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PLAN OF 0.FIRST AND SECOND ENLIGHTENMENT
0a outline
FIRST ENLIGHTENMENT
0b galilean relativity and newton
0c descartes
0d aether and dogmatic thinking
SECOND ENLIGHTENMENT
0e einstein and extended relativity
0f kant and einstein
Og EPR Paradox
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SECOND ENLIGHTENMENT,
ESSAY IN PHENOMENOLOGICAL ONTOLOGY AND REASON.
01 PREFACE
In a letter addressed to our Warsaw Relativity research team
Einstein wrote:
"Concepts and Conceptual Systems get justified exclusively
by their capacity to coordinate events. They cannot be
justified in any other way. Therefore, it is, in my opinion,
one of the most pernicious acts of Philosophers to have
transferred some conceptual bases of Natural Science from
the controllable domain of empiric adequacy into the
inaccessible heights of the Necessary Apriori.
This applies particularly to our concepts of time and space,
which the Physicists - forced by the facts - had to descend
from the Olympus of Apriori in order to repair them and
make them usable."
(He meant Kant, for whom space and time are aprioristic,
necessary and absolute categories.)
Having read these words we asked Tatarkiewicz, the top
historian of Philosophy, for his comments.
In his opinion Einstein was too radical. Even if Kant's
absolute and incommensurable time and space proved useless
for Physics, they preserve their value for Philosophy, where
they contributed to the creation of modern Theory of Cognition.
While useless for Physics in general, they had there,
nevertheless, a limited use: after all, Kant described in
ontological terms the time/space underlying Galilean Relativity
and Newton's Model, which Einstein himself considered as
the greatest physical Model in history.
Actually, these apparently contradictory views are both right,
but concern two different aspects of time/space. Explanation,
which exceeds the scope of Preface, can be found in
the chapter KANT AND EINSTEIN
Another point seems worth mentioning: we discovered with
surprise that Tatarkiewicz, besides his competence in
Philosophy, had deep and rigorous knowledge of Physics.
We discussed with him the essentials of Relativity and their
ontological implications, concluding that Einstein did not
reject Philosophy altogether, but only the Dogmatism, one
of "two Philosophies":
1.olympian Apriori Dogmatism,
2.empirically controllable Rationality.
Indeed, descending time/space from dogmatic Olympus to earthly
Rationality, the "Physicists" glaringly performed a philosophical
act. In its wake all subsequent "earthly" scientific Models,
starting with Einstein's own Extended Relativity, were invariably
founded in philosophical, rational Axioms. See:
OUTLINE OF FIRST AND SECOND ENLIGHTENMENT
AXIOMS OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY
FOUNDATIONS OF GENERAL RELATIVITY
Dogmatism consists of whimsical speculations Apriori, aspiring
to absolute truth, and high-handedly snubs science, know-how
and, above all, facts. "If the facts disagree with me then
so much worse for the facts." This, Hegel's declaration, may
serve as motto of Dogmatism.
Rationality rests upon concurrent scientific and practical
know-how, deriving from it inductively a synthesis of
contemporary knowledge. A rational, inductive Ontology,
in keeping with science, is rigorous and empirically
controllable.
We shall never forget Tatarkiewicz's reaction to our surprise
at his expertise in Relativity:
-Philosophy IS Science, only focusing on foundations-
Modern times start with the First Scientific Revolution
of Galileo, Descartes and Newton which sparked the First
Enlightenment and its Rationality. Unfortunately, it did not
entirely eradicate its contemporary Dogmatism and soon collapsed
under its reactionary assaults. The reaction of Dogmatism
went on uninterrupted till our epoch which is dominated by
dogmatic obscurantism out of which tries timidly to emerge
the Second Enlightenment, triggered by the Fin-de-Siecle Crisis
( LOST PARADISE ) and by the Second Scientific Revolution
of Einstein's Extended Relativity. One might object that we
neglect quantal theories in the Revolution. However, as we
show in EPR PARADOX , quantal phenomena conform to the
relativistic structure of Universe which therefore, in Ockham's
wake, represents the simplest sufficient cornerstone of Second
Enlightenment's Ontology.
It is our thesis that:
-Current disasters in domains such as globalization and ecology,
calling in question the very survival of the mankind are
generated by overwhelmingly dominating Dogmatism. Even if the
dogmatic establishment turned by miracle against problems which
it deliberately creates, the established naive Reason and Logic
would be incapable to formulate, let alone to solve them.
-The revolutionary axiomatization and reasoning underlying
Einstein's Extended Relativity determines a new Ontology,
Reason and Logic, which we call "The Second Enlightenment"
by analogy with the First. It emerges from the dominating
Dogmatism as the unique possible support of rational dealing
with mankind's critical problems. Since it is temporarily
restricted to Physics, its extension over all domains of
reflection and praxis seems to take on vital importance.
The present essay endeavors to make a step in this direction,
deriving from the Second Scientific Revolution a Relativistic
Phenomenal Ontology, which lays the foundation of Second
Enlightenment's Reason, the "Relativistic Dialectic",
anticipated by Einstein when he said:
"A new manner of thinking is essential if humankind is to survive".
