2007-01-24 07:39:19 · 6 answers · asked by Diesel Weasel 7 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I was thinking of just that yesterday!
Einstein once said that the universe was finite but unbounded. I thought yesterday that the rational hypotheses explaining a phenomenon are infinite but bounded. They are bounded by:
1 The accepted facts
2 The limits of our reason (ie Kant's categories etc)
3 The limits of our language (Chomsky's concepts on the inherited form of languages would act a lot like Kant's categories)
4 Our imagination
So we can't say ANYTHING we like - the hypotheses are bounded.
But we can (almost) always come up with different hypotheses that explain the same phenomenon (various sceptical contstructs such as Descartes malign demon or the "brain in a vat" act like ready made rational alternatives.
Today I've decided that they can't actually be infinite in number because, although our language is very maleable it is not infinitely so. I think we can come up with LOTS of hypotheses to fit any given phenomenon.
2007-01-24 08:12:28 · answer #1 · answered by anthonypaullloyd 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, not actual hypotheses anyway. It's true that there may be an infinite number of potential hypotheses, hypotheses that people could make but don't. But since people have to come up with them to actualize them, and since the number of people is finite, the number of actual hypotheses is limited too.
2007-01-24 07:44:35 · answer #2 · answered by Gary B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It all depends on the viability of the premises on which the hypotheses were made. The premises are the originators of rational constructs.
2007-01-24 08:01:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just tried saying that out loud ten times fast and I nearly passed out!
But anyway... you can have a large amount of hypotheses... once you start the scientific method to prove/disprove your theories... your numbers will start to dwindle.
2007-01-24 08:38:29 · answer #4 · answered by Spanky C ® 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sure, if that includes languages, configuration sof words to express the concepts, and all misspellings!
See, they said I shoulda been an attorney cause I can rationalize anything...
but I think I'd make a better clown, eh?
2007-01-24 07:59:36 · answer #5 · answered by starryeyed 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes there are, which is why there are many different ways that one question can be answered. For some things, there is only one real answer, but the beauty is in the discovery and in the possibilities, at least to me :)
2007-01-24 08:21:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