Epistemology and science (and academic disciplines)

The topic of epistemology has interested me specifically since I began engaging with anti-theist Scientism materialists, and I quickly realized the awkwardness and disjointedness of terms like "academic disciplines and subdisciplines for one," and "knowledge and phenomena domains," and the fallacies of failing to distinguish as the anti-theists frequently do, and not just with "religion." The original blog is "Set Things," and you can click the article title: Epistemology and science by Nicolae Sfetcu | posted in: Epistemology, Science | 0 Field of application of epistemology For a long time, epistemology has focused exclusively on the content of science, the history of this content, and the genealogy of the advances of this content. Science as a human institution was left to other disciplines, in particular to sociology. The question of the nature of science was then confounded with that of the nature of scientific knowledge. But Hervé Barreau points out that this content of science did not care about the difference between common knowledge and scientific knowledge. It was not until the eighteenth century that philosophy and epistemology “manifest the weakness of common beliefs and opinions” so that epistemology really focuses on scientific knowledge.

On the other hand, the first epistemologies did not pose the question of the capacities of the sensibility and the understanding of the human being allowing the knowledge, any more than of the origin of these capacities. Hervé Barreau believes that it is Kant who initiates this question; “[Kant shows] that scientific knowledge was only possible from the a priori forms of sensibility and understanding”.

Then came the question of the passage from common knowledge, more or less empirical, to scientific knowledge. Hervé Barreau evokes David Hume, but especially holds the psychology of the nineteenth century as the only capable of explaining this passage with “acceptable results”. “Husserl who is the founder of the phenomenological movement […] has denounced [the idealistic foundation] of scientific knowledge by psychology [that is, by the subjectivity of the learner]”. It is the cognitive sciences that are currently at the forefront of these explanations. Epistemology then married a “historical” stream with the advent of the historico-critical method as the guiding method. “Scientists are beginning to produce works in history [of science] and philosophy of science [= epistemology]”. It is this historico-critical method that can be perpetually revised and perfected that has been used by Bachelard and Canguilhem.

In recent decades, some sociological trends (notably science studies) have called for a “right of scrutiny” over this content by analyzing the context of scientific production by the scientific community, while some epistemologists consider it necessary to pay attention to concrete dimensions of scientific activity to better understand the advancement of scientific knowledge. As the progress of knowledge has helped, the number of studied sciences and the volume of specific responses relating to certain sciences have steadily increased. A classification has been set up around a “flagship” discipline called the special science that deals with specific issues in relation to science in general.

Epistemologists In the 21st century, a double movement is emerging: philosophers (ontologists, epistemologists) [of science] must know the sciences on which and from which they express themselves, ////...... “scientists who do not update their philosophy [and the history of their subject] contaminate their science with moribund philosophies”.....////// Guillaume Lecointre considers it necessary today to remind researchers of the terms of the tacit contract which conditions the possibility of reproducibility of scientific experiments: initial skepticism about the facts;..../////..... realism of principle;..../////..... methodological materialism;..../////..... rationality [and logic]. ..../////.....

Epistemological decomposition of science: the special sciences..../////..... Depending on the historical period, science is broken down into different disciplines and the authors group them together:..../////..... in two parts: sciences and human sciences,..../////..... in 3 parts: physical sciences, life sciences and human sciences,..../////..... in four parts: formal sciences, physico-chemical sciences, life sciences and human sciences. ......../////..... These epistemological pillars are represented by one or more “special sciences”. ..../////..... In recent epistemology, there are often two sections, one is related to the epistemology of science in general (recurrent and transversal issues) and the other is concerned with “regional” epistemologies. a specific discipline with regional issues. The most cited special sciences are:......./////..... Logic: see epistemology of logic, philosophy of logic,..../////..... Mathematics: see also the philosophy of mathematics,..../////..... Physics,..../////..... Medicine: see epistemology of medicine,..../////..... Biology,..../////..... Linguistics,..../////..... Social sciences,..../////..... History,..../////..... Economics,..../////..... Cognitive science,..../////..... Psychology...../////..... Each special science is the subject of a particular epistemology. The latter brought to the epistemology of science in general new questions with more or less happiness...../////..... Themes of the epistemology of science..../////.....

The five classic themes are:..../////..... the explanation;..../////..... the confirmation ;..../////..... the causality;..../////..... the scientific realism and ontology of the objects of science, thus free from all metaphysics...../////..... Then there are other themes: the change in science (called “paradigmatology” by Edgar Morin), the impact of the concept of emergence on the notion of reduction in science, syntactic and semantic approaches in analysis scientific theories. ..../////..... Themes of the epistemologies of the special sciences..../////..... The regional epistemology of science (the case of biology, for example) has led to the declension into epistemologies of the special sciences. It could be :..../////..... of a general theme which has been particularized by special science;..../////..... the emergence on the front of the stage of a new theme related specifically to the special science and which does not become generalized to other disciplines...../////..... For example, the theme of ethics that is posed to the economy of which we can not accept that the science that takes it as its object does not worry about the fate of fragile populations...../////..... Some authors have wanted to “impose” on the epistemology processes of a special science: for example the evolutionist epistemology “tracing” on epistemology the evolutionist theory of species described in biology.

