What science forums support philosophical discussions?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the availability of science forums that support philosophical discussions, particularly in relation to topics like quantum mechanics and its interpretations. Participants explore the challenges of discussing new ideas and hypotheses in science within the constraints of existing forum policies.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks recommendations for forums that allow discussions on philosophical aspects of science, particularly after their thread was closed.
  • Another suggests conducting an Internet search for "philosophy forum" as a practical approach.
  • Some participants express a preference for not sharing forum suggestions publicly, citing past decisions among mentors.
  • Concerns are raised about the quality of discussions in other forums, with one participant noting that many threads seem nonsensical.
  • It is mentioned that most forums do not explicitly prohibit philosophy, contrasting with the policies of Physics Forums.
  • A participant discusses their interest in popularizing quantum mechanics and questions whether they can publish interpretations in scientific or philosophical journals.
  • There is a distinction made between interpreting quantum mechanics and engaging in philosophical discourse, with some arguing that interpretation is more about mathematical translation than philosophy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the appropriateness of discussing philosophy in science forums. While some agree that many forums likely support philosophical discussions, others emphasize that Physics Forums specifically does not allow such discussions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference past decisions regarding forum policies and the challenges of discussing philosophical interpretations of quantum mechanics without crossing into prohibited topics.

Spathi
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My thread "Space-time quantization and its philosophical aspect" was closed. Can you suggest other science forum where I can create such threads? I have many ideas of this kind, and I want to initiate conversations about them. And what forums support the discussion of new ideas and hypotheses in science?
 
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You could try an Internet search for "philosophy forum" if that's not too practical and concrete a proposal.
 
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Spathi said:
And what forums support the discussion of new ideas and hypotheses in science?
I'll send you a PM with some suggestions that have come up over the years.
 
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berkeman said:
I'll send you a PM with some suggestions that have come up over the years.
Why not just post them here then lock this thread. Gives us a place to point people to when this comes up again (as you KNOW it will).
 
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IIRC, we decided among the Mentors to avoid posting them in the open forums. I think I remember some of the reasons, but you know how my memory has been declining... :wink:

Besides, you could always Report my post and ask that the policy be reviewed... :smile:
 
I just has a look at one. Every thread seemed to be the nonsense that we get here several times a week. To be fair, the nonsense was questioned and challenged but what's the point?

We do the right thing by keeping this out.
 
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Most suggestions I can think of... not posting them in public is a right thing to do :wink:
 
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OK, I give up :smile:
 
I think we are over-thinking it. Most fora support philosophy - at least by not don't explicitly outlawing it. PF is the rare exception.

The OP would be better to find a science forum s/he/they like; statistically, it's quite likely to support philosophy.
 
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berkeman said:
IIRC, we decided among the Mentors to avoid posting them in the open forums. I think I remember some of the reasons, but you know how my memory has been declining... :wink:

Besides, you could always Report my post and ask that the policy be reviewed..
You want to say that you won't approve if I post a link to one of the forums berkeman sent to me in PM?
 
  • #11
Spathi said:
You want to say that you won't approve if I post a link to one of the forums berkeman sent to me in PM?
PF does not allow discussions on philosophy. Why would you turn around and post the link? Cultivate wisdom.
 
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Some people say that I am good at explaining complex things clearly. Therefore, I am trying to study and understand quantum mechanics and physics in general, in order to further contribute to their popularization; the purpose of this popularization is to explain to ordinary people the philosophical elements of quantum mechanics (how quantum weirdness illustrates unfamiliar aspects of reality). Besides forums, what other channels can be used for this? Can I publish such ideas in scientific or at least philosophical journals (I am not a physicist myself, although I work in computer chemistry)? What journals can you suggest?
If a scientist develops a new interpretation of QM, he will be able to publish it in scientific journals, or only in philosophical ones?
 
  • #13
Frabjous said:
PF does not allow discussions on philosophy.
By the way:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.09964.pdf

As an interesting side note, let me comment that both David Deutsch and Richard Feynman were thinking about quantum foundations when they were looking at quantum computing. My gut feeling is that this is significant. If you subscribe to David Mermin’s version of the Copenhagen interpretation –“shut up and calculate”– then you avoid thinking about quantum weirdness, so maybe you also avoid thinking about possible uses for quantum weirdness.

If you don't like philosophy, maybe you think the only good interpretation of QM is "shut up and calculate"? But here the inventors of quantum computers disagree with this.
 
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  • #14
Since apparently you just don't want to stop challenging the policy I think it'll be useful to remind you that interpretation of quantum 'weirdness' is not exactly philosophy: rather it's about translating (interpreting - hence the name) something very not-wordy math to words and viewpoints. You need to be able to do the 'shut up and calculate' part first to have anything valid coming out of it.

Philosophy in general is very different can of worms.
 
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  • #15
Spathi said:
You want to say that you won't approve if I post a link to one of the forums berkeman sent to me in PM?
Please don't try to do that. This thread is done.
 

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