[FOM] Goedel on Philosophy

[Buckner]

John Steel wrote
>>>
My impression is that the Greeks would not have made a sharp distincion 
between Philosophy and Math. or Physics. Even in Newton's time,
wasn't Physics "Natural Philosophy"? In a sense, the branch
of Metaphysics known as Ontology has made great progress,
from fire-earth-air-water to strings.
>>>

This is a bit of and old chestnut, and not in my view a very true
chestnut.  Even Aristotle distinguishes between 'first' philosophy and
all the other sorts (such as natural philosophy).

Furthermore, if you read the Physics you see that what Aristotle thinks
of as Physical enquiry is more like what we would call philosophical
enquiry.  Stuff on Zeno's paradox, whether the world existed eternally
or not, the odd proof of the existence of God, and so on.

It's not so much that what we now call 'science', the ancients called
'philosophy'.  Rather, what they called 'science', we would now think of
as philosophy.

As for Godel, did he read any philosophy?

D B