What current developments in science have interesting philosophical implications and why?

Question

Scientific theory has always inspired philosophers to come to grand conclusions about the nature of reality. Considering developments in quantum computation theory, nanothechnology, nueroscience, string theory, etc., what new 'scientific' interpretation of the world can we glean?

Answer 1

I think that the discovery of upwards of 100 extra solar planets may stir the pot a little because it dilutes our uniqueness and place in the scheme of things and it challenges our believes of life on Earth and our religions. The other major thing that challenges our belief is that the universe is cyclical. If there is enough dark matter to reverse the universe's expansion it totally negates the need for a beginning or creation because there quite simply wasn't a beginning it re-cycles every 20 billion years and it has always been that way, The evidence is stacking up daily that this is the case. Jules, lecturer. Australia.

Answer 2

Interesting question.

You left out genetic spicing there though. Did you know they spliced goat genes so they can produce spider web silk in their milk?

Not to mention Frankenfood.

I think nonotechnology, both biological and other, is going to change philosophy.

How long ago was it when IBM arrainged, get this, ATOMS to spell out IBM and took a picture of it with an electron microscope. They are currently looking at flipping atoms for storage of information. Atoms.

Amazing stuff, truly amazing.

You get down to that level, it has to change philosophy. We know know atoms are not the smallest particles. Not even protons, electrons or neutrons. We are talking quarks now.

Ain't that a hoot?

So, what doesn't have philisophical implications about today's science?

Cameras. We are building cameras so small, you can soon swallow one in a pill form, and have it transmit pictures as it travels through your digestive tract.

Answer 3

going by geologic time I would consider Darwin to
be "current" for a while.
If you are lucky enough to hear the interview of
Dr. Watson (Crick is dead?) with Charlie Rose
(though he may have other interviews or books
that are superior) he speaks about the coming
revolution of mapping the human brain.
From our present feeble understanding the words
"mapping" and "brain" may be inadequate, but
the idea of going beyond the total sequencing
of the human genome and analyzing structures
of thoughts and memories is pretty hard for us
to quite have the patterns to understand..

Answer 4

The tens of billions of public funding for stem cell research instead of societal infrastructure over the past 10 years-e.g. the dams on the east coast, and traffic in California.

Answer 5

I think the recent understanding of the psychological evolution of humankind is amazing. It explains so much of why we are the way we are.