Food for Thought  (from Jacob and Lisa)

To get you all in the right frame of mind for cookies; that is, for next
week’s presentation, we’ve prepared a few questions for you all to ponder.
Don’t worry about answering them all just yet, many and great minds have
repeatedly blunted themselves rather painfully in such endeavors, but at
least give them a little thought…

(NOTE FROM DOC R. -  Your reading reflections this week should consist
of a thoughtful approach to these questions --  not for answers, but for
interesting thoughts...)

What properties do things really have? What are things? What are
properties? Do things have properties simply by virtue of being things, or
in some broader context? Is an apple still an apple if it’s the only kind
of fruit?

Why?

What is “scientific knowledge?” What isn’t? What other types of knowledge
are there? What can science prove? What can’t it?

Why?

What is proof?

What grounds are you using to base your answers on? On what grounds can we
base any answer? What are grounds? What are answers? What are questions?

Why?

Why?

Is there a difference between scientific and other forms of knowledge? What
is it? Who defines it? Is there some simple criterion to show what is and
is not scientific knowledge?

Why?