Seems like a lot of posts of late have been of an epistemological nature, that is, how do you know what you know? What is the "truth". For example, beyond telling us something extremely obvious such as whether the oil is being contaminated by coolant, can a UOA be extrapolated to a point where the supposed "wear numbers" provide a "scientific" basis for predicting anything?
My question is simply this, is there any consensus on this board as to what "science" is or what the "scientific method" is?
As background food for thought, I'd like to offer the following quote:
"Supposing truth to be a woman - what? is the suspicion not well founded that all philosophers, when they have been dogmatists, have had little understanding of women? that the gruesome earnestness, the clumsy importunity with which they have hitherto been in the habit of approaching truth have been inept and improper means for winning a wench? Certainly she has not let herself be won - and today every kind of dogmatism stands sad and discouraged. If it continues to stand at all! For there are scoffers who assert it has fallen down, that dogmatism lies on the floor, more, that dogmatism is at its last gasp."
Nietzsche - "Beyond Good and Evil" (preface)
Epistemologically speaking, is not "science" but a form of "dogmatism"?
[ July 26, 2003, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: ex_MGB ]
My question is simply this, is there any consensus on this board as to what "science" is or what the "scientific method" is?
As background food for thought, I'd like to offer the following quote:
"Supposing truth to be a woman - what? is the suspicion not well founded that all philosophers, when they have been dogmatists, have had little understanding of women? that the gruesome earnestness, the clumsy importunity with which they have hitherto been in the habit of approaching truth have been inept and improper means for winning a wench? Certainly she has not let herself be won - and today every kind of dogmatism stands sad and discouraged. If it continues to stand at all! For there are scoffers who assert it has fallen down, that dogmatism lies on the floor, more, that dogmatism is at its last gasp."
Nietzsche - "Beyond Good and Evil" (preface)
Epistemologically speaking, is not "science" but a form of "dogmatism"?
[ July 26, 2003, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: ex_MGB ]