where the disagreemnt lies: some think there is something interesting to observe, others don't.
Regars.One of the interesting facts abotu the career of the marxist Lakatos is how he never found the revisions he needed, those being revisions in mathematics, while there can (should? or so the extremist claim) be revisions in the observations mabe by the philosophically correctly oriented non-naively induced people who know better than Newton or Einstein what a physical theory does.
On Sun, 12 Dec 2010, Donal McEvoy wrote:
--- On Sat, 11/12/10, palma <palma@xxxxxxxx> wrote:The answer is yes.There were several questions and some posited seemingly incompatible positions, so that the answer is hardly (a blanket) "yes".the limitations of demented "empiricist" "critical rationalists" and their ilk won't bother anyone in Cantorian space, even less in Grothendieck's universesThough not perhaps simply "demented", there are severe "limitations" to the usefulness of this kind of disposal of the issues by branding the madmen as "empiricist" "critical rationalists" (and their ilk) and the sane as those (rotating?) in "Cantorian space" or in "Grothendieck's universes". While Lakatos' 'philosophy of mathematics' might be viewed as 'quasi-empiricist' and he might also be seen as a "critical rationalist", there is quite difference between this kind of 'quasi-empiricism' and the "empiricist" views of the Logical Positivists and their "ilk". Popper might also be bracketed as a "critical rationalist" but his views on mathematics are quite distinct from Lakatos' and cannot be characterised as "empiricist" unless this term is employed so vacuously that it applies to anyone who has a philosophy of science that elevates science as a critical, rational activity and takes seriously the role of observation in testing scientific theories. It would be a fallacy to say that someone who is an empiricist of this sort in relation to science is therefore committed to a view of mathematics that is "empiricist". Insofar as "palma"'s post might be taken to imply that mathematical work, such as Cantor's, can determine questions as to the epistemic character and status of mathematical work, this is arguably as naive as thinking the work of Newton or Einstein can determine questions as to the epistemic character and status of scientific work. In fact, such an assumption might be seen to be a crude kind of "empiricist" assumption - or at least 'quasi-empiricist': as if the correct philosophical view of a certain kind of practice can be 'read off' from 'facts' about that practice. Donal London ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| /begin/read__>sig.file: postal address palma University of KwaZulu-Natal Philosophy 3rd floor of Memorial Tower Building Howard College Campus Durban 4041 South Africa Tel off: [+27] 031 2601591 (sec: Mrs. Yolanda Hordyk) [+27] 031-2602292 Fax [+27] 031-2603031 mobile 07 62 36 23 91 calling from overseas +[27] 76 2362391 EMAIL: palma@xxxxxxxx EMAIL: palma@xxxxxxxxxx MY OFFICE IS A290@Mtb *only when in Europe*: inst. J. Nicod 29 rue d'Ulm f-75005 paris france ________ This e-mail message (and attachments) is confidential, and/or privileged and is intended for the use of the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail you must not copy, distribute, take any action in reliance on it or disclose it to anyone. Any confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost by reason of mistaken delivery to you. This entity is not responsible for any information not related to the business of this entity. If you received this e-mail in error please destroy the original and notify the sender. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Ratio, enim, nisi judex universalis esse deberet, frustra singulis datur. [ _Quaestiones Naturales_, Adelard of Bath ] Signora granda, testa che massa massa ne passa, che quasi schissa, Dia dei sostegni de cese e palassi Dia de le taje che su ne tien fissi Dia de le onde che le ne fa grassi, ne ingrassa de ogni grassia, Dia Venessia - aàh Venessia aàh Venàssia aàh Venùsia Andrea Zanzotto, Filò, (Sezione: Recitativo Veneziano)
