Newton's flaming laser sword
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Named after Isaac Newton. Coined by Australian mathematician and philosopher Mike Alder in 2004 in an article of the same title,[1] to be hyperbolically “much sharper and more dangerous than Occam's Razor”.
Proper noun edit
- (philosophy) A philosophical razor which states that what cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating.
- Synonym: Alder's razor
- Coordinate term: Occam's razor
- 2004, Mike Alder, “Newton's Flaming Laser Sword, Or: Why Mathematicians and Scientists don't like Philosophy but do it anyway”, in Philosophy now[2], volume 46, archived from the original on 14 November 2011, pages 29–32:
- Mathematicians and scientists feel that they have found a more difficult but much more satisfying game to play. Newton's Flaming Laser Sword is one of the rules of that game.
- 2010 October 25, "Valhallen", “Re: The meaning of the universe explained by Jesus”, in Snafu Comics[3], retrieved 2011-12-05:
- Also, I invoke Newton's Flaming Laser Sword on this thread.
- 2011 January 5, "Arkhanno", “Re: Atheists don't know how to reason”, in I Wanna Be The Forums[4], retrieved 2011-12-05:
- I prefer to be anti-religion and live by Newton's flaming laser sword, Occam's Razor and Hanlon's Razor.
- 2011 July 19, "Drastic", “Thought Experiment Regarding Morality (comment)”, in That Guy With the Glasses[6], retrieved 2011-12-05:
- Just demanding there is nothing you can do, because the flashy light told you so is grounds for Newton's Flaming Laser Sword.
- 2011 September 12, "Decivre", “Open thread on Episode #726 (comment)”, in The Atheist Experience[7], retrieved 2011-12-05:
- Put as much math as you want to it, and it's still a philosophical statement... to which I say that Newton's Flaming Laser Sword is the best response: "what cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating".
Related terms edit
References edit
- ^ Alder, Mike (2004) “Newton's Flaming Laser Sword”, in Philosophy Now[1], number 46, →ISSN, pages 29–33
Further reading edit
- Mike Alder § Newton's flaming laser sword on Wikipedia.Wikipedia