Foundation for scientific thinking

Is there objective knowledge and how do we determine it?

Over on Skeptic, Adam Neiblum published “Sciencing With a Primate Brain: Reflections on the Nature of Scientific Thought.” Mr. Neiblum, about whom I could locate little biographical information, is an author of books about atheism and related topics (see notes at the end of this post). His analysis in this essay, although addressing the general underpinnings of science without reference to disability, education, or other aspects of our little world, seemed quite relevant to me for us. Given all the talk about the science or this and the science of that, it is valuable to remember the fundamentals.

Here’s the first paragraphs of his essay. I believe the remainder is available for free.

I was once a flat-earther. But probably you were too, so … Please. Allow me to elaborate.

Let us begin with the assumption that there is such a thing as objective truth. “Objective knowledge” means knowledge that is increasingly constrained by reality rather than by our preferences, intuitions, or inherited myths; put more simply, knowledge of a thing as it is, in-and-of itself, independent of us. For example, the heliocentric model of the solar system (sun-centered) is more objectively true than the geocentric model (earth-centered), even though it may not seem that way to us instinctively (and even if, in older calculations, the geocentric model can make as accurate predictions about planetary orbits as the heliocentric model).

Second, the human mind is no tabula rasa, or blank slate. It comes equipped straight off the assembly line, prewired with a variety of cognitive biases and other evolved, instinctive patterns of thought and belief. The brain is a collector of hacks that have helped us survive and reproduce successfully.

As I mentioned, Mr. Neibaum doesn’t have a large footprint on the Intertubes. He has written books such as Rise of the Nones: The Importance of Freedom From Religion. See the bio at the foot of his article on Skeptic. For this who play on X or Facebook, you might find a page for him there.