the ...
- 14.6k
2
votes
Emergent Behavior: Observer-Constructed or Observer-Independent behavior of systems
The emergent behaviors claimed to be observed in certain phenomena are not inherent to the phenomena themselves but are artifacts of the mental representations and interpretations of researchers, who ...
- 14.7k
2
votes
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
Unfortunately you do not tell us what you consider the characteristics of “the absolute truth”. Hence I answer your question under the assumption
to consider an absolute truth to be a proposition ...
- 34.6k
2
votes
What is more important: simplicity or induction?
Descartes and Solipsism
Solipsism follows inexorably from Descartes. A simple reductio ad absurdum (or contrapositive or modus tollens) suffices to get us out of that mess.
i.e.
If
Cartesianism ⇒ ...
- 3,993
2
votes
Can natural decreasing temperatures in the world create energy to power it?
Super duper question. I recall reading how water that seeps into rocks through natural pores & cracks can break them when the temperature drops to/below freezing. My answer would be that the ...
- 4,351
1
vote
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
There are many absolute truths:
There are no round squares.
There are no square circles.
All bachelors are unmarried.
Knowledge of these absolute truths has not had a profound influence on my life.
In ...
- 1,574
1
vote
Where do we go if we gain knowledge of the absolute truth?
If we attain absolute knowledge, then it will change our belief system, it will affect how we interact with each other. For many people absolute knowledge has already been achieved. For example- ...
- 1,220
1
vote
Mechanistic view of the universe
As you have probably understood from the book, the mechanical view of the universe is a thing of the past. Nowadays, how things works, is described (by physics) in terms of fields.
With regards to ...
- 2,772
1
vote
Is Decision making based on the measured outcome the only way a single elementary particle can make future uncertain in large macroscopic scale?
Are you asking whether the macroscopic significance of microscopic events is only relevant if we measure them AND take that measurement as deciding effect?
Well no. There are plenty of quantum ...
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