Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [popular-science]

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Is there any reason to believe that there are things which science cannot tell us?

Science can only tell us a posteriori synthetic truths, can this category extend to all propositions about the world. Surely the only things which can by known ONLY by a priori analytic are tautologies and relations of ideas. Could you give me…
user12096
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Is one commiting the "argument from authority" fallacy and/or the "consensus fallacy" when one refers to a scientific consensus when asserting truth?

Bob and Alice disagree regarding subject X. Alice holds view A regarding subject X. Bob holds view B regarding subject X. View A and view B are quite contradictory views. Both can not be true at the same time. Subject X is of paramount importance,…
Fiksdal
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Does science provide the most accurate depiction of reality for analyzing and describing an accurate worldview?

I've been fighting throughout my philosophical reading with the question of the necessity of science as the only permitted view we (since the late 19th century) have on the world. My question might appear to be overreaching, but I don't know how to…
Yechiam Weiss
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Is philosophy considered mainly as ethics in modern society (mainly in the public perception)?

I might be very wrong in my judgment here, so correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what I'm getting from reading and hearing the every-day talk about philosophy (news, small talks, etc). It seems as though philosophy nowadays (namely from the 20th,…
Yechiam Weiss
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How Does Modern Science 'Know' there is no God?

As pointed out in this question, there is no hard scientific evidence of the existence of an existentially all-powerful being. As there is no direct evidence that there is a God, there is also no direct evidence supporting the theory that there…
Jax
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Do Mobius Strips have a front and back?

Mobius strips, are generally held to have only one side - if one marks a place on the strip and on what looks like the other side then a pencil can draw a line between these two points without ever leaving the surface of the strip. Technically this…
Mozibur Ullah
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Do human thoughts interact with matter?

In a Dan Brown book, the author claims that thoughts can interact with matter, and the entire field of study associated with this is called "Noetic Sciences". Is this actually true? What is the veracity of this claim? Is there actually any proof…
user226375
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Does natural science assume indirect realism?

The wiki on Direct and Indirect Realism seems to claim that indirect realism is part of natural science. The wiki defines indirect realism as follows: indirect or representative realism [is] the philosophical position that our conscious…
user3776022
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Are Dawkins and Dennett more Sci-Fi than Science?

We hear much talk today about "consciousness explained" or the "selfish gene." These have become fashionable pop culture scientific explanations of the implications of human evolution from Daniel Dennett to Richard Dawkins. But their claims are not…
Paradox Lost
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Ancestor Simulations Theory contradicts Chaos Theory, Quantum Mechanics and Irreducibility?

(NB. I've no training as a philosopher, but I'm a student of science with an interest) So there in the media this theory of reality as a simulation is gaining popularity, mostly because of types as Elon Musk supporting the theory. This video gives a…
Scipio
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Philosophy - If Space and Time are infinite and therefore infinite copies of us would end up existing, then wouldn't we still be gone after we die?

I have been pondering a question in my head. If Space and Time are infinite, then does that mean that Nietzsche's Eternal Return theory is true in the way that my life would recur, that when 'I' ('I' being the obvious fact that for me I see the…
user202315
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If time is going to end, then did it have a beginning? How do we know time will end?

Why do most physicists believe time is finite? What proof do we have that time is not infinite and therefore will never end? And how can 'time' actually come into existence if something coming into existence (cause and effect) requires time?…
user202315
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Can we imagine a perfect circle?

Applied mathematicians often work with circles, but I'm guessing it's an abstraction that cannot save all the empirical data. Can we conceive of a perfect circle in our visual field -- as apparently they do not exist in nature? Zombies in…
user38026
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Is Marxism akin to science fiction or soothsaying prophecy?

Reading a bit about Marxism (from second hand sources) and it is saying in any society A will happen then B will happen and so on. So was Marx a futurist much like Asimov. Asimov wrote a lot about robots and his three laws. And now, people are…
zooby
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