Re: Freedom
DON MIKULECKY (MIKULECKY@VCUVAX.BITNET)
Tue, 7 Feb 1995 09:51:59 -0400
Don Mikulecky, MCV/VCU, Mikulecky@gems.vcu.edu
Can there be a "scientific" definition of all concepts?
This question asks a number of related ones:
What constitutes a "scientific" definition?
How does Goedel's proof enter into the process?
Are there legitimate reasons why the humanities are not
part of "science?"
Is it correct for science to ask only "how?" and not "why?"
I suspect that the discussion of freedom needs to address
two distinct notions at war with each other in the United States.
Does freedom increase or decrease with government? One position,
which seems to be convincing a lot of people, is that government
limits freedom. This keeps reminding me of a philosophy of
government called anarchism, which has been spelled out in the past
in some detail. The big difference between anarchism and the
present movement is in the role of "invisible government"
In the present setting, reduction of power for the elected
government does not return it automatically to "the people".
Instead, important decisions often then get put in the hands of
corporate boards, and other organizations which wield power.
I suspect that there is no "scientific appraoch" to questions
like this. I wonder if there is even a rational one?
Best wishes, Don Mikulecky