Philosophy Definition and 340 Threads

Does Physics need Philosophy?

Hello, all. I am looking for some good books to start becoming invested in mathematical logic, the foundations of the field of mathematics, and also basically in general the philosophical heart of this wide subject which has interested me greatly. Now I have already read Shoenfield and Halmos...

Hi, my Name is Markus and I'm from Germany, I have more a lingustic & IT background with basics in physics from school times (some years ago, I have to say). I have a couple of more holistic questions, hope that is ok, please let me know, Have a great day!

Lately, I've been hooked on Douglas R. Hofstadter's book Gödel, Escher, Bach. In it, he discusses the idea of "strange loops"—often apparent logical paradoxes—and argues that they are the key to understanding consciousness. He includes witty dialogues, as well as examples of "strange loops" in...

Hi, I'm reading "Hidden in plain sight". The book, like most other layman's texts has a particular frustration for me. Most layman's book try to relate concepts to human experience with analogous examples. The problem they cause me is that when discussing concepts like time and space the...

I from India want to ask a question that how the western philosophy of Science i.e.After Plato and Aristotle, is different from the Indian philosophy like vedic science and mathematics?

Which course do you guys think would be more interesting/helpful for a physics major? They are both 100 level, Intro consists of two lectures and a seminar a week, and Practical Logic consists of a three hour lecture once a week.

(i am new and posted this in a Discussion area, it probably belongs here as I noticed marcus posts here. moderators, please delete the other message. my apologies) I am working on a contest question: In a causally connected universe how can one break symmetry if one assumes symmetry at one...

Hello, I am a hobby philosopher digging at the fundaments of thinking. Unfortunatly I dedected something like a new logic ("layer logic Trestone"), so I had to do a lot of formal definitions and studies. As I am rather lazy and my university time is some thirty years ago, ten years later it is...

Most of it isn't helping so much. :sorry: I am convinced all "philosophy of xyz" where xyz is a subject, economics or physics is just trashing the subjects foundations and trying to prove it isn't sound.

Trying to navigate the confusing world of college applications I'm trying to figure out the usefulness of a physics and philosophy degree or a engineering and physics degree. Thoughts?

So according to Max Tegmark, the highest level of multiverse is mathematical. Obviously this is very controversial as this goes into the realm of metaphysics. I wonder what this community thinks about it. Personally, this makes sense. Everything in physics is described using math. For example...

Hello my names Ethan, I am a senior in high school and i plan on attending West Virginia University the coming fall of 2017. I want to acquire a PhD in nuclear physics and also I've been reading about, I believe the name is a complementary degree, other degrees to go along with nuclear physics...

I graduated from a liberal arts school two years ago with a bachelor of arts in philosophy. I worked for a year, preparing to apply to grad school in philosophy. Then I had a revelation and suddenly knew that philosophy was a load of bull and that I needed to study science. Then I spent a...

I am neither adept at philosophy nor physics, but in the "what is spacetime" thread I got the distinct impression that some people were letting language conventions, which are human-reason based, take precedence over physics, which is experience based. Link-...

Hi, Could you recommend a book/essay/anything else about the philosophical approach of scientific extrapolation?

Is Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Sir Isaac Newton, one of the top 5 Physics-Maths books of all times?

I'll try to be concise. I've been out of math for years and never truly learned to understand it. Until now. I want to put the growth mindset theory to the test and see if I can handle physics (or any STEM field) on a university difficulty. To verify if I'm up to it and even have the slightest...

I am not a mathematician but, as such, I think I have a pretty good background in mathematics. I have a good understanding and experience with calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and probability theory. I also have interest in abstract algebra concepts, though I wouldn't say I am...

Hey, all. I've been studying Newton's Laws and I can't help but to feel a bit uneasy as I inspect them. From my point of view, they seem to be tautological. I'll refer to Newton's First Law as N1L, and similarly for the other two Right off the bat, I suppose I don't see any reason for N1L to...

A common claim that hurricanes and cyclones have geometrical proportions that resemble a logarithmic golden spiral. Knowing that cyclones and hurricanes rotate because of the well-known Coriolis Effect, is it possible that the Golden Ratio is just a natural manifestation of the Coriolis effect?

I'm not, nor do I claim to be the best at physics, but I've come to share my interest, and learn as much as I can about one of my biggest interests in life, astrophysics. I'm doing A-Level physics at the moment; alongside maths, further maths, biology and philosophy, and a few online...

A number can be random even if limitations are applied to the outcome - e.g. selecting a random integer between 1 and 5 restricts the outcome to one of 5 numbers, but the outcome is still random. The same would be true of between 1 and 2; although there are heavy restrictions, an unbiased...

I recently engaged in Kant's philosophy and I have now a "knowledge dilemma". I understood physics to this point as the deeper understanding of nature. However, it seems to my that we are only describing nature, without fathoming the reasons why it behaves how it does. Since I was a little...

70 yr. old, university and graduate courses in physics, mostly optics. O.D. degree. Many interests and very active. Proud of my Neanderthal cousins and Grandma Lucy.

