Peter Holmes wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 11:37 am
Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 10:21 am
Peter Holmes wrote: ↑Sat May 02, 2020 8:57 am
Yes, scientists arrive at theories (explanations) by means of processes of intersubjective consesnsus. (Pay attention to what I've just said.)
But no, scientists don't even begin to assume that processes of intersubjective consensus produce what we call 'truth' and 'fact'. And to say that what we call truth and fact are and can only be the products of intersubjective consesnsus is so utterly wrong that it's staggering.
You missed my point;
Note there are two types of truth and fact in this case;
I stated,
Science as a field of knowledge made the ASSUMPTION in its scientific model, that truth and facts of reality exists independent of the observers.
Scientists has to made the above ASSUMPTION otherwise they will be chasing after illusions. But is it only an assumption that has to be made.
Meanwhile, Science relying on the Scientific Method and peer review can only produce qualified scientific truths and facts and not those assumed truth and facts as above.
So what we called scientific truths and facts are a resultants which intrinsically entail intersubjective consensus.
Therefore you cannot conflate assumed truths and facts required for the scientific methods with the resulting qualified truths and facts from the scientific process involving intersubjective consensus.
You insist what you claimed as truths and facts are absolute independent of anyone's opinion nor beliefs, but you are wrong to claim so.
But this is merely a Philosophical Realists' view which is not realistic at all.
Nope. A factual assertion - one about a feature of reality that may or may not exist - is true or false, given the way we use the signs involved in context. And this applies to any kind of factual assertion, including assertions produced by scientists. They don't produce a special kind of 'truth' and 'fact' that is merely the result of intersubjective consensus. That's an absurd idea.
Please go back to my example, and actually address it.
Do you think that if the scientific intersubjective consensus is that the earth is flat, then the earth is flat, and so the factual assertion 'the earth is flat' is true?
IF that is your example, then it is a
scientific truth 'the earth is flat' is true.
In this 'as if' case, "
'the earth is flat' is true" is a scientific truth.
In this case [as if Scenario],
if someone insists,
" 'the earth is flat' is true"
then, he must qualify it by stating;
it is because Science verified and confirm that.
What is critical here is the qualification and condition;
thus " 'the earth is flat' is true" is a relative-objective relative upon the Scientific Method and peer review.
BUT in practice, there is no way Science would accept the above "as if" scenario that the "Earth is flat" is true.
Scientists using the Scientific Method has declared the shape of the Earth is a "oblate spheroid".
In this case, " 'the earth is a spherical oblate' is true" is not an absolute objective truth/fact, but it is still a relative objective fact.
Therefore the proposition "
'the earth is a spherical oblate' is true" because Science said so. There is not way one can claim "the Earth really is "oblate spheroid" without reference to Science or any conditions involving subjects.
In addition, scientific facts are at best
polished conjectures and will always remain so. Science can only ASSUME there is something real.
There is no way one can state the absolute ultimate Truth/Fact of what the shape of the Earth is. That the Earth "oblate spheroid" is merely a general truth, not the 'truth' since the Earth at any one time is always changing. It could be more like "oval" than spherical when it is full moon at the Equator when the tides are pull upward.
It is same for every fact, "one CANNOT state what the absolute ultimate Truth/Fact is" that is totally independent of the participation of the subjects, thus there are only relative objective facts/truth, i.e. grounded on intersubjective consensus.
Do you really think that's the case? I'll wait till you answer that question.
Done as above.