Military Theory vs. Philosophy

[selil]

I'd also suggest that there is no such thing as "extending understanding". As Science creates new understanding, it simultaneously destroys old understanding, which is then forgotten.

I'll take one Popper refutation hypothesis and raise you a pedantic incremental science salutation.

Not all science is the refutation of previous work, and some inquiry is the further proof of concepts or knowledge. As an example we theorized buckyballs, but now can create them. That theory has suggested that there may be other formations of nano-particles. That doesn't mean buckyballs go away upon discovery of other nano particles.

Some science is stepping stones across the river of knowledge rather than a good solid bridge. unfortunately every now and then somebody dynamites the bridge with a remarkable discovery and we are back to incremental science.

This gets back to the original argument, which if I understand it correctly was "Why waste our time on that worthless Philosophy crap, when we can do real things like test more tangible things, like guns and tactics."

To which I STILL answer: In order to get to where you can do "real" things, it helps to HAVE a philosophy, (which you do, whether you admit it or not) and to recognize what that philosophy is. Otherwise, you're doomed to revert to "evil". (For lack of a better word. "Sin" is a good word for it as well, but religious connotations have wasted it's utility)

All elements of society are based on a philosophy of action or thought. Not that dark robes and grey matter stuff people fling around like Chimpanzees at the zoo though. Cultural elements feed how people cognitively consider their relationship to reality. Not to talk to far over my head but symbols and symbolic relationships are the cornerstones of human expression. Thus we get sin and evil and good and bad and differing points of views of what those things mean.

My primary and only interest in symbols are user interfaces for computers and machines where people have expectations and defined roles for symbols. For deeper discussion dig up MarcT.