John, List: > On Jun 5, 2018, at 5:05 PM, John F Sowa <s...@bestweb.net> wrote: > > Thanks. But I thought of another answer to the question about > thesis/antithesis/synthesis: > > The synthesis is always metaphysical -- transcendental, as Kant > called it, or a kind of Thirdness, as Peirce would say. > > B
I was very surprised by this assertion. In the natural sciences, the meaning of terms is often different from philosophical usage. This often leads to mis-communication. Please do not interpret this response personally. In the case of the ancient term, synthesis, it is commonly used in CSP’s profession to mean the putting together of atoms to form molecules. Chemical synthesis is the essence of putting together single atoms to form natural objects. Synthesis changes the information content of atomic lexemes into the information content of morphemes of organic matter, such as DNA. The fundamental opposition between the acts of Analysis and Synthesis were the essence of chemistry in CSP’s day. Metabolism is the biosynthesis of the self (from external sources.) The logic of abduction underlies the evolution of molecules from atoms and organisms from organic nutrients. Chemical graph theory is used to express synthesis of the organic from the inorganic and served as CSP’s scientific reference for his graph theory. Your usage of the term “synthesis” is one example of how one’s knowledge of scientific terminology deeply influences one’s interpretation of philosophical writings. The huge gap between the beliefs of philosophers and the beliefs of scientists is often a direct consequence of differences of interpretations of predicates. Some members of this list may recall C P Snow’s book, the Two Cultures and the subsequent “cultural wars.” Such academic games may be fun but are they productive? Cheers Jerry
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