But science begins at the assumption that our senses are real.
This is my point of contention. Assuming our senses --> science is not supported historically. What I say is results of science --> science --> assuming our senses. Because something works we choose to explain how it works, we don’t start with the assumption that it works and get it do so.
Kant basically argued that we can’t be justified in our empirical knowledge because even if our senses were always correct we have hidden assumptions about the world that clouds them. For example that things happen in sequences, cause before effect. That space between things is real instead of all the same thing churning. And thus having defeated both reason and observation he declared God to be the basis of all human knowledge. It really is just Plato but in German and somehow more confusing.
What I say is results of science --> science --> assuming our senses. Because something works we choose to explain how it works, we don’t start with the assumption that it works and get it do so.
Make an observation of a something, then explain it, right? Observe it working. Observe using senses. That was step one?
Think of a mathematical proof. List the givens. So when you explain your results, you start with “given that senses are real and not a simulation…” I agree that questioning senses came later, but it doesn’t change that we always assumed they were real.
I see the frustration with those philosophers. I assure you I’m not trying to discourage or discount science.
Fine let’s think of math. Did you learn to add and subtract in first grade via proofs or by counting? This is not only true as an individual this is true as a species. Someone noticed a pattern and only later did someone else write a proof. And then in the late 19th to early 20th century when set theory became a thing, when there was an attempt to justify all of math via itself endlessly problems popped up. Pretty much all math, according to some, depends on consistency of arithmetic which we don’t know is true in the formal sense. Maybe one day someone will break that and get 2 = 3 and it won’t matter. Because addition will still work.
I think I understand you’re saying senses existed before science. Science and philosophy helped us to get to a place where we can say “are senses real?”
Like “wow we were using our senses the entire time! That’s how we observe! But how do we know senses are real? Oh we can’t”
This is my point of contention. Assuming our senses --> science is not supported historically. What I say is results of science --> science --> assuming our senses. Because something works we choose to explain how it works, we don’t start with the assumption that it works and get it do so.
Kant basically argued that we can’t be justified in our empirical knowledge because even if our senses were always correct we have hidden assumptions about the world that clouds them. For example that things happen in sequences, cause before effect. That space between things is real instead of all the same thing churning. And thus having defeated both reason and observation he declared God to be the basis of all human knowledge. It really is just Plato but in German and somehow more confusing.
Make an observation of a something, then explain it, right? Observe it working. Observe using senses. That was step one?
Think of a mathematical proof. List the givens. So when you explain your results, you start with “given that senses are real and not a simulation…” I agree that questioning senses came later, but it doesn’t change that we always assumed they were real.
I see the frustration with those philosophers. I assure you I’m not trying to discourage or discount science.
Fine let’s think of math. Did you learn to add and subtract in first grade via proofs or by counting? This is not only true as an individual this is true as a species. Someone noticed a pattern and only later did someone else write a proof. And then in the late 19th to early 20th century when set theory became a thing, when there was an attempt to justify all of math via itself endlessly problems popped up. Pretty much all math, according to some, depends on consistency of arithmetic which we don’t know is true in the formal sense. Maybe one day someone will break that and get 2 = 3 and it won’t matter. Because addition will still work.
I think I understand you’re saying senses existed before science. Science and philosophy helped us to get to a place where we can say “are senses real?”
Like “wow we were using our senses the entire time! That’s how we observe! But how do we know senses are real? Oh we can’t”