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all 77 comments

[–]thenaterator 64 points65 points ago

Whoever made this clearly doesn't understand philosophy. In addition, I doubt they actually know what metaphysics is.

[–]squigs 22 points23 points ago

They don't know what theology is either.

[–]CantHugEveryCat 17 points18 points ago

Neither science nor cats.

[–]therestruth 6 points7 points ago

Where is a fixed version?

[–]Lunights 6 points7 points ago

Might as well throw in the color black and dark rooms.

[–]Corrinth 2 points3 points ago

At least he still knows what a flashlight is.

[–]NanduDas 1 point2 points ago

Does he?

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

Science is more like looking for a black cat in a dark room by firing a revolver wherever you heard the last meow and feeling like you're doing better than the rest because half the chambers are empty.

[–]TommaClock 0 points1 point ago

And then you shoot the cat, it dies, and you proclaim victory.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

If you can call a dark room full of cat piss that now has a dead cat in it a victory... Maybe that's too philosophical...

[–]TommaClock 1 point2 points ago

that's too scientific...

FTFY

[–]thenaterator -2 points-1 points ago

Absolutely true.

[–]ubermenchy 3 points4 points ago

I am glad, so glad that this is the top comment. The post is ignorance, painful and upsetting.

[–]Iliketrains 2 points3 points ago

Or 'pataphysics, but then again, nobody does

[–]bhaku 1 point2 points ago

Sure we do, I for one know a lot about 'pataphysics.

Like for example, did you know that the french word for 'pataphysics is 'pataphysique?

And the term was coined and the concept created by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873–1907), who defined 'pataphysics as "the science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments."

You might also share the knowledge with me about how the practitioners of 'pataphysics are called, 'pataphysicians or 'pataphysicists.

[–]Iliketrains 3 points4 points ago

There are also things called 'pataphors, which I find interesting and maybe useless. I think it's where you take a metaphor and put it into more literal terms, but I'm not entirely sure.

Metaphor: Tom felt so miserable, for Jane was a world away.

'Pataphor: Tom was on Earth while Jane was on Mars, making Tom very miserable since there is no air on Mars and Jane was sure to die.

lol that was my try at a 'pataphor.

[–]bhaku 1 point2 points ago

Wow, that's really... unnecessary, but I guess its a fun thing to tell about.

By the way, if it wasnt obvious enough: I don't know anything about 'pataphysics. I copied that stuff straight off wikipedia.

[–]lorefolk 2 points3 points ago

They also don't understand that it's enough that religion claims to find the cat, without arguing whether the cat is in there or not.

[–]ohfail 0 points1 point ago

I'm still wondering why the cat is using a flashlight.

[–]JasonMacker 20 points21 points ago

Not this shit again.

Philosophy and metaphysics (which is a subset of philosophy) are useful tools to examine the world with.

Rationalism, please.

[–]qspec02 0 points1 point ago

I will see your Rationalism and raise you Empiricism!

[–]JasonMacker 4 points5 points ago

The point is that I'm sick and tired of this denouncement of philosophy and metaphysics as being nonsensical.

[–]qspec02 6 points7 points ago

I agree 100%. I am a big reader of Philosophy (and I hold a degree in it).

We live under a system that really exalts science which is okay, but it is often to the exclusion of other methods (and questions). This is partially due to the almost immediate results that science gets (when compared with Philosophy).

But we should remember that many scientific lines of inquiry began and were advanced by philosophical thinking and questions.

The computers we are using owe quite a bit to philosophy (logic, modal logic, advanced mathematics). Calculus owes its inception to philosophers (Leibniz and Newton). Our judicial system (and government as a whole) owe philosophy (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, amongst others). Virtually any knowledge we have about the Universe is overtly philosophical (and merely supported by science and math).

I really wish the scientific minded would not exclude philosophy (in much the same way the religious exclude philosophy). That said, I rest contented knowing that the greats of science exist both as scientists and philosophy.

I am an ardent defender of philosophy. That said, I was just trying to be cute (although... I do typically side with empiricism over rationalism).

[–]tuscanspeed 2 points3 points ago

So what you're saying is that people talk about and think about things before attempting to put them into action, or make decisions.

That said, I rest contented knowing that the greats of science exist both as scientists and philosophy.

That said I'm actually a bit shocked it's taken any other way.

[–]ReDyP 12 points13 points ago

I really really hate this repost. It is beyond ignorant, and for some reason it keeps getting up votes. I am a trained scientist, but I have to ask: Why the hell is a philosophical approach below a scientific? Since when is this a fucking hierarchy? How can science answer questions about morality, self, and purpose? Above all, the most annoying thing about this repost is that it assumes science is not a type of philosophy employed to understand the natural world. Science is a subset of philosophy.

"Why is there something rather than nothing?"

[–]Hellstruelight 3 points4 points ago

Obviously ignorant post is obviously ignorant.

