Science and philosophy
The proposed topic for Friday the 13th of April 2018 is Stephen Hawking's declaration a few years ago that "philosophy is dead."
Obviously people who devote an evening each month to the subject are not going to agree with him - but his view does raise interesting points over whether some of the questions long central to philosophy are now better answered by science.
Stephen Hawking made the point in a 2011 speech, Why Are We Here. Reports of that follow, I haven't found a full transcript of that speech, if someone can, please send it in.
Regardless, the idea is not unique to or originated by Hawking - and it does provide a different perspective by questioning philosophy's purpose and function.
Discussion of it could take in:
What are the questions that philosophy should address:
1. What are we?
2. What can we know?
3. Where do we come from?
4. How should we live?
.......any other biggies?
It also raises questions about the relationship between science and philosophy. Scientists were until the 19th century called "natural philosophers" - Aristotle seemed as comfortable pronouncing on physical reality as on politics or ethics, but now they seem more distant domains.
So, does philosophy have a role in the world of science?
Does science provide material to illuminate questions of philosophy?
Following is a report on the speech by the late professor and some responses:
See you on Friday 13th at my place - 113 Denison St, Bondi Jct 7:30 for eight. - and can you let me know if you can make it
Stephen Hawking tells Google ‘philosophy is dead’
Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist, has declared that “Philosophy is dead”.
Speaking to Google’s Zeitgeist Conference in Hertfordshire, the author of 'A Brief History of Time' said that fundamental questions about the nature of the universe could not be resolved without hard data such as that currently being derived from the Large Hadron Collider and space research. “Most of us don't worry about these questions most of the time. But almost all of us must sometimes wonder: Why are we here? Where do we come from? Traditionally, these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead,” he said. “Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. Particularly physics.”
Prof Hawking went on to claim that “Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.” He said new theories “lead us to a new and very different picture of the universe and our place in it”.
In a 40-minute speech, Prof Hawking said that the new “M Theory” of the universe was the “unified theory Einstein was hoping to find”. He compared the idea to the computer programme Google Earth, saying it was a “map” of theories, but added that a new, bigger Hadron Collider the size of the Milky Way was needed to collect more data to prove it.
“This technology is some way off,” he said, “and I don't think even Google could afford to build it.”
Here are some pieces in response
https://philosophynow.org/issues/82/Hawking_contra_Philosophy
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/is-philosophy-dead/2018686.article