Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy'' and 'Causation in a Physical World'

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10 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 4. Metaphysics as Science
Metaphysics is the roots of the tree of science [Descartes]
2. Reason / F. Fallacies / 4. Circularity
I know the truth that God exists and is the author of truth [Descartes]
11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
Understanding, not the senses, gives certainty [Descartes]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 5. Infinite in Nature
Archelaus was the first person to say that the universe is boundless [Archelaus, by Diog. Laertius]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 1. Causation
Explain single events by general rules, or vice versa, or probability explains both, or they are unconnected [Field,H]
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 5. Direction of causation
Physical laws are largely time-symmetric, so they make a poor basis for directional causation [Field,H]
Identifying cause and effect is not just conventional; we explain later events by earlier ones [Field,H]
The only reason for adding the notion of 'cause' to fundamental physics is directionality [Field,H]
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 3. Evolution
Archelaus said life began in a primeval slime [Archelaus, by Schofield]
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
Atheism arises from empiricism, because God is intangible [Descartes]