Was just thinking, is it ever possible that the same phenomenon can be fully explained by two theories that are not subset of each other? :rolleyes:

I was reading the Wikipedia page on Dynamism in order to get an idea of the motivation and thinking behind Liebniz's physics. In it there is this paragraph: In the opening paragraph of Specimen dynamicum (1692), Leibniz begins by clarifying his intention to supersede the Cartesian account of...

Are fundamental randomness and fundamental determinism inconsistent? Two such different mechanisms would imply a kind of dualism. (Does even the defeatist retreat into Many Worlds avoid this problem - if it is a problem.)

Let's assume we're living in a mechanical deterministic world. Now do you agree that any uncertainty is a result of lack of knowledge? We flip a symmetric coin. The equations of movement are deterministic, but the outcome is uncertain, with probability 50% tail or head. Thus, it's the initial...

I always satisfy myself being in the field of science, with the reason, in my opinion, the main or ultimate aim of humans is to understand the "un-understood" matters (problems) of the universe. People can understand repairing dead bodies or getting their body parts repaired by any means of...

what are the philosophical conclusion one can arrive at from the Uncertainty Principle?

I was arguing with my friend over this topic. In your opinion, whose thoughts influenced western civilization more, Aristotle or Plato?

Now, I do not wish to make the generalization to all physicists as it is not true, but I have seen a general trend of philosophy being looked down upon by my peers and some professors. While it is a subjective subject, it stems from the same "tree" of reasoning: trying to understand what is...

Hello everyone. This is my first post on these forums. I came here for guidance, as I am currently very confused with the nature of reality, and how I should be thinking. I can't imagine that anyone here will have an absolute answer, but I am hoping to be grounded a little. The biggest problem...

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-causality/#FouCau I'm confused by this The efficient cause: “the primary source of the change or rest”, e.g., the artisan, the art of bronze-casting the statue, the man who gives advice, the father of the child. So.. the efficient cause of an exam...

Hi everyone so I'm at a crucial point in my life right now. Since I was in high school I've had an interest in technology and have worked on installing computer parts, and learning how to write programs. I started my sophomore year learning C++ with the C++ Primer which I got through half of...

Which scientific discipline is the easiest transition from an academic philosophy background. My proficiency in high school mathematics is non existent. I also lack physics subjects because of the particular high school I attended. My intelligence level is "dull" - 88 IQ. I can't find a way...

I don't really have to look into this just yet but it bothers me. I quite like cosmology and stuff like such. Universal topology and relativity and sum of histories and stuff. Fun! I really would like to study any theoretical physics though, it just strikes my fancy particularly. I figure I'd...

I don't know if this is the right section for my question . Can you recommend me some good books on the field of : philosophy of physics ? If yes, Recommend books from better to worse . Note : i am now a high school student , i haven't read a book on this field before , i want to be a...

Ok! So I know Newton and Leibniz invented Calculus independently and today a major part of maths requires calculus. So what mathematics was done BEFORE Newton?? (I mean the type of research.) Any history book suggestions would be priceless. Also there are methods of integration taught like...

In an environmental studies class we were asked what the difference between science and philosophy is. I replied "science is testable and philosophy is not". First of all do others agree with my answer, and does anyone else have something they believe is distinguishing feature? I guess for...

Hi there folks! I am new to the forum and would like to thank anyone in advance for their answers as I will not be able to check them until late tomorrow night. I love physics, but not as much as my niece and I have a gift to give and I think I found the best people to set me in the right...

First of all I am a scientist, or a chemist to be more precise. I am changing career to become a chemistry teacher and my course requires me to write an essay on the nature of science and teaching science etc.. I'm having a hard time understanding these 3 philosophers view on what science is...

I am not sure if this is the right thread, since I am new. Bump it if necessary. I am currently writing an essay on revising the conventional A-series of time to account for relativity and simultaneity, among other problems. In the course of my argument, I have used an algebraic statement. I...

I am giving a presentation on the principle of induction. I'll be showing how acoustic energy (sound) is converted into an electrical signal (via mic) & thus converted back into acoustic energy (via loudspeaker). Now I need to address the following, How & Why? How doesn't bother me. I can...

I am giving a presentation on the principle of induction. I'll be showing how acoustic energy (sound) is converted into an electrical signal (via mic) & thus converted back into acoustic energy (via loudspeaker). Now I need to address the following, How & Why? How doesn't bother me. I can...

Don't close this thread. I am not discussing any philosophy here. I am just confused with what philosophy is. Wikipedia says: In this defintion, it says study of mind and language is philosophy. Well then is neuro-biology and linguistics philosophy? What is it exactly?

Please watch 05:00 to 08:00 Force = Mass x Acceleration So for example, F=10 grams x 3 acceleration What that really means is, F=10 grams x 1 acceleration F=10 grams x 1 acceleration F=10 grams x 1 acceleration So for every X amount of mass, you get X amount of acceleration. There's...

The Philosophy of Cosmology is a new field of study at Oxford and Cambridge in Europe, and Rutgers, Columbia, NYU, Yale and UC Santa Cruz in the United States. Apparently they got a million dollar grant from Templeton foundation to create this new field of study. I am asking if this...

Where is the best place to put questions on the philosophy of physics?