great greek geeks

[davidh]

Great Greek Geeks

"The Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece from 776 BC until 393 AD in honour of Zeus and the other gods in residence on Mt Olympus. During this period, Greek civilisation flourished, producing great leaders, politicians, artists and military strategists. There was also a change in the way people considered the world around them and their place in it. The Greek philosopher-scientist had arrived, turning accepted wisdom on its head and forming the basis of scientific thought as we know it."

http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/greekgeeks/default.htm

D.H.

[Judy G. Russell]

Then along came a succession of Greek Geeks - men of science as opposed to men of mythology - who sought to understand the reality of nature and the nature of reality, and attempted to provide explanations for natural phenomena not through myth, but through observation, experimentation and theory.Would that we could have a few more American Geeks along the same lines these days... intelligent design my rear... grumble grumble...

[davidh]

Would that we could have a few more American Geeks along the same lines these days... intelligent design my rear... grumble grumble...

Science and mythology need not be enemies. But sometimes it needs patience and deep understanding to realize this. Some urban myths may be quite sophisticated and entrancing. Who can rightly claim to have escaped the cave that Socrates talked about in the Republic?

"There are certain Torah scholars who are highly learned but have not begun to repent, and on the contrary, they resist the Tzaddikim and take issue with them. The reason for this is that their motives for learning Torah are not pure. They want prestige and influence, and they like to feel important and take issue with everything. Their learning simply develops their subtlety, making them more and more insidious. The Torah is double-edged, `For the ways of the Lord are just, the righteous walk in them, and sinners stumble in them' (Hosea 14:10). Their expertise in the oral Law merely opens their mouths to speak arrogantly and contemptuously against the Tzaddik. However there exist certain great Tzaddikim who understand the Torah concepts which are the source of the ideas they are using against the Tzaddikim. These great Tzaddikim have the power to elevate these ideas and make out of them halachot, legal rulings (12:1)." from "Advice" by R. Nachman of Breslov

DH

BTW, if one were a orthodox male Jewish British judge, would one wear his kippa under or over the wig? I wonder. Or perhaps the wig alone would be sufficient?

[Judy G. Russell]

Mythology, legend, storytelling, etc., all have their place, and indeed a significant place in helping us orient ourselves spiritually, emotionally, philosophically to the world we find ourselves in. What they ought not to do is supplant -- replace -- hard fact as the basis for decision-making.

[davidh]

hard fact as the basis for decision-making. often hard facts are fewer than one would desire but a decision must be made anyway. So one then faces the questions of "reasonable doubt" and "preponderance of evidence", etc., and who are the particular persons (litigators, jury, judges) interpreting said questions. Perhaps a little "spin" is sometimes justified or not?

D.H.

P.S.
Physics, astronomy, nano-tech, biology are moving so fast now that conclusions must inevitably be tentative to a larger or smaller degree.

No reason that "tradition" should not be tentative too, that is, keep retesting it against experience. "Subvert the dominant paradigm", but with respect. Including to be skeptical of skepticism.

[Judy G. Russell]

Oh heavens yes... when there is room for doubt, people should say so. But people should not replace facts with theory just because the theory conforms to preconceived notions.

[davidh]

But people should not replace facts with theory just because the theory conforms to preconceived notions. Well, I often follow that advice, except when money or pride is on the line.

D.H.

[Judy G. Russell]

I'm pretty good when it comes to money. Pride, on the other hand...

[rlohmann]

Some urban myths may be quite sophisticated and entrancing. Who can rightly claim to have escaped the cave that Socrates talked about in the Republic?Not to nitpick, David, but it wasn't Socrates; it was Plato (Republic, Book VI).

The Cave really wasn't an urban myth, either, because it wasn't intended to be taken literally. What Plato was doing was developing the concept of epistemology.