The Profound Limitations of Knowledge

Description

The Profound Limitations of Knowledge explores the limitations of knowledge and argues that neither reasoning nor direct or indirect observations can be trusted. We cannot even assign probabilities to claims of what we can know. Furthermore, for any set of data, there are an infinite number of possible interpretations. Evidence suggests that we live in a participatory universe--that is, our observations shape reality. The Profound Limitations of Knowledge Praise for Works by Fred Leavitt Contents List of Figures 1 Introduction Notes 2 Beliefs Decisions about Beliefs Origins of Beliefs: I Persistence of Beliefs Other People Have Weird Beliefs Examples of False Belief Perseverance Reasons for Belief Perseverance Group Differences in Belief Perseverance Origins of Beliefs: II Notes 3 Philosophy Radical Skepticism The Burden of Proof Several Assumptions Underlie Almost All Claims to Knowledge Notes 4 Certainty, Likelihood, and Probability Notes 5 The Four Supposed Pillars of Knowledge 6 Pillar 1: A Priori Knowledge The Case for Innate Knowledge All the Above Is Irrelevant Notes 7 Pillar 2: Religious Faith The Origins of Religious Faith Why Are There So Many Religions? Religious Faith Is Beneficial Faith (of Others) Is Very Beneficial to Some Religious Leaders Have God’s Cell Phone Number Maybe They Had a Bad Connection Other People Also Get Messages from God So, Maybe Not So Beneficial The Persistence of Religious Faith Points to Ponder Faith Is Antithetical to Truth Notes 8 Leavitt Lied 9 Pillar 3: Reasoning Human Reasoning Is Imperfect Evolution and Reasoning: I Evolution and Reasoning: II Culture Influences Reasoning Style Metaphors Influence Reasoning Examples of (Considerably) Less than Optimal Reasoning Inductive Arguments Counter-Induction Inductive Inferences Are Ambiguous Formal Logic—Deductive Arguments Conclusions Often Come First We’ll Never Know If Our Tools of Reasoning Lead to Valid Conclusions Anything Can Be Proved Quantum Logic Reason Doesn’t Tell About the World Recap Notes 10 Reason and Science in Opposition The Rules of Logic Are Empirical and Fallible Notes 11 Pillar 4: Empiricism Imperfect Processing Research on Perception Empiricists Fight Back—Unsuccessfully Our Low Fidelity Memories Deception Motives to Deceive Means Opportunity Drugs Electrical Stimulation of the Brain Natural Selection FakeApp Secret Experiments “Knowledge” That Comes From Other Sources Individuals Corporate Governmental and Political The Media The Internet Historical Censorship Self-Deception How Honest Are You With Yourself? Science Scientists May Unconsciously Bias Results or Commit Deliberate Fraud Not Just Fraud Honest Science The Basic Observations May Be Wrong Miniscule Changes in Initial Conditions May Produce Huge Changes in Ultimate Observations The Data May Have Been Analyzed Incorrectly The Data May Not Be Replicable Observations Reported in Scientific Publications May Differ Considerably From Observations Over the Same Material That Go Unpublished Inferences: Part I Hard Sciences Quantum Mechanics The Single- and Double-Slit Experiment Unstable Elements and Watched Pots Pigeonholes and Pigeons Quantum Eraser Delayed-Choice Interpretations The Most Profound Discovery in the History of Science Many Worlds Beyond Quantum Mechanics Notes 12 Reason and Science in Almost One Voice Notes 13 Inferences Part II Mathematics, Science, and Everyday Life Notes 14 Recapitulation Note 15 Reasons for Resistance Resistance Is Futile A Priorists Non-deductivists Pragmatists Transcendentalists Vindicationists Conjecturalists Notes 16 Conclusions Solipsism There Is No God—Maybe Afterlife—Not Out of the Question On the Positive Side A Question You’ll Probably Never be Able to Answer: Are Things Pretty Much What They Seem? Worldviews of Prominent Physicists and Philosophers Convincing Travelogue How Should I Conduct My Life? Keep on Trucking Notes 17 Epilogue Notes Appendix 1: Beliefs About the Future by Experts Appendix 2: History Myths Appendix 3: Scientific Facts and Theories That Were Once Believed but Are Now Considered False Index Back Matter