Talk:Hempel's Dilemma

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This article captures the Carl Hempel I knew in 1975. He used to say that the two philosophical questions are "What do you mean?" and "How do you know?", and he was relentlessly skeptical, especially skeptical of his own tradition which was what is popularly known as logical positivism. He was a leader in rephrasing the original, startling claims of logical positivism in much more limited terms. He came to do so, not because he was uncomfortable being perceived as an extremist, but because he believed that logic and critical thinking were the only possible anchor of sound thought. He realized that the absolutist claims of logical positivism could not be sustained, but he defended the legacy of what he would have preferred to call "critical empiricism" against the arguments of interlocutors like Thomas Kuhn, whom he held in high esteem. I don't know if this is an appropriate post here so I'll let all you wiki's decide whether or not to let it live. I like the wiki idea.

[edit] Physics vs. Role Play

Physics can explain the structure of ingredients, but not economics (the role play of the ingredients). Elements in biological systems can be analogized with economic entities:

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*The political and media enviroment ~ Nervous system Money ~ Tokens for the right to burn fat, gas, oil, and cholestrol and access to the nervous system Banks ~ Stores and lends tokens for the right to burn fat, gas, oil, and cholesterol and access to the nervous system Federal Reserve ~ Lungs Federal Reserve's tools of monetary policy ~ Aveoli (where oxygen/money is introduced) Soil ~ Food Farms ~ Stomach Farm to market roads ~ Small intestine Immigration/Import control ~ villi (in the small intestine) Emmigration/Export control ~ excetory systems (including sweat glands) Garbage Collection & Graveyard ~ Large intestine Traffic Control ~ Vitamins, Minerals, and Proteins Transportation ~ Blood plasma Oil pump ~ Heart Electric Generators ~ The chemical reactions which burn fat, gas, oil, and cholesterol Phone lines ~ Axons Phone line posts ~ Nerve Cell Bodies Money transfer medium ~ Red blood cells Supply Chain ~ Circulatory system Blueprint & Master plan ~ DNA Light border security ~ Skin (very thin) "Normal" border security ~ Clothes Port ~ Face Telecommunications ~ Ears & Eyes Knowledge holders & Detectives ~ Antibodies Macroscale decision makers ~ Frontal lobe Military "intelligence" operations & Pop culture media ~ Amygdala Police ~ White Blood Cells Spawns of Criminals ~ Bad Viruses and Bad Bacteria Riots & Civil War ~ Cancer

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To explain everything, not only do you need Physics, but also understanding the installation of economizing breeds (esp. on what it requires). However, to explain the very large and very small, all you need is Physics.Kmarinas86 19:37, 5 January 2007 (UTC)