tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603174461344479143.post2513304719974223450..comments2024-02-14T18:14:24.187-08:00Comments on 20011: Common PursuitsGeorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819154529261482038noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603174461344479143.post-75661812628029883502014-01-26T13:40:51.332-08:002014-01-26T13:40:51.332-08:00You are correct in saying that the natural science...You are correct in saying that the natural sciences don't have this problem, at least to the same extent as the humanities. Yet I don't think that the application of scientific methods to the humanities works well--one sees a lot of scientific jargon misapplied. And I don't think we can do without the humanities.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14819154529261482038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603174461344479143.post-4856569133149410652014-01-26T12:17:38.833-08:002014-01-26T12:17:38.833-08:00I bet you can find Plato complaining about how kid...I bet you can find Plato complaining about how kids these days don't know nuthin'. Tradition yields to reform, which becomes tradition. Hasn't it always been like that? Perhaps what's new-ish, though, is that campus is mostly occupied by departments that neither worship tradition nor reject it, but somehow achieve consensus in keeping some parts of tradition faithfully while replacing others ruthlessly.<br /><br />The natural sciences do have common background knowledge. Everyone ends up being highly specialized, but in a pyramidal way, building up from a common base. Some of the science of three hundred years ago is now part of that common base; the rest of that old science is ignored, as having been simply wrong.<br /><br />So there exists at least one way to overcome the tendency for learning to shed its skin every few generations: learn objective facts and testable theories. Is there any other way besides this?<br /><br />I'm not sure there is. I'm not even sure there should be.James Anglinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18266855639647700167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603174461344479143.post-45792463070301683992014-01-19T14:27:18.451-08:002014-01-19T14:27:18.451-08:00A fine piece. A fine piece. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603174461344479143.post-31749502921057051732014-01-17T14:21:37.139-08:002014-01-17T14:21:37.139-08:00I don't know either but thank you for furtheri...I don't know either but thank you for furthering the discussion.<br /><br />E.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05151809358239030532noreply@blogger.com