Unpopular Opinions Society

[yally]

I used to kinda get the urge to punch logic in the face.

Unpopular Opinion: If you print bible verses on your packaging, it kinda makes me not want to patronize your place of business anymore.

I have some general rules about the charities I donate to:

Don't test on animals
Show that you're actually doing and not spending all your money on marketing
Don't bring God into it

The charity I work for has started talking about God and it makes me really prickly.

Other than resenting God bein brought into the workplace, it's just terrible marketing. It turns people off.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I don't like the humanities. For every compelling idea they present there is another scientific explanation which doesn't presume all the roundabout things the humanities do. There is more majesty to be found in even the most basic logical concepts than in the most deeply meaningful and complicated philosophical ones.

Or maybe I just don't like Plato.

The problem, or one of them, with science is that it relies on the idea of objectivity, and I don't think anyone or anything can ever be completely objective.....I'm not sure that there is such a think as objective reality.

I was going to start a thread on the concept of objectivity. in science, but I probably am not well enough read to be the one.


For example, in science you are always going to rely of your senses, either you eyes, ears sense of touch, and I suppose your brain. How can you ever really be sure about what you see if you haven't got an objective understanding of how those sense systems work, and how are you ever going to get an objective understanding of those things without using those senses?

And the same can be said about the scientific equipment that one would be using.

 

[FortyTwo]

The problem, or one of them, with science is that it relies on the idea of objectivity, and I don't think anyone or anything can ever be completely objective.....I'm not sure that there is such a think as objective reality.

I was going to start a thread on the concept of objectivity. in science, but I probably am not well enough read to be the one.


For example, in science you are always going to rely of your senses, either you eyes, ears sense of touch, and I suppose your brain. How can you ever really be sure about what you see if you haven't got an objective understanding of how those sense systems work, and how are you ever going to get an objective understanding of those things without using those senses?

And the same can be said about the scientific equipment that one would be using.

Yup, I'm familiar with the whole objective reality issue. I understand that being totally objective is impossible, because as humans we make mistakes and judgment errors and naturally have a distorted sense of reality, if reality can even be said to exist in the form of the raw information we interpret. However, I don't think that means we shouldn't try to be objective as possible. To say otherwise would be similar to the argument that because one cannot be completely vegan, one should just eat meat anyway.

 

[Spang]

"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing." --Plato

 

[FortyTwo]

Anaximander > Plato

 

[Renee1]

Except for the obvious stuff, like mashed potatoes and cauliflower, most of the recipes on The Post Punk Kitchen are disappointing at very best. Never again, man.

 

[Blobbenstein]

Yup, I'm familiar with the whole objective reality issue. I understand that being totally objective is impossible, because as humans we make mistakes and judgment errors and naturally have a distorted sense of reality, if reality can even be said to exist in the form of the raw information we interpret. However, I don't think that means we shouldn't try to be objective as possible. To say otherwise would be similar to the argument that because one cannot be completely vegan, one should just eat meat anyway.

well, I wasn't saying we should abandon the scientific method and return to just religions for our understanding of the Universe. Just that it is a good idea to acknowledge that science is fundamentally flawed as a tool to try to understand everything. I used to think that one day science could/would answer everything; now I don't think that that is going to happen.

 

[Spang]

The 'Post a song that doesn't suck' thread has more quality music than the 'What are you listening to now?' thread.

 

[FortyTwo]

well, I wasn't saying we should abandon the scientific method and return to just religions for our understanding of the Universe. Just that it is a good idea to acknowledge that science is fundamentally flawed as a tool to try to understand everything. I used to think that one day science could/would answer everything; now I don't think that that is going to happen.

Why? Because it's not objective, when nothing can be objective? I think that's a bit unfair.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I don't think it is so flawed that it can't be used to determine quite a lot of things, but ultimately it could never work out everything.....is it unfair to point out limitations to things?

 

[Blobbenstein]

would it be unfair to point out that a car is incapable of flying?

 

[SummerRain]

I was going to start a thread on the concept of objectivity. in science, but I probably am not well enough read to be the one.

I don't think you need to be well read to talk about things like this... it's essentially philosophy of science, which in my experience you don't need lots of background to discuss since "background" is just other peoples opinions.You should start the thread

 

[Moll Flanders]

If people think they, or someone they know, has a serious illness like cancer or bipolar (for example!) they should seek professional help, not ask for the opinion of people online.

 

[Blobbenstein]

Not aimed at anyone here, but it occurred to me that a lot of people are more concerned with saving a few pence on their purchases, than the long term future of this planet....it just seems insane.

 

[ledboots]

Except for the obvious stuff, like mashed potatoes and cauliflower, most of the recipes on The Post Punk Kitchen are disappointing at very best. Never again, man.

I used to be on those boards years ago and learned a lot. But now, I agree, not much content. There used to be a great video that taught me how to make sushi, but idk if it's still there.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I like some recipes I've tried from PPK & associated cookbooks; I dislike other things. Most notably, I find her tofu scramble nearly inedible.

 

[FortyTwo]

I don't think it is so flawed that it can't be used to determine quite a lot of things, but ultimately it could never work out everything.....is it unfair to point out limitations to things?

What can't it work out? I mean, I understand we'll probably extinct ourselves long before we come to quite a few of the conclusions we're seeking, but how can a process that aims to figure out everything, and has figured out so much so far, not figure everything out?

Here are the limitations I can think of, off the top of my head:

• The human brain is too complicated to understand itself entirely
• Spacecraft will probably never travel lightspeed and wormholes, while theoretically possible, may prove too difficult to conjure to allow us access to the faraway parts of space
• Every division of supposedly fundamental particles will probably lead to even smaller ones with entirely new sets of rules

Can you think of any more?

 

[Blobbenstein]

Can you think of any more?

well, the one I posted earlier. That is in science you are always going to need instruments, including your eyes and brain.
How can you really be sure how those instruments work? To find out how those work, you have to do experiments using those very instruments. Any error in understanding how your instruments work will lead to a faulty understanding of your results....it's a sort of catch 22......not explaining myself very well, but maybe you understand what I mean.

 

[Blobbenstein]

To understand reality you need to understand how your scientific apparatus works. To understand how your scientific apparatus works, you need to understand how reality works.

 

[Envy]

It's more that we fit it into a coherent system rather than understand it.

At least when it comes to space.