Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Oswald Veblen, Richard P. Feynman and Nicholas P. White

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7 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
15970 People generalise because it is easier to understand, and that is mistaken for deep philosophy [Feynman]
     Full Idea: The topic of the laws of nature has a tendency to become too philosophical because it becomes too general, and a person talks in such generalities, that everybody can understand him. It is then considered to be some deep philosophy.
     From: Richard P. Feynman (The Character of Physical Law [1965], 1)
     A reaction: Feynman was famously anti-philosophical, but this is a good challenge. I like philosophy because I want to know broad general truths about my world, but I may just be gravitating towards what is easier. The challenge is to get true generalities.
5. Theory of Logic / A. Overview of Logic / 2. History of Logic
10247 We have no adequate logic at the moment, so mathematicians must create one [Veblen]
     Full Idea: Formal logic has to be taken over by mathematicians. The fact is that there does not exist an adequate logic at the present time, and unless the mathematicians create one, no one else is likely to do so.
     From: Oswald Veblen (Presidential Address of Am. Math. Soc [1924], 141), quoted by Stewart Shapiro - Philosophy of Mathematics
     A reaction: This remark was made well after Frege, but before the advent of Gödel and Tarski. That implies that he was really thinking of meta-logic.
5. Theory of Logic / J. Model Theory in Logic / 3. Löwenheim-Skolem Theorems
17813 Löwenheim-Skolem says any theory with a true interpretation has a model in the natural numbers [White,NP]
     Full Idea: The Löwenheim-Skolem theorem tells us that any theory with a true interpretation has a model in the natural numbers.
     From: Nicholas P. White (What Numbers Are [1974], V)
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / c. Counting procedure
17812 Finite cardinalities don't need numbers as objects; numerical quantifiers will do [White,NP]
     Full Idea: Statements involving finite cardinalities can be made without treating numbers as objects at all, simply by using quantification and identity to define numerically definite quantifiers in the manner of Frege.
     From: Nicholas P. White (What Numbers Are [1974], IV)
     A reaction: [He adds Quine 1960:268 as a reference]
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 4. Regularities / a. Regularity theory
9410 Physical Laws are rhythms and patterns in nature, revealed by analysis [Feynman]
     Full Idea: There is a rhythm and a pattern between the phenomena of nature which is not apparent to the eye, but only to the eye of analysis; and it is these rhythms and patterns which we call Physical Laws.
     From: Richard P. Feynman (The Character of Physical Law [1965], Ch.1)
27. Natural Reality / B. Modern Physics / 2. Electrodynamics / d. Quantum mechanics
18530 Nobody understands quantum mechanics [Feynman]
     Full Idea: I think I can safely say the nobody understands quantum mechanics.
     From: Richard P. Feynman (The Character of Physical Law [1965], 6)
     A reaction: It is really important that philosophers grasp this point!
27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 3. Points in Space
17707 We should regard space as made up of many tiny pieces [Feynman, by Mares]
     Full Idea: Feynman claims that we should regard space as made up of many tiny pieces, which have positive length, width and depth.
     From: report of Richard P. Feynman (The Character of Physical Law [1965], p.166) by Edwin D. Mares - A Priori 06.7
     A reaction: The idea seems to be these are the minimum bits of space in which something can happen.