News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by greenavocado on Wednesday November 04, 2026 @08:01AM (#50364964)
You are conflating science with philosophy
Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by throw0101c on Wednesday November 04, 2026 @09:09AM (#50365748)
> You are conflating science with philosophy

Science needs a metaphysical basis and certain assumptions to even get off the ground:

> That there is an objective reality shared by all rational observers; That this objective reality is governed by natural laws; That reality can be discovered by means of systematic observation and experimentation; That Nature has uniformity of laws and most if not all things in nature must have at least a natural cause;* etc.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_(philosophy)#Provid...

Not all worldviews hold these views / make these assumptions.

Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by throw0101c on Wednesday November 04, 2026 @10:07AM (#50366625)
> That Nature has uniformity of laws […]

Meta: The scifi author Vernor Vinge played around with this concept with his "Zones of Thought", e.g.:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep

Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by 1718627440 on Wednesday November 04, 2026 @09:49AM (#50366289)
(Natural) Science is an application/ a part of philosophy.
Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by lioeters on Wednesday November 04, 2026 @11:58AM (#50368405)
There is no science without philosophy. In its modern form, it is based on the dominant philosophy and value system of our time, capitalism. We don't see it as philosophy, because it is the default religion, "the way the world is". But it is a construct of the mind.

This so-called "science without philosophy" is how the world got to this situation, the wonders and horrors of modern civilization and technology. Much of it serves the dominant power structure - and when it does, it is without morals, ethics, aesthetics, or any deeper philosophy other than extracting the maximum value by exploiting everything it can, at the expense of the world and all living beings.

Elsewhere in this thread was a phrase, the Industrial Revolution of Academia, and Factories of Knowledge.

But what is knowledge without the wisdom to use it for the benefit of all? Otherwise it only serves the interests of power-hungry men, like a blackhole of greed and collective self-destruction. There is a dark philosophy there, based on primitive desires. Science that serves humanity needs to draw on the rich history of the world, its cultures and philosophies.

Re:Verification Is Not Knowledge: Science needs more than an... by bigbadfeline on Thursday November 05, 2026 @02:29PM (#50383318)
> This so-called "science without philosophy" is how the world got to this situation.

It's my firm belief that the world got to this situation in large part because of modern philosophy, it surely aided the movement to where we are now.

"Science without philosophy" is simply a parking spot for people dissatisfied with the current state of philosophy. Maybe philosophers should learn to ask the right questions and provide good answers?

> But what is knowledge without the wisdom to use it for the benefit of all?

And where do we find that wisdom? There's none in philosophy and only scattered bits in other sciences.