Group Presenters

• Inayatullah • Hina Nawaz• Kaneez Fatima • Irshad Hussain• Rabia Seeme

Is science superstitious?

Synopsis of presentation• Brief life history of Bertrand Russell• Scientific discoveries and its tangible benefits to human being• Science has changed our outlook on life and society.• Scientific knowledge and belief in scientific way of life is turning us

into conservatism• At the emergence of science, it separated form philosophy but now

it looks back to philosophy to get rid of its superstitions• Theory of “Relativity” and theory of “Quanta” are important

theories• Physiology and biochemistry are making penetration on

psychology, threatening philosophy.• Philosophy or science can either be friends or foes, but cannot

remain with out any relations• Science is source of intellectual satisfaction• Many people neglect the negative impact of science and tries have

been made to avoid its negative influence, but in vain so far.

Who is Bertrand Russell?Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, logician,

essayist and social critic.

He also did a lot of work in the areas of education, history, political theory and religious studies.

Bertrand Russell

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”    

Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell • Philosopher• Writer• Critics• Mathematician• Political Activist

A Brief Timeline1872

Born in Wales

1874-1876Death of mother, sister & father

1876Grand parents get custody

1894Completes Moral Sciences Tripos (II)

1894Marries Alys Pearsall Smith

1901Discovers Russell’s Paradox

1916-1918Fined & imprisoned for anti-war protests.

1921Divorces Alys & marries Dora Black.

1927- 1931 Opens experime-ntal school. Becomes Earl

1935- 1936Divorces Dora. Marries P. Spence.

1940Appointment to NY city college revoked due to public protests.

1943Dismiss-ed from Barnes Foundat-ion in PA.

1949Awarded the Order of Merit.

1950Awarded Nobel Prize for literature.

Timeline Continued1952

Divorce from P. Spence and married to Edith Finch.

1955Releases Russell-Einstein Manifesto

1957Organizes the first Pugwash Conference

1958Becomes the President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

1961Imprisoned for connection to antinuclear protests.

1970Died February 2nd in Wales.

Bertrand: The Philosopher• Along with G.E. Moore, Russell is generally

recognized as one of the founders of analytic philosophy.

• His most influential contributions include his defense of logicism (the view that mathematics is in some important sense reducible to logic), and his theories of definite descriptions and logical atomism.

Best-Selling Books

Gives Russell's views on philosophical subjects and value of philosophical knowledge.

1912

Best-Selling Books

Arguably outdated, this book gives a general history of philosophy.

1945

Russell: The ActivistAlthough Bertrand Russell is famous in activist

circles for his work against nuclear weapons and Western involvement in the Vietnam War,

His social and political activism stretches far beyond that…

The Experimental SchoolAlong with his second wife, Russell opened an

experimental school. He believed education was key to conveying his social beliefs.

Dora Black

In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.

             Bertrand Russell

The RebelRussell was convicted twice and spent 6 months

in prison due to his protests.

He was dismissed from one college and had a job offer revoked from another for similar reasons.

ReligionRussell ‘s books are extremely blasphemous. He implies

that religion is a comfort we seek to excuse our terrible acts. His message is that we should take responsibility for our own actions.

It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.

             Bertrand Russell

Major Achievements• Principia Mathematica • Noble Prize on literature in 1950

Science????• “The systematic study of “Nature” is called

science”.

Observation

Result

Hypothesis

Experiment

Theory

Superstitious????“a belief or notion, not based on

reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like”.

Philosophy????• The word philosophy has been derived from

Latin word Philosophie“Philia” means love and “sophie” means wisdom.

so philosophy means love of wisdom

The study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and

meaning of lifeMetaphysics, Logic,

Aesthetics, Morality, Beauty, Art

Topics of Philosophy

• Metaphysics• Logic• Aesthetics • Epistemology• Ethics

Philosophy

• If somebody starts thinking in a curious way about any phenomena of nature ,he is a philosopher

WH…• Why??• When???• What????• Where?????• Whom?????

• Modern life is built on science in two respects1. Benefits of scientific inventions and

discoveries for human beings2. Scientific outlook have spread gradually

during the past the century

Scientific Discoveries and invention made life comfortable

How The Science Begins as a Discipline

• Scientific outlook has twofold in beginning of science1. Scientific creators has following objectives• Creator inspired by passion to which he gives an

intellectualist expression • Undemonstrated faith over science 2. The appreciator does to need this kind of faith• The appreciator of scientific invention regarded scientific

creator as crude and barbaric person.• In this way science might have emerged

Scientific knowledge and belief in scientific way of life is turning us into conservatism

• The scientific development and change produced in Asia, Africa and among the industrial populations of Europe are often displeasing to those who have a conservative outlook

• The development of science has displeased those who have conservative outlook

Two Books on science and its problems

• Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science (1926) by Burtt’s

• Science and the Modern World (1926) by Alfred whitehhead

Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science (1926) by Burtt’s

• This book is on historical perspective of science• The non scientific beliefs which inspired the work of sixteenth and

seventeenth century• Burtt discussed the scientific development based on superstitious• He says that kepler was inspired by the Zoroastrian sun-worship

which was mere a religious activity which ultimately became a base for his scientific invention of theory of sun as centre of universe.

• During Renaissance there was hostility toward Christianity by admiring the scientific development of pagans in field of astrology which was revival of classism, which the church condemned strongly.

• In both above cases there was superstition related to science

Science and the Modern World (1926) by Alfred whitehhead

• Alfred Whitehead’s book was blend of logic and history of science and more appealing book

• The historical aspect of his book• Dr Whitehead says that the science have been created pre-

scientific period by prudent people according to the law of nature• The Greek view of life based on fate• Necessitarian view was reinforced by Roman laws, these rules

were made by their forefathers• Christianity conceived God as acting in accordance with laws

though they were laws which God himself had made. • All this facilitated the rise of the conception of Natural Law, which

is one essential ingredient in scientific mentality

Middle age and Renaissance science

• In Middle ages and Ancient or Classical period scientific curiosity was limited to individuals

• In Renaissance the curiosity spread among large population intelligent society

• In middle ages it was thought that particular could be deduced from general principles

• In Renaissance the passion for historical antiquity produce a strong interest in particular occurrences.

• This interest operating upon minds trained by the Greek, Roman and scholastic traditions made possible the birth of kepler and Galileo.

At the emergence of science, it separated form philosophy but now it looks back to philosophy to get rid of its superstitions

• Science has been driven by its own problems to take an interest in philosophy

• Science and philosophy can no longer preserve and armed neutrality

• science or philosophy must be either friends or foe• They cannot be friend unless science can pass the

examination which philosophy must be as to its premises.

• If they cannot be friends they can only destroy each other.

Physiology and biochemistry are making penetration on psychology,

threatening philosophy• Behaviorism of Dr. Watson• Physiology and bio-chemistry are making

inroads on psychology which threaten philosophy in vital spot Dr. Watson's Behaviorism is the spear head of this attach.

• Bergson regards the past as surviving in memory and also holds that nothing is ever forgotten.

• Dr. whitehead agrees with him• Dr. Whitehead example of china about memory• Now is this phenomena can be proved in the

light of science.• According to Hume belief is a blind faith for

which no rational ground can be assigned.

Science is source of intellectual satisfaction

1. science is partly agreeable• Science has given us power of manipulating our

environment• It affords intellectual satisfaction 2. science is partly disagreeable• It assumes a determinism which involves

theoretically, the power of predicting human actions, in this respect it seems to lessen a manpower