Xref: utzoo news.groups:17187 talk.philosophy.misc:3508
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!convex!cash
From: cash@convex.com (Peter Cash)
Newsgroups: news.groups,sci.philosophy.meta,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: SCI.PHILOSOPHY.OBJECTIVISM
Message-ID: <5056@convex.convex.com>
Date: 1 Feb 90 15:50:52 GMT
References: <3284@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <3285@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <9442@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> <2018@cjsa.WA.COM>
Sender: news@convex.com
Followup-To: news.groups
Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX
Lines: 36

In article <2018@cjsa.WA.COM> jeff@cjsa.WA.COM (Jeffery Small) writes:
>
>Philosophy  n.;
>...dictionary definition deleted

>Science  n.;
>...dictionary definition deleted
>
>Definitions above from: "Merriam-Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary" - 1961
>
>
>Clearly, unless one wishes to rewrite the definitions and thereby distort
>the meaning of any of the above terms, philosophy (as defined; often in
>opposition to how it is practiced) is and must be considered a science.

Clearly, this is a lesson in how a little (very little) knowledge can be a
dangerous thing.  The dictionary is a good place for finding superficial
information about words; don't expect profundity or keen insight there. And
don't expect to find an ultimate court of appeal; dictionaries sometimes
disagree, and sometimes they're wrong.  

When Webster's talks about philosophy as a "science", "science" is surely
used in the very loosest sense.  Science is empirical; to be scientific, a
question must--at least in theory--be capable of resolution by experiment.
Modern philosophy deals with precisely those questions that cannot--*even
in theory*--ever be resolved through experiment.  If one can devise an
experiment that would solve a question, then that question is not a
philosophical one.  Philosophy is therefore not "scientific".

I do hope you Objectivists get your very own newsgroup soon.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             |      Die Welt ist alles, was Zerfall ist.     |
Peter Cash   |       (apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein)      |    cash@convex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~