7 thoughts on ““You Cannot Do Physics Or Cosmology””

  1. Link is missing.

    But, of course. All of the great paradigm shifts in Physics are at root changes in Philosophy. Changing from “the heavens rotate around the earth” to “the earth revolves around the sun” to “everything is relative” are changes in our ways of thinking about the universe. And “ways of thinking about the universe” is about as good of a definition of Philosophy as I can come up with.

  2. I’m happy to see that someone in the scientific world realizes that the equations of physics are not the same as the laws of physics. One of the most irritating statements I heard as an engineering student was “governing equations.” One fluid dynamics professor (a name in the field) kept asserting that the Navier-Stokes equations “govern” all fluid flow. Not many people realize the limitations of the Navier-Stokes equations, but I think most would recognize that an equation doesn’t govern anything. But it wasn’t a metaphor in his mind. He really thought it.

  3. I do wish more physicists would remember the Ph. in their Ph.D. stands for Philosophy.

  4. “I’m always amused by scientists who don’t understand their own epistomological assumptions and foundations.”

    Understand? Many of them don’t even know they exist.

    1. Stephen Hawking once declared that he didn’t have time for philosophy, he was just interested in science. That always wrangled me, as the two are inseparable.

  5. This is a very interesting interview. There is one question I wish he had been asked. Ellis clearly believes that intelligent agency is a distinct type of causation from physical law. I would ask, what is the implication for human origins? Is it possible that a new type of causation (agency) developed through the actions of another type of causation (physical law)? How did that happen? At what point did they become distinct?

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