[Lecture Six] Induction in Physics and Philosophy
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Course summary: This course features Dr. Peikoff’s presentation of his solution to the problem of induction. He discusses the axioms of induction and the role of measurement omission and relates them to the process of forming generalizations. By comparing these features to the process of concept formation, Peikoff indicates the parallels in logic that give rise to new insights about the relationship between induction and deduction. Special attention is given to the similarities between physics and philosophy. Read more »
In this lecture: This lecture examines the similarities and differences between physics and philosophy with regard to induction. The lecture focuses especially on the formal differences between the two fields and why that matters for induction.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download below a PDF study guide for the entire course.
| What are the primary differences between philosophy and physics? |
| Are philosophic principles broader than scientific ones? |
| What similarities are there between philosophy and physics? |
| How do we get the first level generalizations of philosophy? |
| Explain the steps of a first level generalization and work through the example. |
| How do we connect these generalizations to axioms? |
| What is the parallel in philosophy of experiments in physics? |
| Why is it insufficient merely to be able to give examples of principles? |
| Explain how philosophy is self-correcting in a way similar to science. |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:33:59 | What is the difference between the Objectivist razors and Occam’s Razor? |
| 1:35:23 | Newton’s calculus rests on metaphysical continuity and atomism proves that reality is not continuous, and therefore doesn’t atomism refute Newton? |
| 1:38:29 | How would you judge a dispute between a physicist and a philosopher? |
| 1:40:00 | Couldn’t philosophers have a certain kind of constructive role in physics under the idea of no other alternative being conceivable, such as the idea that only entities exist? |
| 1:44:08 | Could you list a few of the new generalizations that the concept of energy provide a green light to? |
| 1:47:59 | Are there two concepts of induction involved from particulars to generalizations, in other words, is it a term with two senses? |
| 1:49:01 | Are there areas that are sort of borderline cases where the philosopher and physicist both have to look at them, for example the issue of space and whether it is an entity unto itself or a distinctly measured quantity between entities? |
| 1:50:56 | What are your current plans for writing a book on this topic? |
| 1:53:08 | I have grasped for some time that experimentation with no explicit hypothesis is invalid… |