Metaphysical realism != realism about particular theories
Of course not, but the primary motivation for anti-realism seems to be the ability to sort reasonable aims from unreasonable ones. If even our very best theories don’t warrant us calling them True, then what does?
BTW: do you know of any good sources arguing in favour of the Darwinian explanation of the success of science (other than van Fraassen)?
The Darwinian explanation for the success of scientific theories is not unique to van Fraassen. I believe it was Thomas Kuhn who originally popularized it among philosophers of science (specifically, the punctuated equilibrium variety).
Book recommendation. Borrowed it from the SingInst library. Haven’t finished it yet, but what I’ve read is really good, and since you like Kuehnelt-Leddihn-style history of ideas and coherentistic epistemology you’ll almost certainly dig it.
Also relevant to FAI: we’re trying to pull a similar thing. Inventing Justification or summat.
On another note I’ve started blogging here, in order to practice my writing and lay down my thoughts in semi-coherent form ‘cuz I’m trying to write a treatise on God and other such things. Five to fifteen or so LessWrong folk have messaged me asking for more info about my thoughts on theism, religion, &c., and I suspect more than that are quietly interested, so the readership might not be tiny once I publicize the blog. And I suspect the readership will be pretty elite. I’ve also invited various cool people to write guest posts. If you want to write guest posts that are more or less on the theme then let me know. Especially, I have a huge gap in my knowledge of the history of computation during roughly the Islamic Golden Age period, and I’d appreciate a post roughly on that subject. (“Computation” is pretty loose here: it’s more like theory of processes in general. And I’m also interested in the history of computers. Basically, anything in the historical run-up to Leibniz’ calculator and proto-algorithmic-information-theory.)
(The history of computation is especially relevant to “computational theology”, but in the past I mostly studied it because computation is a similar concept to justification, and I wanted to get an estimate of how close we are to formalizing justification. My intuition is that we’re either right before or right at the Leibniz stage, with the modern decision theorists adding up to about half a Leibniz all told. Hopefully with modern technologies like the internet it won’t be a long time ’til we reach the Turing stage.)
On another note I’ve started blogging here, in order to practice my writing and lay down my thoughts in semi-coherent form ’cuz I’m trying to write a treatise on God and other such things. Five to fifteen or so LessWrong folk have messaged me asking for more info about my thoughts on theism, religion, &c., and I suspect more than that are quietly interested, so the readership might not be tiny once I publicize the blog. And I suspect the readership will be pretty elite. I’ve also invited various cool people to write guest posts. If you want to write guest posts that are more or less on the theme then let me know.
Yes, I would like to write such a post, but I’m not so sure I want to like to write such a post. I’m this close to going on a Less Wrong-fast due to it being a source of akrasia with respect to my higher-order, more time-sensitive goals. I’m working full-time, launching a start-up with my wife, and training to be a sysadmin in my off-time. Anyway, I’ll have to think about it.
On the other hand, I am one of those that has “gone insane” (supposedly) from x-rationality. For instance, I currently maintain a Weltanschauung I refer to as simulation-theism. This pretty much excludes me from easily identifying with the more traditional camps of atheism, theism, agnosticism, etc… I don’t fit in with the atheists because well...I believe in God (the software engineer or engineers of our simulation). I don’t really fit in with theists because I’m a non-realist with respect to actual infinites (which seems to rule out the possibility, even in principle, of omnipotence, omniscience, etc...), but not necessarily potential infinites (to borrow from Aristotle). I’m not an agnostic either, since I think there is a decent amount of rational evidence pushing one way rather than the other (although my subjective probability has swung back-and-forth a few times in the last couple years) and I’m not really sure what range of epistemic probabilities are supposed to constitute “not knowing” rather than just having a given degree of belief. So, I think I am particularly well suited to be part of your readership, at the very least.
Especially, I have a huge gap in my knowledge of the history of computation during roughly the Islamic Golden Age period, and I’d appreciate a post roughly on that subject.
I’m far from being an expert on science during the Islamic Golden Age (I can’t even read Arabic!), but your suspicions that the computationalist view didn’t spring fully formed from the brow of Leibniz is definitely on the right track. While I may be able to talk a little bit about the alchemists’ view of natural processes, I’m not really all that sure how much of that work survived in the Western tradition in a form that Leibniz would have assimilated into his web-of-belief. I’ve got a hunch that the path between Al-Ghazâlî′s Meshed and Leibniz’ Leipzig is more than just 3,500 miles and 530 years.
(“Computation” is pretty loose here: it’s more like theory of processes in general. And I’m also interested in the history of computers. Basically, anything in the historical run-up to Leibniz’ calculator and proto-algorithmic-information-theory.)
Everybody already seems to know about the advances in the mathematics of computation carried out by the Islamic scholars (algebra, duh). Less well-known is that they developed computers more or less on par with Leibniz’ calculator (water clocks, astrolabes, etc...). Even less well-known still is the discrete theological-physics of the Mutakallimun.
