Post-Reflection on Theme 1

What struck me the most while reading Russell’s book “The Problems of Philosophy”, was the statement in chapter 15: “those questions which are already capable of definite answers are placed in the sciences, while those only to which, at present, no definite answer can be given, remain to form the residue which is called philosophy."

This made me remember when I started to study mathematics at the university, and we discussed Eulers problem of the seven bridges of Königsberg. This to me is a good example of the close relation between Philosophy and Science. Eulers formulated the philosophical question: Are you able to visit each part of the city of Königsberg, crossing each of the seven bridges only once. Being a brilliant mathematician Euler was able to prove that it is not possible.

Being students of science and technology we are trained to think about facts, and answers to difficult problems. We have learned to seek answers, and that there is a solution out there waiting and needing to be discovered. We have not so much discussed the questions themselves. Why are we asking these questions, and can we ask them in a different way? In modern society this is called “thinking outside the box”, which can have some remarkable effects when you do. Look at some great business-entrepreneurs who changed the market by making entirely new statements; Ryan Air is a great example with its low cost business model that turned the entire aviation industry upside down.

What we as science students can learn from the dialogue by Plato that we read this week is to think about the question or problem we have at hand. Is this a relevant problem, or can we formulate the idea in a completely different way and still reach the same outcome?   

Having read several posts on Russell’s text I believe that the definition of “proposition” , “statement of fact” as well as the “definite descriptions” was difficult to grasp, and proves that us being science students are looking for the true fact out there. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to discuss this further this week, but it was interesting to read everybody’s answers and reflections. Many different points of view and formulations about the same ideas gave me a wider understanding of the topic.

I have two cats at home and I can sometimes watch them spy on a bird outside the window. They can sit there for hours, completely focused on nothing but the moves of the bird. At those times I think that maybe what differentiates animals from humans is our constant need to analyze and think about stuff. We cannot concentrate on a single thing for even a few minutes without having our minds wander somewhere else, distracting us from what we really should be focusing on. On the other hand, maybe exactly that is what is forcing us to move forward and reaching increasingly new scientific, cultural and societal breakthroughs, whether big or small.