Howdy John!
Several things...
1st, Ant's term of "science" is pretty broad. Obviously it can't possibly
include the opinion of every scientist that ever lived. As I read it he
is using it to mean "conventional scientific wisdom."
2nd, Popper -- who was a philosopher of science -- was a self-proclaimed
"critical realist". He recognized that realism is an assumption, but he
knowingly assumes it for practical reasons. It meets his test as the best
assumption until a better theory comes along. I believe that Pirsig and
Popper are very similar on this issue. Below are Pirsig's comments to Ant:
"When we speak of an external world guided by evolution it's normal to
assume that it is really there, is independent of us and is the cause of us.
The MOQ goes along with this assumption because experience has shown it to
be an extremely high quality belief for our time. But unlike materialist
metaphysics, the MOQ does not forget that it is still just a belief - quite
different from beliefs in the past, from beliefs of other present cultures,
and possibly from beliefs we will all have in the future. What will decide
which belief prevails is, of course, its quality."
Conventional scientists make this assumption -- frequently without
recognizing it as an assumption -- and then go on. Popper's brilliance was
that he recognized what his major assumptions were and evaluated them based
upon their quality as intellectual concepts. In general, I agree with you
that Pirsig and Ant's criticisms of science DO NOT APPLY to Popper.
I find the MOQ and science get along nicely. Pirsig and Popper improve the
philosophy of science by reminding us that our foundations can shift at any
time.
Roger
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