Phil has an interesting introduction of himself on the BA homepage.

He writes:

"I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I like reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way."


I was wondering if Phil or someone else would explain this to me as I have some question.

What is the way reality is?


Is keeping it that way a philosophically and scientifically acceptable mindset for the advancement of knowledge?

Does skepticism violate its own tenants when it creates a reality and refuses to view it skeptically?

Just curious.

Johnny

First, that's an example of his wacky sense of humor.One of the BIG questions. Not answered here.I think you misunderstand. He's not saying that he likes what he created, he's saying that he likes what is. What that is, that's another BIG question, not answered here.

So he likes that reality is an unanswered Big Question and he hopes to keep it that way? I don't think that is what he means.

Is it really that difficult?

He says he likes the bare and crude reality, without making it up, without unnecessary appendages, and he wants to keep facing it that way, bare and crude. It´s just another way to say he´s a positivist.

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"Shut up and calculate" R. Feynman

I know that's not what he means.

That's not what I said, either.

What is bare and crude about reality and why would he want to keep it that way?

Maybe our knowledge of reality is bare and crude, but reality is not the projections of human kind alone. If by positivist you mean he rejects magic, I can't argue with that in the least. At what point does the rejection of "unnecessary appendages" and the defining of such, pervert the pursuit of knowledge and science? At what point does the rejection of "appendages" result from established skepitical prejudices as opposed to the scientific method, the metaphysic of the postivist? How does the skeptic confront his established worldview from a positivist position and not fall down the slippery slope?

Will you excuse me, Bigsplit, but I don´t think this is the right place for deep philosophical inquiries. I don´t have the answers. All I [as a positivist myself] know is that Occam´s razor must be used whenever necessary. With that said I´m stepping out of this thread.

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"Shut up and calculate" R. Feynman

Reality is what it is. It's real. You don't have to make stuff up and pretend it's real, or scam people by telling them it's real.

Reality is. And that's the way it should be.

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Phil Plait
The Bad Astronomer
http://www.badastronomy.com
badastro@badastronomy.com

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Van Rijn's original Invisible Elf was running for the North Carolina Senate, but dropped out of the contest after the paparazzi snapped him with a cute pixie just outside Disney World in Florida. Now he has settled down with her as they await their first child, writing his biography of life in Van Rijn's backyard, - Now you prove me wrong

The question is how do people Phil in the Gaps of what is known and not known through scientific method? It could be argued that we all fill in those gaps with something to establish a mindset with "unreal" filler if you will. How do positivist close these mindset gaps while staying true to their methodology?

I thought we were all comfortable acknowledging there were things we don't know--that there are gaps.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

but there is no rule book that demands that all reality can be proved by science, is there?

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Perhaps this is true. For instance, I do not know if there is a murderer outside my home at this moment. I am comfortable, because I see it as very unlikely. Some (very few I think) may be pulverized by such uncertainty to a greater or lesser degree and refuse to leave the house alone or unarmed or any other "paranoid' reasons.

This is certainly different than the mindset concept of uncertainty and its metaphysical implications, but there is a common concept of uncertainty.

Does positivism imply that all reality can be discovered through scientific method? I am not sure, and I would like to know what other's think. What does a positivist rely upon during times of heightened uncertainty when a decision must be made?

Okay, perhaps I'd better clarify what I meant. What I meant is, there are gaps; we know this. We work to fill them. I did not mean we just let them go; I meant we are aware that they are there, we accept that they are there, and we work on improving our knowledge so that, eventually, they won't be there anymore.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

Violation of tenants? No one said anything about signing a lease...

Weighing in comfortably with the vive les gaps! contingent, also.

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"When will the fun ever stop?"

Not all who wander are lost.