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#philosophyofscience

3 posts3 participants0 posts today
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Bhavani Shankar 💭
@tomcapuder @cbontenbal Interesting. I think science definitely has a chance of making up something useful but we need a huge leap of faith to think it arrives at the truth.

Science keeps discarding things that were thought to be real like electric, heat fluids, luminiferous ether etc. We can make an inductive argument that it'll continue - the world as described by science will keep changing and therefore it is not real.

Multiple (sometimes incompatible and infinite) theories and interpretations exist which give the exact same phenomenon. The one accepted by science is based on luck - the first to make novel predictions.

We are stepping into the realm of the unobservable in advanced physics like string theory. Should we discard these pieces or update the definition and methods of science?

Success of scientific investigation is based on luck too. For example, billions of years in the future the light from other galaxies will be undetectable. But human records from today will say they observed many galaxies. Which one should the future humans believe?

So I don't think it's just "mental masturbation" to open our minds to other (potential) sources of knowledge. That's how we progress and enjoy life. 😄

#science #philosophy #philosophyofscience #physics #metaphysics
#metaphysics
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Uni Stuttgart IRIS

IRIS Insights I Nico Formanek: Are hyperparameters vibes?
April 24, 2025, 2:00 p.m. (CEST)
Our second IRIS Insights talk will take place with Nico Formanek.
🟦
This talk will discuss the role of hyperparameters in optimization methods for model selection (currently often called ML) from a philosophy of science point of view. Special consideration is given to the question of whether there can be principled ways to fix hyperparameters in a maximally agnostic setting.
🟦
This is a WebEx talk to which everyone who is interested is cordially invited. It will take place in English. Our IRIS speaker, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Maria Wirzberger, will moderate it. Following Nico Formanek's presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. We look forward to active participation.
🟦
Please join this Webex talk using the following link:
lnkd.in/eJNiUQKV
🟦
#Hyperparameters #ModelSelection #Optimization #MLMethods #PhilosophyOfScience #ScientificMethod #AgnosticLearning #MachineLearning #InterdisciplinaryResearch #AIandPhilosophy #EthicsInAI #ResponsibleAI #AITheory #WebTalk #OnlineLecture #ResearchTalk #ScienceEvents #OpenInvitation #AICommunity #LinkedInScience #TechPhilosophy #AIConversations

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Jan R. Boehnke

Not totally full of surprises, so shout-outs to
@jasemrau @DanielleVossebeld and @lffontenelle 😊 👋

Thanks to @ottaross and @md for local tips for #Ottawa and #Cologne! ❤️

If you are interested in #HistoryOfScience #PhilosophyOfScience #ResearchEthics with a strong focus on #Psychology, @NulliusInVerba is often thought-provoking.

And apparently I am interested in bicycles in The Netherlands 😂
@fietsria

Not much traffic on the other accounts anymore.

#ThisWas2024
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Oliver Brendel

Hello, thanks to everybody who has welcomed me so warmly. Many of you were curious about my research. Perhaps look at this paper (OA) :
link.springer.com/article/10.1
and which follows the understanding of the relationship between plant growth and water consumption from the old Greek philosophers, through the middle ages, the age of enlightenment to the use of modern measurement techniques.
So it’s about #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #PhilosophyOfScience #PlantEcoPhysiology

SpringerLinkThe relationship between plant growth and water consumption: a history from the classical four elements to modern stable isotopes - Annals of Forest ScienceKey message The history of the relationship between plant growth and water consumption is retraced by following the progression of scientific thought through the centuries: from a purely philosophical question, to conceptual and methodological developments, towards a research interest in plant functioning and the interaction with the environment. Context The relationship between plant growth and water consumption has for a long time occupied the minds of philosophers and natural scientists. The ratio between biomass accumulation and water consumption is known as water use efficiency and is widely relevant today in fields as diverse as plant improvement, forest ecology and climate change. Defined at scales varying from single leaf physiology to whole plants, it shows how botanical investigations changed through time, generally in tandem with developing disciplines and improving methods. The history started as a purely philosophical question by Greek philosophers of how plants grow, progressed through thought and actual experiments, towards an interest in the functioning of plants and the relationship to the environment. Aims This article retraces this history by following the progression of scientific questions posed through the centuries, and presents not only the main methodological and conceptual developments on biomass growth and transpiration but also the development of the carbon isotopic method of estimation. The history of research on photosynthesis is only touched briefly, but the development of research on transpiration and stomatal conductance is presented with more detail. Conclusion Research on water use efficiency, following a path from the whole plant to leaf-level functioning, was strongly involved in the historical development of the discipline of plant ecophysiology and is still a very active research field across nearly all levels of botanical research.
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Charlotte Joanne

🤔 The Many Worlds Interpretation sounds cool, but is it really useful? 🌐 While it explains some quantum weirdness, it's impossible to test and leads to an overwhelming number of parallel realities. Sometimes, less is more! 🌀🛑
Pros:
• Simplifies explanations of quantum mechanics by avoiding wavefunction collapse.
• Addresses quantum paradoxes like retrocausality and entanglement.
Cons:
• Lack of empirical evidence makes it more of a philosophical stance.
• Raises ethical and existential dilemmas—how do we value choices if every outcome happens somewhere?
#QuantumDebate #ManyWorlds #SkepticalScience #PhilosophyOfScience #QuantumMystery 🚫

Continued thread
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The Krononaut Moon Project 🌑

#astrophysicist #MattODowd expresses concerns that "physics is stalled" — see our toot from 28 Aug 2024. Is our best out-of-the-box thinking and experimentation being impeded by #cognitive #biases? The animated video targets safety issues in the workplace, but, is scientific creativity also suffering from a reluctance to deviate from, or institutional pressure to continue in, one's familiar lane, when the future resides in other lanes of inquiry? How can one know? #PhilosophyOfScience

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Nick Byrd, Ph.D.

Are experts less prone to over-claiming what they know?

Doctors and grad. students in #medicine and #psychology were less likely to claim knowledge of or familiarity with “nonexistent” phenomena (like “plates or parallax”) than their undergraduate counterparts.

And this seemingly protective effect of expertise was bigger among those with greater *perceived* expertise in a 17 study meta-analysis.

doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2024.1

#epistemology#philosophyOfScience#xPhi
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