FOM: scientific wrongdoing
Schalekamp, Hendrik J.
carnun at maths.uct.ac.za
Sun Feb 14 14:07:39 EST 1999
Just a little note from a complete newcomer to the FOM mailing list.,
following up on a discussion started my A.R.D. Mathias
> > From: Adrian Mathias <amathias at rasputin.uniandes.edu.co>
> > Subject: FOM: scientific wrongdoing
> > Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 16:39:34 -0500 (EST)
and responded to by :
> From: Stephen G Simpson <simpson at math.psu.edu>
> Date sent: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 18:43:15 -0500 (EST)
>
> THE ROLE OF LOGIC IN THE CURRICULUM
>
> .... Indeed, when I touted the
> unity of human knowledge as an essential component of the
> f.o.m. outlook, an eminent logician took me to task for it! He even
> cited a postmodernist tract proving that that the unity of science is
> a myth promulgated by plutocrats, warmongers, racists, and male
> chauvinist pigs! To review this transaction, search the FOM archive
> <http://www.math.psu.edu/simpson/fom/> for `unity of human knowledge'.
>
> Incidents such as this make me question whether now is the time to
> promote the study of mathematical logic as an antidote for the general
> irrationality of our culture.
Normally in this situation where personal politics as well as general
social circumstances play a role the indirect approach seems to bear
the most fruit. As you may well know logic, especially non-classical
logics such as modal and intensional logics, have been featuring very
strongly in the field called Formal Aspects of Computer Science (and
Artificial Intellegence). As everything to do with computers seems to
have quite some clout, promoting the use of logic in Computer Science
courses might have more far ranging influence on the scientific
community as a whole and lead to the reintroduction of logic in more
fields of science in the long run.
Regards
Hendrik Schalekamp
Carnun, Son of Danu
===================
"A day without sunshine is like... night" - Anon
"I think therefore I am, is a statement of an intellectual
who underrates toothaches." - Milan Kundera (Immortality)
Email: carnun at maths.uct.ac.za
URL: http://carnun.home.ml.org/
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