It is way too common to confuse the abstractions we use to understand reality with reality itself. Like the scientists who work with this stuff are really consistent in keeping the two separated, but the moment a theory gets in the hands of a journalist or god forbid a politician, it starts wreaking havok
It is way too common to confuse the abstractions we use to understand reality with reality itself. Like the scientists who work with this stuff are really consistent in keeping the two separated
I wish this was true. I remember seeing a physicist talking about how the laws of physics are mathematical in nature and that the laws of physics needed to exist before the universe do the universe is made of math. I don’t think the vast majority of physicists have a philosophical grounding for the types of ontological claims they make. Even less so since “shut up and calculate” became the professional axiom.
I’m trying to be generous, I know guys like Richard Feynman are very precise in the way they talk about it. But in general I agree, scientists don’t get any kind of philosophy of science training, or anything like humanities. In fact it seems like a lot of people are actively against such things. As a result, the very concepts of ontology or epistemology never even crosses their minds.
It is way too common to confuse the abstractions we use to understand reality with reality itself. Like the scientists who work with this stuff are really consistent in keeping the two separated, but the moment a theory gets in the hands of a journalist or god forbid a politician, it starts wreaking havok
They’re making the electrons gay!
Never met a gay electron. They’re always so damn negative.
I wish this was true. I remember seeing a physicist talking about how the laws of physics are mathematical in nature and that the laws of physics needed to exist before the universe do the universe is made of math. I don’t think the vast majority of physicists have a philosophical grounding for the types of ontological claims they make. Even less so since “shut up and calculate” became the professional axiom.
I’m trying to be generous, I know guys like Richard Feynman are very precise in the way they talk about it. But in general I agree, scientists don’t get any kind of philosophy of science training, or anything like humanities. In fact it seems like a lot of people are actively against such things. As a result, the very concepts of ontology or epistemology never even crosses their minds.