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Let's Use Science To Answer Philosophy

Walter Wayne said:
What kind of animal lays a chicken egg though?
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Looking at the "which came first the chicken or the egg" problem evolutionarily is interesting because it takes one problem (if Xs are always caused by Ys and Ys are always caused by Xs then we have ourselves a conundrum: either there is infinite regress (which is weird) or assumption was flawed) and turns it into a completely different question: the Sorites paradox. Just as we somehow can get from a full head of hair to bald on hair at a time even though "surely" no one hair can make a difference, similarly we can get from a non-chicken to a chicken one egg at a time even though "surely" a mother is of the same species as its daughter.

And for that problem, the solution is a bit simpler: to describe concepts like baldness or chickenness as boolean is a bit oversimplistic, rather it is a gradual process where in between you have things which are only "sort of bald" or "sort of chickens."
 
theturtlemoves said:
Therefore we can fit at least 8*10^63 angels on the head of a pin.
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Not a bad derivation of a lower limit. Unfortunately it doesn't really get at what scholars were originally interested in when they asked the question. They didn't really care if it was one versus ten versus 10100. What they cared about was whether it was finite (no matter how big) or infinite. Having a lower bound doesn't tell us, so the question remains unsolved. :(
 
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?

Well the tree falling would likely create soundwaves through the air and if the waves dissipate before it reaches an ear to perceive it, then it still made a sound. If we define sound through soundwaves.
 
"Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" is actually an evolution vs. creation question.

If you believe the egg came first, you accept evolution.
If you believe the chicken came first, you are a Creationist.
 
A chicken and an egg are lying in bed together. The egg turns to the chicken and says, "Well, I guess that's answered that question then..."
 
The sound of one hand clapping is incredibly like that of a hypothetical tree falling in a deserted forest- though if you use Polonium speaker cables, some say discernment is possible to the true audiophile.
 
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