Greetings,
Firstly Kevin, I'm baffled as to why you entitled your last posting, "In Defense of Philosophy,"
when you then go on to show that, in your opinion, inductive methodology is the only valid approach
on this forum. Inductive reasoning is the foundation of science not philosophy. Deductive
reasoning - which you reject in this context - constitutes the discipline of logic. Your posting may
have been a defence of traditional scientific method but it is certainly not a defence of philosophy
and, indeed, is actually an attack on it. You are essentially saying that logic has no place on this
forum which, to me, is quite outrageous.
Bertrand Russell's inductivist turkey arrives at the farm and is fed at 9:00 am. Being a good
inductivist he doesn't jump to conclusions but waits until he has gathered a large number of
observations that he is fed at 9:00 am every day. He gathers these observations on a wide variety of
occasions, Mondays, Thursdays, cold days, warm days, etc, until finally his inductivist conscience
is satisfied and he concludes, "I am always fed at 9:00 am." Alas this conclusion is shown to be
false on Christmas Eve when his head is ripped off at 9:00 am instead. An inductive inference with
true premises has led to a false conclusion. If only the turkey had been able to deduce the farmers
motives for giving him all that food he might have slipped through the fence a couple of days prior.
If we drop deductive reasoning then we abandon philosophy and, like the turkey, will be eaten for
lunch.
Struan
------------------------------------------
Struan Hellier
< mailto:struan@shellier.freeserve.co.uk>
"All our best activities involve desires which are disciplined and
purified in the process."
(Iris Murdoch)
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