7
votes
Is symmetry real?
Here is the question:
So did we discover symmetry, or do we impose it? (like numbers) And why do we need it?
David John Baker describes symmetries (page 2):
...symmetries of a theory are ...
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7
votes
Do distinctions and concepts exist?
Concepts are relations between two or more phenomena. Distinctions are discrete concepts whose function is to classify. Concepts and language are very closely related. I discuss this in my post on the ...
- 1,231
7
votes
Do distinctions and concepts exist?
What you are asking about is the place of abstract objects in our universe.
There are basically three approaches to abstract objects:
Nominalism holds that abstractions are invented by us. This is ...
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5
votes
Is topology used outside of cosmology in philosophy?
For an unfortunate preliminary example, Christopher Langan's infamous theory of everything uses the concept of topology in a way similar to how Alessio Moretti uses the concept of geometry. My take on ...
- 12.1k
5
votes
Is topology used outside of cosmology in philosophy?
Stone Spaces
If you consider formal logic to be part of philosophy then topology is relevant. The basic result is about Boolean Algebras. A Boolean algebra is something like a bunch of sets where you ...
- 898
5
votes
Is topology used outside of cosmology in philosophy?
I will elaborate a bit more on the connection between topology and the law of excluded middle (LEM), which Daron and Kristian have already mentioned.
In logic, the basic objects of study are formulas (...
- 151
4
votes
Are abstract ideas concepts (sets) or invididuals in an ontology?
Long comment
We have in place two dichotomies :
abstract/concrete
and
universal/particular (or individual).
If we use the term "concept" not to denote a psychological entities (a mental ...
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3
votes
Can concrete objects have multiple occurrences?
There is nothing unusual about abstract objects in this sense. Consider the sentence "John always puts John first." In this sentence, "John" is a word, not to be confused with John ...
- 7,600
3
votes
Is symmetry real?
How do you know that your hand is the same hand that you've had yesterday? How do we recognize a river?
As Kant suggests, perception is not reality. Nature changes constantly, a river is not the ...
- 6,831
3
votes
Why can one abstract (prescind) space from color but not color from space? (from C. S. Peirce's article "On a New List of Categories")
As defined in the passage, prescision "arises from attention to one element and neglect of the other", where "exclusive attention consists in a definite conception or supposition of one ...
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3
votes
Is there an infinite amount of things that are not present?
I suspect that anyone with real training in philosophy, especially analytical, will not find this question meaningful or will be able to readily swat it aside with a closing argument.
It is badly ...
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3
votes
Is topology used outside of cosmology in philosophy?
The average person is more familiar with space-time as a concept then mathematical theories, so the other domain in which topology matters, and may not be noticed, is the philosophy of mathematics (...
- 22.9k
3
votes
Is topology used outside of cosmology in philosophy?
There are some works on Analytic Philosophy. One important work on this area is called mereotopology. In formal ontology, a branch of metaphysics, and in ontological computer science, mereotopology is ...
3
votes
Why are abstract realms/the abstract realm thought of as being so orderly/restricted?
Note in advance: I am assuming that the abstract realm you're referring to is something along the lines of the "third realm" that Frege posited (alongside physical and mental domains).
...
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3
votes
Accepted
What is the definition of "abstract"?
The SEP article on the topic lists seven positive demarcations, and caps the list off with a variety of negative opinions. To quote sec. 3.8 in full:
We come finally to proposals that reject the ...
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2
votes
Is concept abstract or concrete noun
"Newspaper" and "New York Times" are concrete nouns, not abstract.
You can see that by the way they are used:
The newspaper is on the table
The New York Times was wrong about Trump's chances ...
- 1,454
2
votes
Goals and benefits of the process abstraction for minds
A "concrete" example from everyday life would be the statement, "Mary is my friend."
Compare to other ways I could describe her:
"Mary is a person. I have met and spent time ...
- 121
2
votes
Accepted
Name for a form of naturalism that allows for abstract objects
The term is Ontological Pluralism. It is the acceptance of more than one type of thing in the universe.
Before elaborating, I offer a few corrections.
Naturalism does not exclude gods, spirits, or ...
- 10.6k
2
votes
How to understanding abstract things easily?
This is a weakness in human thinking, but one which we have a need to overcome. YES -- we almost always initially understand concepts with physical examples, which we then try to generalize.
The ...
- 10.6k
2
votes
How to understanding abstract things easily?
Abstraction means removing characteristics. You start with a group of items and concentrate on a unifying characteristic (or a small number of such), while disregarding the other characteristics.
At ...
- 995
2
votes
Is there an infinite amount of things that are not present?
Yes, there is an infinite number of things that are not present at any point. Do please let us know if you find a useful or interesting application of that insight.
- 13.4k
2
votes
Do distinctions and concepts exist?
Your question and its wording reminds me of the Heart Sutra, which I posted an excerpt from here. Eventually you may see the truth of it, but then it is no longer a subject for discussion.
Body is ...
- 761
2
votes
Do distinctions and concepts exist?
I'm going to work on distinctions. Are they all in the head (arbitrary) or are they really out there and we merely discern them (justified). I'd say a little bit of both: distinctions do exist in the ...
- 3,206
1
vote
Accepted
What do contemporary philosophers mean when they say abstract objects exist (or realism of abstract objects)?
I don't think that Putnam or Quine (or for that matter Plato) were all that concerned about the exact nature of these 'abstract objects'. The point is that they felt certain other philosophical ...
- 18.5k
1
vote
Accepted
Is the term "freedom" sometimes used by those who govern a nation into a poor state of affairs for the people?
Short Answer
It's a fair question to explore in political philosophy the connection between the term and advocacy of "freedom", and the outcomes. But, ultimately, "freedom" is a ...
- 22.9k
1
vote
Accepted
Is abstraction always mind-dependent?
Abstractions are mind-dependent in the sense that they do not interact with the physical world except through the medium of the mind. Abstract objects have no mass and exert no forces; they are ...
- 7,600
1
vote
How understand abstraction when some cases can’t be abstracted?
Abstractions throw away details for tractability. For example, (regular two-value) logic throws away all sentences that don't have a binary truth value so that we can define logical operations, rules ...
- 7,600
1
vote
Why do we call logical concepts abstract when logic is specific to the situation?
Abstraction is a matter of degree. Whenever we perform an abstraction, some features are held constant and others are generalised.
For example, in physics, we can speak of the electrostatic force ...
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