Philosophy Definition and 340 Threads

I get the feeling that much of the time, philosophers discuss things that make claims about our reality and how it works. I'm of the opinion that claims made about the natural world that can't be tested are a bit irrelevant, so I typically ignore them. It seems though, throughout the history of...

An apple falls from a tree. Nobody is around ( no living being is around). Would there be sound?

Hello. I recently joined this forum, so forgive me if I am totally wrong. I was looking around the different boards, and I was really enjoying what I was seeing. This seems like a wonderful place to learn more about physics and mathematics. But then I saw this post...

This was sent through an email. any thoughts on this ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ don't be an idiot without the philosopher that creates or proposes a theory the physicist would not have the ability to create the mathematics and formulas to prove it. Some physicist do both but not...

I currently have a BA in Philosophy from 2008 and am interested in getting an MS in Electrical Engineering. Are the loans worth it? Does the salary typically outweigh the cons of the loans? How is the employment out there for electrical engineers? Does anyone have any idea as to how my BA...

The Philosophy forum will be closing in one week, Monday the 15th. All threads will be closed and merged into General Discussion. The reason is that the Philosophy forum over the past couple years has been almost impossible to moderate fairly and two out of three threads end up locked. Please...

How do you think of numbers when you're doing math? I particularly feel like sometimes we get to close to acting like computers. We just scan through a list of symbols and compute another list of symbols that makes sense in a certain context. We hardly ever think of things concretely and how...

I am currently starting my third year as a physics major with minors in mathematics and philosophy. I have recently realized, within the last year, that I do not think I have an interest in doing scientific work. I think I am truly interested in the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy...

I am still trying to visualize horsepower and torque seen on the racetrack, and its hard. Obviously torque is a component of horsepower. Without enough torque, a car would take forever to reach its power-band. With a lot of torque, but merely no horsepower, a car would have a very steady...

Many scientist have actually wondered what scientific discoveries await from the beginning of a wormhole to the bitter end on the other side. But what exactly can be waiting on the other side at the very end of that dark abyss? What do we truly know about the deep regions of space and time...

Hello, everyone! I am new to the forums here, so I will start with a brief introduction. My name is Martin Pulido, and I am philosophy graduate who also happens to love card games (as well as board games). Card games not only illustrate philosophical ideas (War=Determinism), but many are also...

Lets begin with the Philosophy of Cantor. Here is a quote from wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Cantor#Philosophy.2C_religion_and_Cantor.27s_mathematics "Philosophy, religion and Cantor's mathematics The concept of the existence of an actual infinity was an important shared...

Reading a locked thread a post caught my eye: "Well...that's easy; if you have a finite temporal interval 1/2, and you add 1/4 and 1/8 and 1/16 and so on, then you get a temporal interval of 1. I really don't understand what "physical interpretation" is supposed to mean in this context. If...

Dear Peeps, How are you guys doing? Please forgive me if the title is to vague but I am new on this website and I am confused about some concepts I picked up while reading some of the threads here. I consider myself a layman kind of, I am actually studying aerospace engineering and I have got...

I'm looking for some input about good strategies for getting into commercial spaceflight after a pretty long detour through philosophy. I'm 25, I have a BA in Liberal Arts from a Great Books program (essentially a theology/philosophy/math degree), and I'm wrapping up a MA in Philosophy (I just...

Here's an explanation I wrote up a while back on Quora that details some major philosophies of mathematics: In the interest of full disclosure, I'm somewhere close to logicism and/or platonism, not unlike the views of Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, in that I believe that the truths of...

To give a bit of my background, I am a junior double majoring in mathematics and philosophy aiming for a Ph.D. in pure mathematics. Recently, I wrote a paper for a philosophy class that was extremely well-received by my professor, so much that he encouraged me to submit it for possible...

Hi guys. I've been thinking about this for a while now and I woud like to have someone to share my thoughts with. Since I've developed a growingninterest in physics i started to doubt my own religion more and more aproaching atheism(i was raised as a christian). Physics and Mathematics...

Hello all, I am currently trying in vain to find a book that i do not know the name of. I heard it mentioned somewhere that I can not recall so now am lost. Basically it is a book with (I think 50) interesting theories about everything. Like string theory parallel universes etc. Has anyone heard...

What exactly is materialism? Is it a philosophy, a scientific theory, or something else?

Do you agree with Stephen Hawking when say "Philosophy is dead" ? *I would have posted it in the philosophy sub-forum , but I thought the material might not meet the guidelines . The content of this thread would fit a general and informal discussion more , I thought. Please move it to any...

do you need to know much more than the rudimentary basics, such as the distinction between idealism and materialism?

In class, she said "there's no way of definitively knowing if the universal law of gravity will remain valid in 10 000 years. Science is therefore dependant on the probabilistic nature of its findings by assuming them to be definite." What do you think of her statement? This is my first...

For example, How did Philosophy of Mathematics made advances in our lives? I really like Philosophy, but I need to know if it's worth spending my money at college.

Hello PF folks! I'm a 10+2 Indian student with a simple question. I want to merge physics and philosophy to answer fundamental questions about the nature of time, the future and the laws that govern the universe and how human perception affects them. The philosophy angle comes in with respect...

