-9 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
The scientific method is built on and requires falsifiability, which is about as inoffensive an axiom as possible. It more or less boils down to "if you observe it, it exists, but if you fail to observe it, then you only builds a compelling case for it to not exist, you can't prove it."
This is great, and most scientists have all agreed that once you have achieved a certain number of "failures to observe" then it has become a useful model and we can safely rely on it for all practical purposes.
But you can't **prove** a negative, and most physicalists insist that you can. If they simply said "we find compelling the argument that material reality is the ultimate reality because we have so much evidence", then I have no issue with them. If you reject falsifiability then you reject science, no matter if you say you do or not.
I have a feeling that if God suddenly appeared, against all odds, there would be a devout physicalist that would confidently declare that it was clearly a mass hallucination. Replace God with Platypus if you want a real world example.
Comment by reddituserperson1122 at 24/02/2025 at 14:34 UTC
11 upvotes, 1 direct replies
“But you can't prove a negative, and most physicalists insist that you can.”
I’m not sure why you’re focusing on physicalists. By your own logic no metaphysical proposition can be argued as none can be falsified. All we can do is list them and file them away. At which point we might as well get back to doing science which *can* be falsified. Which, as a physicalist, is fine by me.
Comment by sajberhippien at 24/02/2025 at 14:13 UTC
7 upvotes, 2 direct replies
The scientific method is built on and requires falsifiability, which is about as inoffensive an axiom as possible.
Axioms aren't measured on offensiveness.
It more or less boils down to "if you observe it, it exists, but if you fail to observe it, then you only builds a compelling case for it to not exist, you can't prove it."
No, that's not what falsifiability is.
Your rant afterwards really has no bearing on anything.