Modern physics and Aristotelian physics
peace,
It is clear to us that our physics is more correct than Aristotelian physics – we can launch a spacecraft to the moon, Aristotle could not.
One of the differences between our physics and ancient physics is that Aristotle (and the Rambam) (as far as I understand) looked at all branches of wisdom in a related way (physics, metaphysics, ethics, etc.).
Today we don’t tend to attach importance to this and maximize technology – physics is more correct the more it manages to launch more spacecraft.
But ultimately, it seems that physical perceptions shape (rightly or wrongly) our cultural-moral perceptions – for example, physics is deterministic and therefore I have no free choice, and if there are quanta then the world is random and there is no meaning to what happens in my life. Physics essentially describes a causal, not teleological, world and therefore there is no purpose to the world.
I know that one can make excuses for these problems, but they are usually disconnected from the study of nature. So my argument is that we need to connect the study of nature with ethics. Will this lead to better ethics? Will we lead to better physics? What is your opinion on the subject?
Would it at least have a cultural/pedagogical benefit in strengthening morality and culture that stem from nature?
In principle, there is no such thing as more or less true. These are two different languages, but both explain the phenomena. Our physics is more efficient because technology can be built on it. There are of course some phenomena about which Aristotle was wrong (for example, the speed of fall as a function of mass), but even if he were right, he would have explained it in his own language.
I don’t understand your question. If there is a real connection to our worldview, then it is certainly worth studying physics. But it is difficult to address such general statements. Give an example and we can discuss. The links you made in both examples are incorrect.
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