Open mindedness

[andrewducker]

I have a sceptical mindset, which means that I don't go around believing things without some reason to do so.

Recently, I've been contemplating Science and what it stands on, what assumptions it makes. One of the assumptions is that the universe acts in a consistent manner (the other two are sadly on the computer on which my girlfriend is currently writing a review of the Barber of Seville).

There's an interesting article on Kuro5hin on this very topic that's definitely worth a look at.

Comments

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

This is funny.

On the redlounge list, when I still posted, you and Kirsty always used to get pissed off when I said that scientific "laws" were meaningless for this very reason. They're not laws. They're observations of things working a certain way, when measured in a certain place, with certain tools.

Funny how views change.

"Science cannot prove the Universe is consistent because it cannot really address the matter of inconsistent things at all."

I always assumed this was self-evident. I could never understand why people didn't realise this.

I guess other people trust what they're told by men in white coats.

[cleodhna.livejournal.com]

Hmm, yes, well. Epistemology has always been a favourite topic of mine, but one on which I will not be baited. ;)
Andrew, have you read Schroedinger's What Is Life? I think it might interest you along these lines: he discusses the possibility of our cognitive capacities being limited by such factors as physical size given certain apparent characteristics of the universe, and how that might influence our ability to project into other cognitive spaces, that sort of thing. It's been a long time for me, so I don't remember it too terribly well, but it might be a point at which our reading lists cross.