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What's the ultimate purpose of Philosophy ?

 
 
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Reply Thu 14 May, 2009 06:31 pm
I think phylosophy was, after religion, another unsucessfull atempt to understand nature.
It never gave any answers just bunch of meaningless assumptions.
Only when science took over things become to happen in an amazing speed.
Phylosophy and religion should both be berried a long time ago but they still keep draging human race backwards feeding itself with humar fear and stupidity.

View Profile fresco
 
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Reply Fri 15 May, 2009 12:43 am
vori,

What are these statements if not "philosophical" ones ?

Quote:
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. EINSTEIN


Quote:
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning. HEISENBERG


Quote:
The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth. BOHR
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Reply Fri 15 May, 2009 11:51 am
They are statements, assumptions.
Philosophy doesn't have an exclusive right of making statements, assumptions.
Everyone can make statements, assumptions.
Scientist can make statements, assumptions.
Philosphy makes statements and assumptions and stops there.
Sicence makes statements, assumptions and tries to prove them through experiments, mathematical models, by creating mathematical models of physical laws and so on.
View Profile fresco
 
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Reply Fri 15 May, 2009 12:28 pm
You've not answered the question. Three eminent scientists made statements.
Are you merely saying they are are "assumptions" in order to avoid the word "philosophy" ?...it certainly looks like it ! How could any of them be "scientifically tested" ?
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Reply Fri 15 May, 2009 01:27 pm
Are you merely saying they are are "assumptions" in order to avoid the word "philosophy" ?...it certainly looks like it !

Yes, that is correct.
I want to separate phylosophy and science, and not making phylosophy as starting point for science, Science is science. phylosophy is phylosophy. They can both make assumptions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How could any of them be "scientifically tested" ?

I am not saying that they can or can not be tested.
I am sure that there are many assumptions that currently can't be tested.
Science tests those that can be tested.
Philosophy never tries to test anything which is why it is making absolultly no progress in our knowledge of universe.
Phylosophy just piles up infinite number of assumptions.

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View Profile Thomas
 
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Reply Fri 15 May, 2009 01:34 pm
The word philosophy is Greek for "love of wisdom", and if you ask me, that's still a pretty good description of what philosophy is. Wisdom, and the love of it, don't have an ultimate purpose. The purpose of philosophy is philosophy.
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Reply Mon 15 Jun, 2009 05:54 pm
Good point, Thomas. And that is true of life itself.
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View Profile Cyracuz
 
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Reply Wed 24 Jun, 2009 10:43 am
Vori: "I think phylosophy was, after religion, another unsucessfull atempt to understand nature."

I think both religion and philosophy were key ingredients in the looooong chain of events that put science where it is today.

I also think that the distinction is valid only on paper. Something is never just science, religion or philosophy. Except whey they are on paper. Before that, in the process of forming the ideas, a scientist will, by virtue of being a normal human being, have issues to relate to that fall under all categories. His inspiration to create great scientific works may be well founded in religious belief.

Einstein wasn't a great scientist because he was good at math. In fact, he wasn't very good, compared to lesser scientific minds of his time, at least not around the time his first ideas on relativity started to grow in his mind. What he did have was the power to envision. Imagination, creativity and intuition are important ingredients of scientific discovery. Of any discovery.
If any scientist denies this, ask him if he has ever discovered something Smile
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View Profile rockpie
 
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Reply Fri 16 Oct, 2009 12:42 pm
I don't think Philosophy has an ultimate end or goal. I think it's more to do with challenging things that claim to have ends or goals.
View Profile Cyracuz
 
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Reply Sat 17 Oct, 2009 04:05 pm
philosophy is to thinking what tears are to crying
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