Empirical limits in science

In philosophy of science the empirical limits of science define problems with observation, and thus are limits of human ability to inquire and answer questions about phenomena. These include topics such as infinity, the future and god. In the 20th century several of these were well-documented or proposed in physics:

• The Planck length - actually a limit on distance itself.
• The Schrödinger's cat paradox.
• The Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
• The theorized event horizon of a black hole in special relativity.

The incompleteness theorem which limits the consistency or completeness of formal systems is a related concern of the philosophy of mathematics. It does not directly relate to inquiry, however, only to proof.

There are also limits to inquiry from ethics, notably in medicine and biology, and from uniqueness, notably in ecology and psychology.

Concepts of truth have been profoundly shaped by realizing that truth must conform to these limits, beyond which any concept of truth is just speculation.

See also

• Inquiry
• Pragmatic maxim