The 21st Century Train (Part 1) | The Philosophy Student

What the Bleep Do We Know!? | The Philosophy Student

"All I know is I know nothing." - Socrates

This is so true!

 

I'll give you one example:

A close friend and I chatted on the phone recently. He has a degree in psychology, and was studying science in order to study medicine, so you know, a very intelligent guy. He is currently studying computer science, and at the start of the academic year, we got to catch up at university. This friend is one to be scientific, logical, and coming from an academic point of view, he is very knowledgeable. He's the kind of guy who thinks about anything and everything! And he often brings me up to speed on many current topics as I'm usually thinking my stuff through and not doing much research on recent issues. So, I'm somewhat naive in the sense of current affairs but I have, generally, a good philosophical understanding having had some time to think things through.

I mentioned to my friend that I had recently watched the documentary What the Bleep Do We Know!? and he did a quick search on wikipedia, as he had not heard of it before. Now, I must say that I don't normally do too much research when it comes to to a TV series, film, documentary, or other videos before I watch them. I may watch the trailer, do a bit of scoping for some other information and kinda get a "feel" for it. I then decide on this general feeling if I want to watch it or not. If I was interested in learning something new, I'd watch a documentary with the idea that it would be factual. So, up until recently, I had thought that all documentaries were non-fiction, but as it turns out, they are often based on opinions and they tend to have biases.

So, I thought I had learnt a grander picture of things, with the kind of meaningful stuff I crave, in the pragmatism of the scientific enterprise...but no. It was only pseudoscience.

At the end of it, I knew that I knew nothing.

 

Note: Further study required.

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Knowledge of UItimate Reality | The Philosophy Student

According to the so-called 'Pythagorean Illuminati', in Mike Hockney's eBook The God Factory, there are only 4 methods of receiving knowledge of ultimate reality:

1. Scientific materialism
   
2. Metaphysics
3. Religion
4. Mathematics
   

Let's explore each one of them as Hockney summarises them.

1. Scientific materialism states that experimentation of scientific theories is the only method to be positive of anything. If empirical evidence reflect scientific theories, then they are correct. Anything that cannot be tested is then either metaphysics or religion.

2. Metaphysics is what comes post physics - everything that cannot be solved with experimentation. Hockney says that metaphysical statements have been challenged on many grounds and so no one seems to take it seriously as a way for objective knowledge. "Scientists," Hockney says, "frequently sneer at philosophy, dismissing it as mere metaphysics. Of course, a huge amount of science is metaphysical." He adds that cosmology is also metaphysical, as well as the various interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. Hockney goes on to say that 'The Many Worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics is all metaphysical, "If not utter science fiction." Holistically, metaphysics is highly speculative, very interesting, but all in all, unreliable.

3. Religion, an alternate type of metaphysical inquiry, states that absolute knowledge or truth can be known by an infallible authority i.e. a Holy Text, a divine revelation, a Messiah, a saint, a guru, a holy man, a prophet. Religion is based on faith, in that, you must believe without asking any questions what the holy source says. "For any thinking, rational person," Hockney continues, "this is no kind of answer."

4. According the Pythagorean Illuminati, mathematics presents the absolute and 'unarguable' truth of the cosmos. Mathematics, unlike science, can be done purely mentally. Mathematical truths are of reason alone. "A perfect mathematical universe could be constructed entirely in the mind."

I think I'll leave it there as it gets a bit complex but basically, the Pythagorean Illuminati think mathematics is the only truth there is.

I'll just ask you this: Do you think there could be order, organisation, patterns, laws, or relationships between things, without mathematics?