philosophy of science dead? realism vs. empiricism (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, September 09, 2016, 19:55 (2996 days ago) @ dhw
edited by David Turell, Friday, September 09, 2016, 20:08

David's comment: Note the bold about the Higgs. I am an empiricist. I fully understand that a quark is known by its manifestations, not as a quark itself. Multiverse theory is philosophic foolishness.
> 
> dhw: First of all, I find the term “realist” totally misleading. There is nothing “realistic” about untestable theories. Why not contrast “empiricists” with “theorists”? -I'm simply presenting a famous philosopher. Those are his preferred terms.-As for quantum theory look at this description:-https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130900-600-lessons-in-reality-from-particles-that-dont-exist/-"WHEN you hear the word “particle”, what image floats into your mind? Chances are you're thinking small, and then some - like the tiniest billiard ball imaginable. Indivisible chunks of matter pinging off each other in the vast expanses of space, or jostling for position in a crowded chunk of stuff.-"Chances are, too, you're nowhere near the vision of particles painted by our best picture of how they work, quantum theory. This says that despite making up stuff that definitely has a size - ourselves, the paper or screen you're reading this on - particles occupy a point in space precisely zero metres across.-"While you're chewing that one over, you might consider how quantum theory also allows these size-zero particles to occupy multiple places at once, or be “entangled” so the state of one becomes inextricably bound up with the state of another. But even that doesn't prepare you for the latest assault on any common-sense conception of a particle that physicists have been preparing.-"An alternative breed of shape-shifting particles can be split up, change their mass, and be combined with other stuff to make more than the sum of the parts. These particles don't seem to exist in any way that makes sense, and yet we are increasingly bending them to our will. The results are reshaping technology, from superconductors to quantum computers — and helping us probe deeper into the fabric of reality than ever before."-Comment: the philosopher is simply reminding us how much we really don't understand but we talk about it as if we do. Watch the video!-***-> As for the bold about the Higgs, it merely confirms what we have now agreed: Higgs completes one segment of a pattern, but we don't know the overall pattern.-I'm glad you finally recognize it.