Is life about a search for Truth?
How do you know when you've found it?
What if there is no "Truth"? Or if there is, what if it's impossible to know?
What if the best we can do is to formulate models, that may or may not reflect Truth, but there's no way for us to tell? We can test how well a given model predicts observations (this is my understanding of the scientific process), but even if a model predicts observations perfectly, that doesn't mean it's "true" in the sense of accurately reflecting reality. There's no way to tell whether it accurately reflects reality (I'm not even sure the phrase "reflects reality" means anything), only how well it predicts observations.
For example, if my model tells me the earth is flat and I therefore predict that if you sail west too far, you'll fall off and never come back, my model may produce accurate predictions -- people sail west, something happens to them, and they never come back. Does that make my model true?
If I think my beliefs reflect Truth, I'll cling to them whatever anyone else says and I may be motivated to try and convince others of my Truth.
If I think my beliefs are models whose usefulness lies in their ability to predict observations, I might be more inclined to keep my mind open to new models that might produce better predictions. I might be less inclined to evangelize others.
How do you know when you've found it?
What if there is no "Truth"? Or if there is, what if it's impossible to know?
What if the best we can do is to formulate models, that may or may not reflect Truth, but there's no way for us to tell? We can test how well a given model predicts observations (this is my understanding of the scientific process), but even if a model predicts observations perfectly, that doesn't mean it's "true" in the sense of accurately reflecting reality. There's no way to tell whether it accurately reflects reality (I'm not even sure the phrase "reflects reality" means anything), only how well it predicts observations.
For example, if my model tells me the earth is flat and I therefore predict that if you sail west too far, you'll fall off and never come back, my model may produce accurate predictions -- people sail west, something happens to them, and they never come back. Does that make my model true?
If I think my beliefs reflect Truth, I'll cling to them whatever anyone else says and I may be motivated to try and convince others of my Truth.
If I think my beliefs are models whose usefulness lies in their ability to predict observations, I might be more inclined to keep my mind open to new models that might produce better predictions. I might be less inclined to evangelize others.
posted by GreenSkink at 12:42
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