[UA] Epistomology

[Greg Stolze]

Speaking of epistomology (that is, the branch of philosophy that deals with
how we know what we know) I once wrote a SF story about a first encounter
between humans and an alien race who looked remarkably like giant box-elder
bugs.  These aliens had all kinds of funky powers -- instantaneous
teleportation, gravity defiance, truly trippy stuff.  After thirty years,
we finally get to the point where we can converse with them.  We want to
know how they can teleport interstellar distances.

They want to know how we can make buildings.

So a human tries to explain architecture to them.  "It's EASY.  Look,
you've got geometry, right?"

The aliens don't.

"Okay, well look at this + figure.  If the lines are straight, you can see
how the opposite interior angles HAVE to be equal, right?"

"Uh... why?"

"Well, you can JUST SEE that's true!  I mean... I mean, it only makes sense
that way."

"Have you tested every single angle?"

"Well, no, but it's been true for every angle we've tested.  And it's true!
I mean, it's just obviously that way."

"Not to me.  I can't seem to grasp that first step."

"Well... what about all the teleportation and gravity control?"

"Oh, that's EASY."

It wasn't a great story, but I always liked the idea of alien races whose
epistomological foundations were so different that their technologies would
be completely different and incomprehensible.

-G.

If the reinstatement of capital punishment was clearly doing nothing to
reduce the number of murders in those states permitting it, it certainly
appeared to be cutting down on the number of confessions.
        -Dr. Douglas Ubelaker

www.waylay.com
www.thehungersite.com



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