metha wrote on Dec 29th, 2009 at 5:38am:About gravity and watching a stone fall to the ground... Science take into account that the stone might not fall the next time we try. To PROVE that the stone will always fall, we have to record all events and possibilities. This is clearly impossible. It could be that ONE time the stone doesn't fall, and so hence the theory is wrong. That is all it takes to disprove the theory of gravity: ONE single example or event when the predictions fail. You have not watched every stone that fell to the ground, and all the stones that will fall to the ground in the future, so you cannot say that it always will. You also have to record the acceleration each time, because that is what real science make predictions about. You cannot prove it. BUT you can say it with VERY high certainty. That is what scientists mean when they say that we cannot talk about absolute proof in science, but only in mathematics.
Exactly! A point worth repeating.
David Hume argued much the same point in his argument against causality. (Not meaning to come off as an arrogant arse here, I just think you've made a really important point.)
His argument amounts to this: despite what we think the outcome of any process will be, we can never really know, because it hasn't happened yet. Science can't call itself science and claim to divine the future. A science without humility is indistinguishable from religion.
He argued that the sun rised yesterday, the day before, and last week, so can we say it is a fact that the sun will rise tomorrow? Of course not, it hasn't happened. You cannot find with absolute certainty a cause in any effect because science isn't synonymous with fortune telling. You can only make an intelligent hypothesis as to why something has happened and test it's likelihood. Science is about what has already been observed, only making predictions as to what will probably happen again.
Falling into the trap of over-confidence by seeking absolute "truths" via science only preserves the medieval headspace that resulted in alchemy, astronomy and alchemy, and all kinds of superstition. Quite frankly, too many things have been disproven in the past, and modern science won't be embarassed like that again. It will espouse probabilities and "theories" but will
never champion absolutes. Modern science is nothing but hypothesis, testing, theories, and probabilities. It is
not witchcraft.
Volcanogirl and Prolescum, I wish I had a good blush icon, perhaps one that doesn't induce epileptic seizures.
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