Week 3 and 4

Why is understanding physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?

For one to become as most objectionable as possible in his or her approach to answering the questions of human origin, of existence, and meaning from a pure philosophical point view, one needs to understand the laws of physics and the general rules of relativity of the universe. This is necessary in order to reconcile the human biases that exist within our minds that could skew our understanding. We have to become less subjective by “stepping outside” the observation window as opposed to viewing it from within. The old adage “you can’t see the forest for the trees” would be suffice here. Physics allows us to see the forest from a greater perspective, than that of the tree (which we are), as best as possible. Through physics, we can examine the universe from a more theoretical stand point view with the gained knowledge of how things should work when we are not present to view them, or from the outside looking in, as opposed to the obvious reality. This is important, because our mere presence changes the equation at any given time. Understanding this and what changes we introduce to the equation, in turn, helps us to have a more objectionable understanding of pure philosophical meaning, at least in theory. Not surprisingly, one of the greatest scientific minds of all time struggled in this area of the relationship between philosophy and physics. While Einstein noted the importance of physics in philosophical understanding, he also concluded that because these observations were and always subject to our human understanding and biases, 100% philosophical understanding would be difficult at best, if not impossible to attain. In other words, we will probably never be able to, with 100% objectivity, be able to see the forest for the trees, because we humans will always be one of the trees in the forest. He did however elude to the fact that if 100% objectivity in philosophical reasoning could be attained, it would be through the mechanism of physics.


What is eliminative materialism. Give three examples
This is the view or claim that what we view as common sense or long held accepted and given fact is actually false and should be, at the very least challenged, or expelled completely. There have been several instances in human history that illustrate this meaning. For centuries, it was thought, accepted and even taken for granted that the earth was the center of the universe. Who knows for sure how the notion was born, but it was and it remained accepted fact for centuries. However, with the advent of the telescope and subsequent improvements, Galileo was able to conclude that not only was the earth not the center of the universe, it wasn’t even the center of the solar system. His notion that the earth revolved around the sun, which turned out to be right, is accepted scientific fact today. However in 1615, this notion led to him being placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. Prior to that, in the 15th century, it was thought and accepted scientific fact that the earth itself was flat. Not until the voyages Vespucci and Columbus, did the scientific community even begin to accept the fallacy that existed in the notion of a flat earth. Today we hold fast to the notion that the earth was never flat, but always round. More recently, medical advances demonstrate the notion of eliminative materialism. Beginning in the early 80’s physicians across the globe found themselves trying to explain a silent and deadly disease that seemed to affect only a certain segment of the population. Without out the advances of science, many might still think that Gay Related Immune Deficiency, or GRID as it was coined then, was an act of God or the God’s lashing out at homosexuality. It seems farfetched now in 2015, because we have a better understanding of the effects of HIV/AIDS on the immune system. But in 1980, it was commonplace and accepted fact that the disease was a result of God’s wrath toward homosexuality. Just like with the death of Thor and the under gods, science will continue to use material fact to eliminate untruths, even when they are deemed to be accepted fact or common sense.
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