Within a few weeks things went south--we fussed a tad over premises, which is really all that matters in philosophy, and I realized that this exceptionally rational man's world view still required a leap of faith I couldn't muster.
I left his class with a gentleman's B+ and the realization that philosophy wasn't going to solve much of anything, and for that I am grateful. There's a huge difference between chasing the unknown and chasing the unknowable.
It might also explain my intolerance for the Intelligent Design folks.
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If we should ever manage to get to another planet, and there are critters just like us, well, OK, natural selection as the driving force of evolution takes a major hit, and the ID folks can start dancing (if their particular sect allows for that).
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| Et tu, Klaatu? |
If, however, you find evidence that some things other than natural selection are at work, or evidence that natural selection is not sufficient to explain an evolutionary event (and examples abound), if you find examples that show our understanding of the natural world is incomplete, well, that's science.
Some things may be unknowable. I've heard through the grapevine that God is one of those things, which is a big reason I have no interest in learning more, but plenty of people plenty interested in telling me anyway.
Dr. Kim photo via Brown University faculty pages