Louis Pasteur quotes

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Modern materialistic philosophy is already beginning to look foolish IMO.  We don't have to wait for the distant future.

I think it was John Gribben who famously told us he’d stopped looking for the ghost in the machine....not because of the ghost but that there wasn’t a machine.

[Outrider]

Why was he wrong in this case?

Lack of education, possibly?

O.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Lack of education, possibly?

O.

I will record your thumbs up for materialism for when the next person wheadlingly whines that ‘nobody is pleading materialism’.

[Outrider]

I will record your thumbs up for materialism for when the next person wheadlingly whines that ‘nobody is pleading materialism’.

I quite openly agree that to all practical purposes I'm a materialist - I'm open to listening to other ideas, but I'm not going to accept them just because they make you feel warm and fuzzy. You need a methodology, you need some validation, you need a basis to suggest there's something else that's more than 'I don't like the materialist conclusion' or 'but the materialists don't have absolute proof'.

O.

[Nearly Sane]

I quite openly agree that to all practical purposes I'm a materialist - I'm open to listening to other ideas, but I'm not going to accept them just because they make you feel warm and fuzzy. You need a methodology, you need some validation, you need a basis to suggest there's something else that's more than 'I don't like the materialist conclusion' or 'but the materialists don't have absolute proof'.

O.

For pretty much all practical purposes the vast majority of theists I know are materialists 


I'd clarify that in that they don't think of themselves as materialists, and I am a bit sispucious the idea of anyone being any sort of -ist but they live their life avoiding cars. 

[ProfessorDavey]

I think it was John Gribben who famously told us he’d stopped looking for the ghost in the machine....not because of the ghost but that there wasn’t a machine.

Who is John Gribben?

I thought the name was familiar so did a bit of googling and the reason I recognise the name is because we've worked at the same institution at one time. But totally unclear where this 'famous' quote might have come from nor why his expertise (he's an oncologist) would extend to this.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Who is John Gribben?

I thought the name was familiar so did a bit of googling and the reason I recognise the name is because we've worked at the same institution at one time. But totally unclear where this 'famous' quote might have come from nor why his expertise (he's an oncologist) would extend to this.

My apologies Professor I meant John Gribbin not Gribben.

[ProfessorDavey]

My apologies Professor I meant John Gribbin not Gribben.

He's a popular science writer and journalist - and while he's pretty good at that why should his opinions be considered to be particularly notable. It isn't as if he, himself, comes up with original ideas in the manner that a researcher might.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

He's a popular science writer and journalist - and while he's pretty good at that why should his opinions be considered to be particularly notable. It isn't as if he, himself, comes up with original ideas in the manner that a researcher might.

Loads of scientists are popular science writers and even the almighty Hillside advocates them.
But you've left off the bit about him being an Astrophysicist and a visiting fellow at the University of Sussex.
Whether his phrase makes him a spiritualist I know not

[ProfessorDavey]

Loads of scientists are popular science writers and even the almighty Hillside advocates them.
But you've left off the bit about him being an Astrophysicist and a visiting fellow at the University of Sussex.

I didn't say he wasn't a scientist - I said he wasn't a scientific researcher. Two different things - a scientist is trained in science. A researcher uses that training to generate new knowledge and ideas. As far as I'm aware Gribbin doesn't do that, although he is good at taking the ideas of researchers and writing them in a manner that is understandable by the public.

So in that context Gribbin isn't like either Hawking or even Cox who are (or were) both researchers as well are great exponents for public understanding of science.

As far as I can see Gribbin hasn't been actually involved in any research since he completed his PhD (which is itself considered training to be a researcher) over 50 years ago.

I cannot find details of him being a visiting fellow of Univ Sussex but this was where he did his degree back in the late 60s and being a visiting fellow doesn't imply any involvement in research - it may be for profile and for his public engagement activities.