DuncanS comments on How to teach to magical thinkers? - Less Wrong

14 Post author: polymathwannabe 24 February 2014 01:43PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (79)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: DuncanS 24 February 2014 08:02:57PM 2 points [-]

If your definition of "truth" is such that any method is as good as any other of finding it, then the scientific method really is no better than anything else at finding it. Of course most of the "truths" won't bear much resemblance to what you'd get if you only used the scientific method.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 25 February 2014 02:53:17AM 1 point [-]

Of course most of the "truths" won't bear much resemblance to what you'd get if you only used the scientific method.

Also most of these truths will eventually wind up putting you in a position where you start experiencing pain or even dying despite your "truth" telling you that you aren't.

Or as Chesterton put it:

If a man proves too clearly and convincingly to himself . . . that a tiger is an optical illusion--well, he will find out he is wrong. The tiger will himself intervene in the discussion, in a manner which will be in every sense conclusive.

Comment author: fubarobfusco 25 February 2014 08:30:11AM 2 points [-]

Or as Dick put it: "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."