Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview. On The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." What is "force" as physics describes it? And scientific law? Do these terms denote objects in the world, or models for how we describe the world? For Hegel, force is a way of talking about the metaphysical relation that one object Continue Reading …
Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one our close reading of The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." We start off with the dynamic between the expressed and merely stored up aspects of force and how this relates to the forcing and the forced entities in the interaction. Which of these is the "solicitor" and which is being solicited? Either one can be seen Continue Reading …
Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part One for Supporters)
On The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." What is "force" as physics describes it? And scientific law? Do these terms denote objects in the world, or models for how we describe the world? For Hegel, force is a way of talking about the metaphysical relation that one object has to other objects. Or taken from another perspective, it's the Continue Reading …
Science, Technology and Society X: Weimar Culture and Quantum Mechanics
This post in the tenth in a series on Science, Technology, and Society. The previous post in the series is here, and the next post is here. All posts in the series have previously appeared on the Partially Examined Life group page on Facebook. "Quantum mechanics broke the mold of the previous framework, classical mechanics, by establishing that the predictions of science are Continue Reading …
DeLanda’s Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy Not School Group
[Editor's Note: Thanks to Wayne for this plug for a new Not School group for November that's it's not too late for YOU to go join. Sign up for Not School and get in it.] Manuel De Landa is one of the most prominent and clear interpreters of Giles Deleuze, and we're exploring DeLanda's book Intensive Science & Virtual Philosophy. Deleuze, according to DeLanda, provides us Continue Reading …
Victor Stenger on the Fine Tuning Argument
We were left at an impasse on the episode regarding the part of the argument from design referring to the fine-tuning of the universe to support life. Dawkins didn't give enough detail about this for us really to understand, much less critique it, yet it seemed like a lot of what we were concerned about hinged on this argument. You can read about it on Wikipedia. Prominent Continue Reading …
Lawrence Krauss on “A Universe from Nothing” (via Openculture)
Passing on this video posted today on openculture.com. In considering the cosmological argument on the God episode, we made no attempt to say how or if modern cosmology affects the challenge we discussed in comparing the mental satisfaction of "the universe was caused by God, who is special and doesn't need a cause in turn" vs. "the origin of the universe is a brute Continue Reading …
More on the Metaphysical Implications of Quantum Mechanics
Via Conor Friedersdorf blogging for Andrew Sullivan, here's a short Bloggingheads TV discussion on the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics: See the whole episode here and more here. Continue Reading …