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Post 0

Sunday, August 11, 2013 - 8:11pmSanction this postReply
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pauper: Is it true, my lord, that you have to have started out with a pre-existing theory in order to gain or have any knowledge.

Popper: Why, yes it is.

pauper: Is it also true that you cannot ever verify the truth of a theory?

Popper: Why, yes, that is also true.

pauper: So, let me get this straight. You need a theory to have any knowledge in the world, but you cannot ever verify if your adopted theory is correct -- so does that not mean that you cannot ever verify if your knowledge is correct? If knowledge is that which get filtered through theory, but theory is something that can only ever change if there is first a change in knowledge, then are you not stuck in complete skepticism?

Popper: Yes, you can never verify whether "knowledge" is true or not, because knowledge depends on theory and theory is something that can only ever be altered via the acquisition of "new" knowledge -- which is impossible without new theory (placing the cart before the horse, so to speak).

pauper: [kicks Popper in the shin]

Popper: Ouch! You just kicked me!

pauper: But how can you be so sure about that? How can you be sure enough to punish me, if you cannot even be sure that your knowledge is correct -- because of the underlying uncertainty that you might have adopted the wrong theory (which cannot ever be corrected by the right theory, because knowledge will always be filtered through the wrong one first)?

Popper: You're right. I cannot be sure you kicked me (and that you are, therefore, deserving of punishment).

pauper: [kicks him again]

...

:-)


Post 1

Monday, August 12, 2013 - 2:23amSanction this postReply
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you can always mitigate the skepticism with pragmatism

Post 2

Monday, August 12, 2013 - 6:44amSanction this postReply
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Ed:

I'm with the five year old. If you listened closely as he was climbing down the tree, he was muttering "But he called tails...and the bottom was heads...so tails was up...so his call was confirmed...and why is he saying 'not refuted?'...so now the only thing that I'm not certain of here is what did he mean when he called tails...oh look, a squirrel-" and then he fell out of the tree and skinned his knee.

That last bit was ADHD.


regards,
Fred




Post 3

Monday, August 12, 2013 - 6:46amSanction this postReply
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Latest T-Shirt opportunity: "Summon the Dwarf!"



Post 4

Monday, August 12, 2013 - 7:11amSanction this postReply
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The village idiot was heard to stumble away muttering "How sad, but how (!(((0x0a&~0x0a)!=0)&&((0x01&0x0F)!=0)&&((0xFB^0xBF)!=0)))."


See how I managed to slip 'FB' into one of the last two totally meaningless clauses?

regards,
Fred

Post 5

Saturday, August 17, 2013 - 10:00amSanction this postReply
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Fred,

You crack me up. Sometimes, I don't even get where you are coming from. Okay, actually, that happens a lot of the time. I chalk it up to not being able to keep up with you as far as beer-drinking is concerned. I learned in college to mimic the study environment in order to do well on the test. That means that, if you were drunk while you were studying for the test, then ...

:-)

Ed


Post 6

Saturday, August 17, 2013 - 12:05pmSanction this postReply
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Ed:

OK. Where I was coming from, spelled out:

"that the coin flip will result in "tails."
...
"The bottom face of the coin is "heads", my lord."
...
"Aha! So my bold conjecture has not "yet" been refuted!"

He declared 'tails'... the bottom of the coin seen through the glass table is 'heads' ... he declares that his declaration of 'tails' has not yet been refuted.

Why no; methinks it has been confirmed. Methinks a wetbit flipped on the way to Stratford upon Avon.

As in, what many experience when trying to discern the 'truth' of some statement like "How sad, but how (!(((0x0a&~0x0a)!=0)&&((0x01&0x0F)!=0)&&((0xFB^0xBF)!=0)))."

Though, I be a bit groggy from the ale, no doubt.

regards,
Fred





Post 7

Saturday, August 17, 2013 - 12:10pmSanction this postReply
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This exact problem used to be on the SATs...but when in doubt, er, ... "Summon the dwarf!"

regards,
Fred

Post 8

Saturday, August 17, 2013 - 7:39pmSanction this postReply
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when in doubt, er, ... "Summon the dwarf!"
Thanks for the explanation, Fred -- and you're right: That'd make for a good T-shirt.

:-)

Ed


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