[–]WorkingMouse 1 point2 points ago

Wasn't right the first time, not right the fifth time.

[–]Silberchen 0 points1 point ago

The more I think about this analogy, the less sense it makes...

[–]Evagelos 1 point2 points ago

I found the cat. Without a flashlight. Fuck off OP

[–]natholomew 1 point2 points ago

The cat should be fairly easy to find, since it is using a flashlight.

Making statements with bad grammar is like being in a dark room and looking for cat-shaped potato chips.

[–]BLOOODBLADE 0 points1 point ago

No it's difficult, especially since the cat is using the flashlight like a club, jumping on your back and beating you over the head a few times then running away and waiting for another chance to strike It all happens so fast that you don't notice until it's all over

[–]ImNoScientician 2 points3 points ago

Black cats can't use flashlights. They don't have opposable thumbs.

[–]Psycho5275 0 points1 point ago

cat, using a flashlight

[–]TimetogetDownvoted 2 points3 points ago

This analogy is beyond terrible. The contrast of philosophy and science here makes it out as if science and philosophy have the same purpose, and as if science is necessarily better than philosophy.

The author has no clue at all whatsoever what metaphysics is. Metaphysics is essentially asking what the nature of something is or what it's like. How the hell is that like looking for in a dark room for a black cat which isn't there?

The contrast of metaphysics and theology also makes it as if the two are in any way similar.

This post is garbage. Heavily reposted garbage.

[–]owlsrule143 1 point2 points ago

This is a really old repost. Same comments seem to be coming up about how the philosophy and metaphysics analogies are off. The religion and science ones are correct though. I'd say just forget about the philosophy and metaphysics parts of this (even though the picture is really old and op here didn't make it) but if you must.. Philosophy is like being in a dark room with a flashlight looking for a theoretical cat

[–]RebekahRave[S] -3 points-2 points ago

I just found it on stumbleupon and thought reddit would like it, I don't go through reddit archives to make sure what I post is all original, like reddit seems to expect. The theology, science, and philosophy part was mainly what I was posting about, I'm not experienced in metaphysics, but I agree with what you're saying.

[–]McProDG 0 points1 point ago

what they all have in common? black cats are bad luck

[–]volcomma5ter 2 points3 points ago

Theology would be telling someone else there's a black cat in the room, when you've never actually found it.

[–]Glennsguitar 0 points1 point ago

That's just like...your opinion man.

[–]thatguywiththeposts -1 points0 points ago

Repost

[–]squeakythepin 1 point2 points ago

if the room is dark, why would it matter what color the cat is?

[–]Amryxx 0 points1 point ago

What is the "black cat" supposed to represent in this analogy?

[–]Tropolist 0 points1 point ago

How can science find a black cat if it doesn't have a non-black non-cat for control?

[–]Cyril_Clunge 0 points1 point ago

Erm... the bit about Theology is wrong. I'm tired and lazy so I'll just steal a bit from wikipedia.

It is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths.

[–]daxarx 0 points1 point ago

This doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

If you say anything at all about gods or their nature, including many atheist positions, you are engaged in theology...

[–]cryptobomb 0 points1 point ago

My god (pun intended), what a load of bullshit. I think science would be more like checking the dark room with a flashlight to see ANYTHING that is there.

[–]Furydwarf 0 points1 point ago

Searching in a dark room for a black cat, turns out the cats in the other room

[–]bmatto 0 points1 point ago

Philosophy translates to love of wisdom and has 3 main branches.

  1. Metaphysics - Being in a dark room and contemplating if a black cat were present, which dimension would it's strings most likely have manifested from.
  2. Ethics - Being that the cat is a-moral, would it be wrong to skin it; one way or another?
  3. Epistemology - Do we know the cat is present? How do we know that? Even if you have a flashlight and it passes in front for a brief moment, but then it's gone ... HOW DO YOU KNOW?!? If a cat meows in a dark room...

Logic is the tool of the philosopher - WHY THE FUCK AM I IN A DARK ROOM WITH A BLACK CAT?

[–]xJammr98x 0 points1 point ago

I just look for the cats glowing eyes

[–]morninghighs 0 points1 point ago

this is quite some potatocountin' shizzle right here

[–]Xenonym 0 points1 point ago

Placing science, philosophy, metaphysics, and theology (three of which overlap in many ways, and one of which exists in a fantasy world of its own) into a hierarchy of importance is impossible. To do it with a simplistic analogy is both impossible and absurd. Science can be used to observe and analyze the universe, and ultimately to construct descriptions of the universe based on this analysis, but how could we analyze anything properly without understanding the logic that underlies analysis? In order to understand the world around us, we must first understand the means by which we come to understand things, which is the dominion of philosophy.

[–]CliftonForce 0 points1 point ago

I'd add:
"And Engineering is using that flashlight to find the light switch."