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

[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.

[andrewducker]

I haven't read it, I'm afraid. Nor have I read an awful lot about epistemology, but a quick scan of a primer shows me that I fall somewhere between individual constructivism and evolutionary epistimology, in that I believe that individuals believe what fits best into their own internal philosophical structure, but that the reason that groups/individuals hold certain beliefs and have certain innate methods of thinking is that those methods have proved to be the most useful (evolutionarily speaking).

Sorry I took so long to get back with this, but it looked like it required thought, so I sent it from work to home, where it languished in with the other 305 emails that I've done that with.

Incidentally, I still haven't bumped into you on MSN, well not past the initial evening, when I left you messages.