Obviously this could work for any topic but I thought it was interesting: http://xefer.com/wikipedia

I am studying Christian Philosophers, and looking for different perspectives on who's ideas in Christian Philosophy seem most right, so getting various perspectives from different people can help me decide who might seem most right to me. Can you guys tell me who you like and why you like them...

Is it a silly question to ask *why* we see the orders of colors the way we do in the visible spectrum with respect to wavelength? For instance, I know that comparisons to dogs are often made with the following visible spectrum comparisons...

Hello people! My name is Atreya and I'm 18 years old. I'm currently studying for my A levels. I used to love physics and mathematics a lot, and I still do... sort of. A couple of months back, I came across a big philosophical problem. I'd like to name this problem analytical nihilism. This...

I recently read a research summary about using magnetic fields to briefly maintain quantum states in relation to quantum computing. The article makes reference to "a" simultaneously being "a" and "not 'a'". I'm left wondering how the concept of superposition is reconciled with conventional...

"The fact that man produces a concept 'I' besides the totality of his mental and emotional experiences or perceptions does not prove that there must be any specific existence behind such a concept. We are succumbing to illusions produced by our self-created language without reaching a better...

How many percentage of physicists believe Copenhagen is pragmatism and how many percentage believe Copenhagen is actual in that the particles attributes are really nonexistent before measurement? Quoting Herbert in Quantum Reality: "Some physicists confuse the Copenhagen doctrine with a...

Can you suggest a good book which deals on current as well as important old philosophical interpretations of probability theory? It would be good if it also touches on quantum mechanics probability. note - please move it to philosophy thread if this should belong there and not here.

I'm looking for books that go beyond the equations & mathematics. Ones that touch base on fundamental issues such as the measurement problem, coherence/incoherence, & things of this nature. Does anyone know any thorough books on the subject?

Any favorite quote by a mathematician, or a philosopher, or a physicist?

I guess, there aren't book discussions of philosophy books in science book discussion forum . So which is the apt forum where one can ask experts about their views on a book on philosophy? Also another point in general : how to know whether a thread exists for a book discussion , is there...

Hi everyone, I'm an undergrad philosophy major and I have a few specific physics questions, the answers to which shall help me write my final paper for metaphysics this semester. The most important question is: if you break something simple like a piece of wood, could you expect that the sum...

Science describes three types of object. The first two are those that can be hidden - material objects, and those that are necessarilly hidden - quantum objects. Thus, we have an independent source supporting Popper's* view that science is the domain of the empirically falsifiable, as hidden...

Some things are bigger than big. They have no-where to sit. The Universe has no-where to sit. Some things are smaller than small. They have nowhere to sit. Quantum Strings have no-where to sit. Science tells us this. We, thankfully, are in-between. We have somewhere to sit. Science...

This is my first post so hello to you all. Has anybody any experience of the course and if so, would they recommend it as an initial degree before going onto a career in quantum physics based research? The alternatives would be studying Physics (possibly with Theoretical Physics) at...

Is there a standard definition for Philosophy? If not, why? Do you think it is useful to have one? AFAIK, there is no standard definition, because there is no common characteristics between all bits of Philosophy. I think we can solve this problem by concentrating on what is most...

If the universe started with a big bang, what caused that ? If you subscribe to multi-verse theory, I can ask the same question "what caused them?" and so on. If the universe always was, then anything that could've happened already happened. I already typed this statement and know the answer to...

Have any suggestions? I'd like to see good documentaries on Philosophy / How the brain works / Intelligence / Creativity / Psychology / and anything good... Thank you :)

Another thread by me within minutes of posting another... I have 'Meeting the Universe Halfway', 'Quantum Reality: Theory and Philosophy', and 'Sneaking a Look at God's Cards: Unravelling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics'. Wanting to add more books to my collection - anyone got...

Article : Hawking contra Philosophy Do you think Stephen Hawking's comments on philosophy ought to be embarrassing to the great physicist?

Hello, I've finished my first semester at University of Calgary in an Honours Astrophysics program. I received an A+ in all of my classes (except a B- 'Chemistry for Engineers', I HATED IT). I took PHYS 227: Classical Physics, MATH 211: Linear Algebra, AMAT 217: Calculus, and PHIL 201: Mind...

Hello, I want to enroll to the university soon and I have something in mind that I would love to hear expert opinions on (read: anyone who attended university :P). My plan is to enroll to CS or computer engineering with physics. In case my grades won't allow it I am considering taking physics...

Homework Statement Let P be a true sentence, and let Q be formed by putting some number of negation symbols in front of P. Show that if you put an even number of negation symbols, then Q is true, but that if you put an odd number, then Q is false. Homework Equations So ... the problem...

Burton Feldman, in his book "112 Mercer Street" (Einstein's address during his tenure at Princeton) tells of a comment that Einstein made to a friend: "...when he felt old and his own work no longer meant much, he came to the Institute mostly for the privilege of walking home with Godel." Godel...

Just a quick yes/no poll. But share any other thoughts you would like.