Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics', 'On Simple Theories of a Complex World' and 'works'

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6 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics
21959 Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things [Moore,AW]
     Full Idea: Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things.
     From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], Intro)
     A reaction: This is the first sentence of Moore's book, and a touchstone idea all the way through. It stands up well, because it says enough without committing to too much. I have to agree with it. It implies explanation as the key. I like generality too.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / k. Infinitesimals
18086 Weierstrass eliminated talk of infinitesimals [Weierstrass, by Kitcher]
     Full Idea: Weierstrass effectively eliminated the infinitesimalist language of his predecessors.
     From: report of Karl Weierstrass (works [1855]) by Philip Kitcher - The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge 10.6
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / l. Limits
18092 Weierstrass made limits central, but the existence of limits still needed to be proved [Weierstrass, by Bostock]
     Full Idea: After Weierstrass had stressed the importance of limits, one now needed to be able to prove the existence of such limits.
     From: report of Karl Weierstrass (works [1855]) by David Bostock - Philosophy of Mathematics 4.4
     A reaction: The solution to this is found in work on series (going back to Cauchy), and on Dedekind's cuts.
11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / b. Transcendental idealism
21958 Appearances are nothing beyond representations, which is transcendental ideality [Moore,AW]
     Full Idea: Appearances in general are nothing outside our representations, which is just what we mean by transcendental ideality.
     From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], B535/A507)
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory
21687 It seems obvious to prefer the simpler of two theories, on grounds of beauty and convenience [Quine]
     Full Idea: It is not to be wondered that theory makers seek simplicity. When two theories are equally defensible on other counts, certainly the simpler of the two is to be preferred on the score of both beauty and convenience.
     From: Willard Quine (On Simple Theories of a Complex World [1960], p.255)
     A reaction: A simple application of Ockham's Razor. Quine goes on to nicely deconstruct what is involved in simplicity, and identify a certain amount of dubious prejudice in the concept.
21688 There are four suspicious reasons why we prefer simpler theories [Quine]
     Full Idea: We prefer simpler theories through wishful thinking, or a bias which slants the data, or a bias where the simpler hypothesis is more open to confirmation, or simpler hypotheses tolerating wider deviations in score-keeping.
     From: Willard Quine (On Simple Theories of a Complex World [1960], p.258)
     A reaction: [a compression of his summary of the paper] Quine is not dismissing our preference for simpler theories, but just very nicely inviting us to focus of aspects about which we should be cautious.