Philosophy
Daniel Boorstin, The Discoverers [dust-jacket illustration;
attributed to a 16th-century woodcut by the Bettmann Archive]
A Medieval science thought experiment...well, maybe not so Medieval:
"If you thrust your hand beyond the outermost sphere, would your hand be in a place?"--Aristotle
Or to put it another way..."What is outside of the universe?"
Aristotle replied:
"It is therefore evident that there is no place or void or time outside the heaven [i.e., the outermost sphere of fixed stars]. For in every place, body can be present; and void is said to be that in which the presence of body, though not actual, is possible; and time is the number of movement. But in the absence of natural body there is no movement, and outside the heaven, as we have shown, body neither exists nor can come to exist. It is clear then that there is neither place, nor void, nor time, outside the heaven. Hence whatever is there, is of such a nature as not to occupy any place, nor does time age it; nor is there any change in any of the things which lie beyond the outermost motion...."On the Heavens, Book I, Chapter 9.
Okay, from the Medieval perspective this was more of an issue for an argument for the "flat Earth" hypothesis and despite that stance it did provide fodder for analytical thought experiments. [As old as the Stoics the thought experiment is thus: What would happen if a man tried to extend his arm beyond the outermost sphere? (See the above woodcut)]. Clearly Aristotle advocated a "finite" universe where neither matter or time existed beyond the known universe and many Medieval theologians/philosophers saw an opportunity to place God and heaven in that realm. Guess what, we are still asking that question some 700 plus years beyond the Medievalists. The question is...is it still a relevant question despite our sophisticated technology to peer into the universe, the ability to mathematically extrapolate hypotheses, to find the nebulous question of our own existence, fragility, destiny? Is the question of finiteness-infiniteness of the universe a matter of science or philosophy--or both?
- A) Explain Aristotle?s Understanding Of The Four Causes (25).
As with the rest of the essays on this blog, this was written in timed conditions (30 minutes). This question was on an examination paper in May 2011 on the Philosophy of Religion (AS). It was written in the hope that students gain a fuller understanding...
- Richard Dawkins & Lawrence Krauss - Something From Nothing
One of the most persistent intuitions we humans rely on when thinking about the question of the origin of the universe is captured by the latin phrase ex nihilo nihil fit, which can be roughly translated as "nothing comes from nothing," so where did everything...
- Everything And Nothing - Nothing
The idea of a vacuum, nothingness or the void has troubled Western thinkers since at least the time of Parmenides. The problem started as a logical puzzle: how could nothingness, something non-existent by definition, be? This rejection of the very possibility...
- An Infinite Universe?
If the universe is infinite now it has always been infinite. This is the opinion of many astronomers today as can be concluded from the following series of interviews, but the opinions differ much more than I had expected. Many astronomers do not have...
- "god's Philosophers..."...medieval Religion And Science
Off to the library for this one. Promotional copy: This is a powerful and a thrilling narrative history revealing the roots of modern science in the medieval world. The adjective 'medieval' has become a synonym for brutality and uncivilized behavior....
Philosophy
Edge of the universe
Daniel Boorstin, The Discoverers [dust-jacket illustration;attributed to a 16th-century woodcut by the Bettmann Archive]
A Medieval science thought experiment...well, maybe not so Medieval:
"If you thrust your hand beyond the outermost sphere, would your hand be in a place?"--Aristotle
Or to put it another way..."What is outside of the universe?"
Aristotle replied:
"It is therefore evident that there is no place or void or time outside the heaven [i.e., the outermost sphere of fixed stars]. For in every place, body can be present; and void is said to be that in which the presence of body, though not actual, is possible; and time is the number of movement. But in the absence of natural body there is no movement, and outside the heaven, as we have shown, body neither exists nor can come to exist. It is clear then that there is neither place, nor void, nor time, outside the heaven. Hence whatever is there, is of such a nature as not to occupy any place, nor does time age it; nor is there any change in any of the things which lie beyond the outermost motion...."On the Heavens, Book I, Chapter 9.
Okay, from the Medieval perspective this was more of an issue for an argument for the "flat Earth" hypothesis and despite that stance it did provide fodder for analytical thought experiments. [As old as the Stoics the thought experiment is thus: What would happen if a man tried to extend his arm beyond the outermost sphere? (See the above woodcut)]. Clearly Aristotle advocated a "finite" universe where neither matter or time existed beyond the known universe and many Medieval theologians/philosophers saw an opportunity to place God and heaven in that realm. Guess what, we are still asking that question some 700 plus years beyond the Medievalists. The question is...is it still a relevant question despite our sophisticated technology to peer into the universe, the ability to mathematically extrapolate hypotheses, to find the nebulous question of our own existence, fragility, destiny? Is the question of finiteness-infiniteness of the universe a matter of science or philosophy--or both?
- A) Explain Aristotle?s Understanding Of The Four Causes (25).
As with the rest of the essays on this blog, this was written in timed conditions (30 minutes). This question was on an examination paper in May 2011 on the Philosophy of Religion (AS). It was written in the hope that students gain a fuller understanding...
- Richard Dawkins & Lawrence Krauss - Something From Nothing
One of the most persistent intuitions we humans rely on when thinking about the question of the origin of the universe is captured by the latin phrase ex nihilo nihil fit, which can be roughly translated as "nothing comes from nothing," so where did everything...
- Everything And Nothing - Nothing
The idea of a vacuum, nothingness or the void has troubled Western thinkers since at least the time of Parmenides. The problem started as a logical puzzle: how could nothingness, something non-existent by definition, be? This rejection of the very possibility...
- An Infinite Universe?
If the universe is infinite now it has always been infinite. This is the opinion of many astronomers today as can be concluded from the following series of interviews, but the opinions differ much more than I had expected. Many astronomers do not have...
- "god's Philosophers..."...medieval Religion And Science
Off to the library for this one. Promotional copy: This is a powerful and a thrilling narrative history revealing the roots of modern science in the medieval world. The adjective 'medieval' has become a synonym for brutality and uncivilized behavior....