[Marxism] Clitoris, orgasm and Darwinism

["Jurriaan Bendien" <andromeda246@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ken Ranney wrote:

"But you seem to have excluded the metaphysical as unsatisfactory because
"it cannot be verified, tested or proved conclusively."  This is strange:
Darwinian evolution cannot be verified, tested or proved conclusively, so
why exclude the possibility of occasional supernatural intervention in the
process?"

As far as I know, few evolution theorists these days accept Darwin's theory
literally as adequate. Scientific research often tacitly refers to
metaphysical theorems e.g. about the ontology of the subjectmatter (See
Stefan Amsterdamski, Between Experience and Metaphysics: Philosophical
Problems of the Evolution of Science, 1975).

Evolution theory may not be conclusively verifiable, testable or provable at
present, but it does offer a fallible theory which is in principle
verifiable, testable and provable, i.e. it could be tested if relevant
evidence was available.

The problem I have with supernatural factors is how we would know that they
had an influence, and what would count as evidence for their influence.
Merely saying that there is currently no natural explanation for X, or that
a natural explanation for X is currently impossible, is not itself evidence
of a supernatural explanation for X. I am more inclined to say "I don't
know" in that case, and that we do not yet have any satisfactory
explanation.

If you look at the development of scientific inquiry over the last 300 years
or so, you find that for a wide range of phenomena previously explained by
reference to supernatural phenomena, natural or social explanations have
been found, which have enabled people to consciously intervene for the
purpose of human betterment. Supernatural explanations are possibly OK if
they complement scientific inquiry, but not if they prevent research or deny
relevant evidence.

Jurriaan


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