From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Fri Feb 20 2004 - 11:11:38 MST
An interesting point came up in an off-list discussion...
The topic was how to apply my philosophy of science
http://www.goertzel.org/dynapsyc/2004/PhilosophyOfScience.htm
to deal with systems of thought in general rather than scientific research
programmes
Clearly, to do this, something extra has to be added.
The goal of a scientific theory is "To create conjectures that have more
empirical content than their predecessors"
The goal of an ethical principle is "To create rules that will be accepted"
The goal of a system of thought is what?
A Nietzschean answer is
"To create ideas that will help the system in question achieve its goals"
If we accept this, then we can define a thought-system as progressive
[analogous to Lakatos's definition of a progressive research programme] if
it continually grows, getting better and better at achieving this goal...
There is then the fact that some system-goals lend themselves better to the
creation of progressive thought-systems than others -- a
mathematical-dynamical issue...
-- Ben G
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