Q&A: Thought Experiments / Philosophy
Originally published:
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Thought Experiments / Philosophy
Question
A question for the honored Rabbi Doctor:
Is there any difference between thought experiments in physics and in philosophy, particularly in the area that concerns proofs for the existence of God? Of course, they have not yet carried out an actual experiment that tests the thought experiment.
Thank you very much for all the answers you provide.
Answer
In principle, no. But thought experiments can sometimes be implemented later on, once the technology improves. Beyond that, science too sometimes uses logical inferences. A thought experiment is a logical inference from empirical data in physics. But the boundary between that and philosophy is not sharp.