The Warriors of the Rainbow Prophecy

22 April, 2014 - 00:57 johnblack The Warriors of the Rainbow Prophecy

"One day... there would come a time, when the earth being ravaged and polluted, the forests being destroyed, the birds would fall from the air, the waters would be blackened, the fish being poisoned in the streams, and the trees would no longer be, mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist" Cree //// //// //// .....

This is how the ‘Rainbow prophecy’ begins, as retold by a woman of the Cree Indian nation of America over a century ago. The Cree are one of the largest groups of the First Nations Native Americans in North America. There are over 135 bands of Cree living in Canada, with a total population of approximately 200,000 today. ////.....//////..... The Rainbow prophecy, as it has come to be known, refers to the keepers of the legends, rituals, and other myths that will be needed when the time comes to restore the health on Earth. It is believed that these legendary beings will return on a day of awakening, when all people will unite and create a new world of justice, peace and freedom, and they will be named the ‘Warriors of the Rainbow’. They will reteach the values and the knowledge that has been lost in time, demonstrating how to have wisdom and extra-perception, and how unity, harmony and love is the only way forward.

The rainbow reference relates to the different colours of the original people:............. "At the beginning of this cycle of time, long ago, the Great Spirit came down and He made an appearance and He gathered the peoples of this earth together, they say on an island which is now beneath the water, and He said to the human beings, "I'm going to send you to four directions and over time I'm going to change you to four colours, but I'm going to give you some teachings and you will call these the Original Teachings and when you come back together with each other you will share these so that you can live and have peace on earth, and a great civilization will come about."............ Prophecy as told by Lee Brown of the Salish Tribe at the 1986 Continental Indigenous Council, Alaska .

A particularly interesting part of the prophecy relates to the choosing of leaders. According to the story, a leader will not be the one that talks the loudest, boasts of successes, or has the support of the elite. Leaders will be those whose actions speak the loudest, the ones that have demonstrated wisdom and courage and have proven that they work for the benefit of all. Isn’t this how things should be?....////........ The Rainbow has always held special significance among the different Native American Indian Nations. It is connected to the Spirit (Supreme God/Creator) in all things. Apart from the Cree prophecy there are many prophecies and stories from the Hopi, the Zuni and the Cherokee related to the rainbow warriors.

"There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the Earth and all Her children. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface at this time; the great trees that perished will return almost overnight. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the breast of our Mother, the Earth................ The great spiritual Teachers who walked the Earth and taught the basics of the truths of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy will return and walk amongst us once more, sharing their power and understanding with all. We will learn how to see and hear in a sacred manner. Men and women will be equals in the way Creator intended them to be; all children will be safe anywhere they want to go. Elders will be respected and valued for their contributions to life. Their wisdom will be sought out. The whole Human race will be called The People and there will be no more war, sickness or hunger forever."........... Navajo-Hopi Prophecy of the Whirling Rainbow

"In the time of the Seventh Fire, a New People would emerge. They would retrace their steps to find the wisdom that was left by the side of the trail long ago. Their steps would take them to the elders, who they would ask to guide them on their journey. If the New People remain strong in their quest, the sacred drum will again sound its voice. There will be an awakening of the people, and the sacred fire will again be lit. At this time, the light-skinned race will be given a choice between two roads. One road is the road of greed and technology without wisdom or respect for life. This road represents a rush to destruction. The other road is spirituality, a slower path that includes respect for all living things. If we choose the spiritual path, we can light yet another fire, an Eight Fire, and begin an extended period of Peace and healthy growth."............... Grandfather William Commanda, Circle of All Nations Prophecy of the Seven Fires of the Anishnabe, From Ancient Wampum Belt

While Wikipedia would have people believe that the legend originates in a 1962 book titled ‘Warriors of the Rainbow’ by William Willoya and Vinson Brown, the reality is that the prophecy is ancient, passed down as oral history over many generations. Brown, himself, admitted that his research came from the Hopi prophecies, and the book has been criticised as an attempt to evangelize with the Native American community by relating the prophecy of the Rainbow Warriors to the Second Coming of Christ.............. References to a new Era, a Golden Age characterised by harmony, stability and prosperity, do not just belong to the Native Americans, but can be found in myths and legends from all over the world. It is known as Chryson Genos in Greek mythology, the Kali yuga in Vedic and Hindu culture, and gullaldr in Norse mythology. One aspect that is common among many legends of the Golden era is the return of beings or gods that will aid in the restoration of the Earth.

In classical Greek mythology the Golden Age was presided over by the leading Titan Cronus. In some version of the myth Astraea, also ruled. She lived with men until the end of the Silver Age, but in the Bronze Age, when men became violent and greedy, fled to the stars, where she appears as the constellation Virgo, holding the scales of Justice, or Libra......... Whether these prophecies are true or not, much of what is spoken about – the era of greed and violence – is a reality throughout much of the world today. Corruption, greed, poverty, consumerism, power to the few, and injustice are predominant characteristics of our civilization accompanied by a great technological advancement that has become a weapon for mass destruction and a tool for supressing resistance. Whether beings from the past will interfere or not, one thing is for sure, life cannot continue in this way forever........... Featured Image: A Plains Cree warrior and pipe stem carrier. Painted by Paul Kane at the Fort Pitt region, North Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan, Canada.(Public Domain/ Wikimedia).............. By John Black (original from ancient-origins.net)