Comments for The Kindly Ones

Comment on Hegel and the development of Feyerabend’s thought by terenceblake

terenceblake — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:15:28 +0000

In CONQUEST OF ABUNDANCE Feyerabend distinguishes between realism as an hypothesis and realism as a worldview (p169-172). Realism as an hypothesis refers to an explicitly stated and testable realism that could conceivably be discarded, as in Bohr’s interpretation of quantum theory. Realism as worldview is something quite different, and far more entrenched. It is an implicit, partly unconscious and partly just “hidden” set of concepts (your “conceptual framework”), but also of beliefs, attitudes, practices that is not just intellectual in nature but that “involves the whole person” (p164). Given the unquestioned status of this realism as worldview, explicit discussions of realism vs instrumentalism as hypotheses will usually be “truncated”, as the hidden realist worldview will nonetheless influence and distort the discussion: “from its hiding place it still affects the debate through insinuations, slogans, and attitudes” (p172). So proliferation will have to be exercised also at this meta-level by elaborating a rival, nonrealistic, worldview. Feyerabend cites the ideas of Niels Bohr and of Wolfgang Pauli as containing sketches of just such a nonrealistic worldview.
So in these terms your thesis that “realism in a sense collapses into conceptual instrumentalism” since “the assumptions involved are not required to be tested or subjected to further challenge because the success of the theories based upon them does not warrant it and even speaks against it”, is explicitly supported by Feyerabend. The instrumentalist (theories are instruments, the best theory is the one that works) aspect of the amalgam of scientific realism and worldview realism can be seen in the nostalgia expressed by John Bell (quoted by Feyerabend p172): “for me it is a pity that Einstein’s idea does not work. The reasonable thing just does not work”.

Comment on The Tree of Life and The Way of Grace by Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones

Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:35:51 +0000

[...] For example, see The Tree of Life and The Way of Grace as well as, especially starting from the end of Section 9, About ‘Militant Modern [...]

Comment on Evidence, Beliefs, and ‘Wise Blood’ by Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones

Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:35:47 +0000

[...] See Evidence, Beliefs, and ‘Wise Blood’, in particular, sections 2 and 3: The very otherness of … explanations – the fact that they [...]

Comment on About ‘Militant Modern Atheism’ and Religion by Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones

Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:35:43 +0000

[...] 47 See, in particular, Section 15 of About ‘Militant Modern Atheism’ and Religion [...]

Comment on Matters of Choice and Free Will by Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones

Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:35:41 +0000

[...] 37 See Matters of Choice and Free Will [...]

Comment on Revisiting the Cosmological Argument by Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones

Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist? | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:35:37 +0000

[...] 35 See, in particular, Section 9 in Revisiting the Cosmological Argument [...]

Comment on Hegel and the development of Feyerabend’s thought by Paul Newall

Paul Newall — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:29:45 +0000

Thanks for the comment. I had in mind that, on Feyerabend's view, we can argue that any theory in the first sense is relying on a conceptual framework that, since it is not subjected to scepticism, is essentially functioning instrumentally. Indeed, we could potentially employ his methodological argument for realism at the conceptual level, which would be interesting if it implies the rejection of conceptual stability.

Comment on Hegel and the development of Feyerabend’s thought by Peter

Peter — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:48:02 +0000

Interesting take on Feyerabend. When you say “realism in a sense collapses into conceptual instrumentalism”, do you mean that the concept is an instrument for increasing verisimilitude? I’d find it hard to see realism collapsing into practical or technical instrumentalism (so-named here simply to differentiate from “conceptual instrumentalism”) since, as I understand it, instrumentalism normally eschews any claims on realism; it’s more like betting tips than The Truth about the world.
Anyway, the dialectic view of science seems like a third way in contrast to instrumentalist and realist accounts. Rather than good bets or increasing versimilitude, the dialectician seeks to say progressively more interesting (“enriched”) things about the world.

Comment on On cranks and demarcation by Hegel and the development of Feyerabend’s thought | The Kindly Ones

Hegel and the development of Feyerabend’s thought | The Kindly Ones — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:09:11 +0000

[...] for the Specialist that proliferation, which Feyerabend is recommending in these lessons, is supportive of a principle of tenacity. This latter principle provides for the retention of stable concepts and theories, even in the face [...]

Comment on About ‘Militant Modern Atheism’ and Religion by Evidence, Beliefs, and ‘Wise Blood’ | The Kindly Ones

Evidence, Beliefs, and ‘Wise Blood’ | The Kindly Ones — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:24:55 +0000

[...] The Kindly Ones Exploring the awful, inalterable solidarity of humanity. Skip to content HomeAboutComments PolicyContact ← About ‘Militant Modern Atheism’ and Religion [...]