PHILOS 178 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Critical Philosophy, Copernican Revolution
Document Summary
Asks the question what made it possible for other elds to be made into a science?". Goes through three cases: (1) logic, (2) mathematics (esp. geometry), and (3) empirical natural science (esp. physics and chemistry). There"s an important role for reason, what we build into the objects being studied by the science. The discovery of the method of construction put mathematics on the path of science. In method of construction you speci cally build in some facts and not others. 1 construction gives you, e. g. , rules for constructing the triangle. Two important postulates (1) a line can be extended in either direction some distance, and (2) given two points a line can be drawn between them. In a geometric construction we are relying on our ability to represent spatial particulars. The postulates tell you what you can construct. Based on what you"ve built in, you can go on to do constructions on that particular thing.
