>However, at any give time science may have alternative explanations
>about phenomena so we'd have to formalize these also and they are
>competing theories of truth.
>
>Something like "snow is white" "snow is grey" (when it's in the road for
>a while), etc. (01)
A better example: "Light is a particle" versus "Light is a wave." (02)
Each of those competing theories could be formalized consistently,
but they were mutually inconsistent. (03)
Quantum theory resolved the inconsistency, and the original theories
emerge as special cases of the new theory under appropriate
assumptions. That is, they aren't inconsistent -- each is an
approximation that works well in its respective domain of
applicability. (04)
Today we have "Matter is a quantum wave function evolving in time
according to Schrodinger's equation" versus "Matter warps spacetime".
These theories are mutually inconsistent -- when you try to create a
wavefunction for macroscopic systems that warp spacetime, you get
divide-by-zero errors. (05)
Most physicists think there will some day be a new theory that
resolves the inconsistency and out of which the other theories emerge
as special cases. (06)
>But given Kathy's idea of logical consistency, doesn't it become
>important that someone who knows about Botony is likely to be thinking
>more consistently than some non-Botanist thinking about plants? Could
>be anyone. Are they all Tarskian at heart? (07)
I didn't say botanists were Tarskian at heart. At heart they are
botanists!!! But if they are logically consistent botanists, I could
develop an axiom system and Tarskian model that was a pretty good
approximation to the phenomenonogy of their assertions. That does NOT
mean it is a good model of their actual throught processes! (08)
K (09)
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (010)
|