Great topic! I love the idea of an atomic soul. It would make for an excellent heavy metal band name.
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments in the intro. I also get turned off by “I believe in science” mindset I hear so often these days. As if science has already answered all our questions minus a few around the edges. As if science can possibly get the bottom of our most fundamental questions.
I appreciate this ‘banned’ Ted talk which explores the tension between science as a method of inquiry and science as a dogmatic worldview.
The religious use "believe" the science because they're trying to set up their argument that science is just another religion. I just say that I accept the evidence as provisional truth pending new data. It leaves them floundering.
Anya, you are absolutely right on “believing the/in science”; when I first heard politicians utter these words, now a few years ago, I started to lose sleep. Your commentary gave me some solace this morning, as my life has not been been the same since 2020; “friends”, “family”, people really failed these past few years.
I have always been interested in the Atomists but haven't studied them very much so this was an enlightening article. And Anya, thank you so much for offering a reasoned perspective on matters that have unfortunately been hijacked by partisan politics, emotionalists, and individuals who sadly make their choices based on fear, not facts. Your introduction to the article was a welcomed breath of fresh air.
Again I completely agree with you. Since is the pursuit of knowledge. All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual toward freedom, as echoed by Sir Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein. However in the last several years, science has become a political device used to persuade and lie. What a black eye Fauci gave it.
Francis Bacon gave the complete details on defining science, or as it had been called before, the "natural philosophy." In fact that's the source of the scientific method [aka Baconian Method] used today... or should be
Intersection enuff, in my last article, "house of a fish", I did mention the atomic theory of Democritus. Amazingly, he was not the first! This theory had also been discovered much earlier by a man known as Mokhus the Phoenician.
You will have to dig, but here is some help: His works were mentioned and studied by Flavius Josephus the Historian, the Stoic’s Posidonius, and Robert Boyle, who was a natural philosopher and father of modern chemistry. A 17th century rationalist theologian named Henry More traced the origins of ancient atomism back through Pythagoras and Mokhos, to Moses the Hebrew lawgiver. Some even theorize as far as saying Mokhos was the Biblical Moses. Colin Maclaurin in his four volume series on the philosophies of Isaac Newton records that Isaac Newton agreed with Henry More’s conclusion.
Hallo there! One EITHER understands science, or one DOESN'T... One can only APPLY the SCIENCE that you know. The same cannot be said for its OPPOSITE (Religion, fantasy and faerie tales). It is almost like COMPARING Aristotle and Plato - - almost... Yours sincere Pieter J (PJ)
Great topic! I love the idea of an atomic soul. It would make for an excellent heavy metal band name.
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments in the intro. I also get turned off by “I believe in science” mindset I hear so often these days. As if science has already answered all our questions minus a few around the edges. As if science can possibly get the bottom of our most fundamental questions.
I appreciate this ‘banned’ Ted talk which explores the tension between science as a method of inquiry and science as a dogmatic worldview.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sF03FN37i5w
Fauci not only believed in science, he IS THE science. Hard to imagine anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of science saying such a thing.
BTW Ed if you love the idea of an atomic soul I assume you are a fan of Lucretius? If not, you’d love his work The Nature of Things.
Thanks for the suggestion Dr B. I don’t know much about Lucretius but will check him out.
Hope you enjoy.
Lucretius is an excellent suggestion! Ed, you are in for a treat...
Kudos to you for venting about “the science”!
The religious use "believe" the science because they're trying to set up their argument that science is just another religion. I just say that I accept the evidence as provisional truth pending new data. It leaves them floundering.
Excellent reply...
Anya, you are absolutely right on “believing the/in science”; when I first heard politicians utter these words, now a few years ago, I started to lose sleep. Your commentary gave me some solace this morning, as my life has not been been the same since 2020; “friends”, “family”, people really failed these past few years.
I have always been interested in the Atomists but haven't studied them very much so this was an enlightening article. And Anya, thank you so much for offering a reasoned perspective on matters that have unfortunately been hijacked by partisan politics, emotionalists, and individuals who sadly make their choices based on fear, not facts. Your introduction to the article was a welcomed breath of fresh air.
Again I completely agree with you. Since is the pursuit of knowledge. All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual toward freedom, as echoed by Sir Francis Bacon and Albert Einstein. However in the last several years, science has become a political device used to persuade and lie. What a black eye Fauci gave it.
Francis Bacon gave the complete details on defining science, or as it had been called before, the "natural philosophy." In fact that's the source of the scientific method [aka Baconian Method] used today... or should be
Intersection enuff, in my last article, "house of a fish", I did mention the atomic theory of Democritus. Amazingly, he was not the first! This theory had also been discovered much earlier by a man known as Mokhus the Phoenician.
I need to look into Mokhus! Sounds fascinating...
You will have to dig, but here is some help: His works were mentioned and studied by Flavius Josephus the Historian, the Stoic’s Posidonius, and Robert Boyle, who was a natural philosopher and father of modern chemistry. A 17th century rationalist theologian named Henry More traced the origins of ancient atomism back through Pythagoras and Mokhos, to Moses the Hebrew lawgiver. Some even theorize as far as saying Mokhos was the Biblical Moses. Colin Maclaurin in his four volume series on the philosophies of Isaac Newton records that Isaac Newton agreed with Henry More’s conclusion.
Hallo there! One EITHER understands science, or one DOESN'T... One can only APPLY the SCIENCE that you know. The same cannot be said for its OPPOSITE (Religion, fantasy and faerie tales). It is almost like COMPARING Aristotle and Plato - - almost... Yours sincere Pieter J (PJ)