I despise computational axiology and the past self who tried to talk about it. I can’t even bring myself to look at that blog. So as far as I’m concerned it doesn’t exist and this new blog is completely unrelated. Hopefully a year from now I won’t get slightly nauseous whenever I think about this new blog, which is my reaction to the old one.
Of course not, but the primary motivation for anti-realism seems to be the ability to sort reasonable aims from unreasonable ones. If even our very best theories don’t warrant us calling them True, then what does?
The Darwinian explanation for the success of scientific theories is not unique to van Fraassen. I believe it was Thomas Kuhn who originally popularized it among philosophers of science (specifically, the punctuated equilibrium variety).
Book recommendation. Borrowed it from the SingInst library. Haven’t finished it yet, but what I’ve read is really good, and since you like Kuehnelt-Leddihn-style history of ideas and coherentistic epistemology you’ll almost certainly dig it.
Also relevant to FAI: we’re trying to pull a similar thing. Inventing Justification or summat.
Good god man, you are dangling smack in front of a junkie...They even have it on NOOK Books for $16.49! Based on the reviews, it sounds similar to Leviathan and the Air-Pump by Steven Shapin (but perhaps only superficially so). Another book in the same spirit, that has been on my to-read list for a few years, is Constructing Quarks: A Sociological History of Particle Physics by Andrew Pickering.
On another note I’ve started blogging here, in order to practice my writing and lay down my thoughts in semi-coherent form ‘cuz I’m trying to write a treatise on God and other such things. Five to fifteen or so LessWrong folk have messaged me asking for more info about my thoughts on theism, religion, &c., and I suspect more than that are quietly interested, so the readership might not be tiny once I publicize the blog. And I suspect the readership will be pretty elite. I’ve also invited various cool people to write guest posts. If you want to write guest posts that are more or less on the theme then let me know. Especially, I have a huge gap in my knowledge of the history of computation during roughly the Islamic Golden Age period, and I’d appreciate a post roughly on that subject. (“Computation” is pretty loose here: it’s more like theory of processes in general. And I’m also interested in the history of computers. Basically, anything in the historical run-up to Leibniz’ calculator and proto-algorithmic-information-theory.)
(The history of computation is especially relevant to “computational theology”, but in the past I mostly studied it because computation is a similar concept to justification, and I wanted to get an estimate of how close we are to formalizing justification. My intuition is that we’re either right before or right at the Leibniz stage, with the modern decision theorists adding up to about half a Leibniz all told. Hopefully with modern technologies like the internet it won’t be a long time ’til we reach the Turing stage.)
Yes, I would like to write such a post, but I’m not so sure I want to like to write such a post. I’m this close to going on a Less Wrong-fast due to it being a source of akrasia with respect to my higher-order, more time-sensitive goals. I’m working full-time, launching a start-up with my wife, and training to be a sysadmin in my off-time. Anyway, I’ll have to think about it.
On the other hand, I am one of those that has “gone insane” (supposedly) from x-rationality. For instance, I currently maintain a Weltanschauung I refer to as simulation-theism. This pretty much excludes me from easily identifying with the more traditional camps of atheism, theism, agnosticism, etc… I don’t fit in with the atheists because well...I believe in God (the software engineer or engineers of our simulation). I don’t really fit in with theists because I’m a non-realist with respect to actual infinites (which seems to rule out the possibility, even in principle, of omnipotence, omniscience, etc...), but not necessarily potential infinites (to borrow from Aristotle). I’m not an agnostic either, since I think there is a decent amount of rational evidence pushing one way rather than the other (although my subjective probability has swung back-and-forth a few times in the last couple years) and I’m not really sure what range of epistemic probabilities are supposed to constitute “not knowing” rather than just having a given degree of belief. So, I think I am particularly well suited to be part of your readership, at the very least.
I’m far from being an expert on science during the Islamic Golden Age (I can’t even read Arabic!), but your suspicions that the computationalist view didn’t spring fully formed from the brow of Leibniz is definitely on the right track. While I may be able to talk a little bit about the alchemists’ view of natural processes, I’m not really all that sure how much of that work survived in the Western tradition in a form that Leibniz would have assimilated into his web-of-belief. I’ve got a hunch that the path between Al-Ghazâlî′s Meshed and Leibniz’ Leipzig is more than just 3,500 miles and 530 years.
Everybody already seems to know about the advances in the mathematics of computation carried out by the Islamic scholars (algebra, duh). Less well-known is that they developed computers more or less on par with Leibniz’ calculator (water clocks, astrolabes, etc...). Even less well-known still is the discrete theological-physics of the Mutakallimun.
Is this a proper descendent of Computational Axiology, or more of a sibling?
I despise computational axiology and the past self who tried to talk about it. I can’t even bring myself to look at that blog. So as far as I’m concerned it doesn’t exist and this new blog is completely unrelated. Hopefully a year from now I won’t get slightly nauseous whenever I think about this new blog, which is my reaction to the old one.