Reason and Religious Beliefs 7.1

Some of the questions Professor McShane explores in the seventh lecture:

• What is science? What is scientific?
• Are ideas more real than what we see?
• Can a definition be seen?
• Is faith a conviction of friendliness?
• Does faith seek understanding?
• Is the Spontaneous “I” ethical?

McShane remarks on death in the 20th Century and the zombification of children. He claims that real science is when you do not have a hypothesis, but you have a puzzle. He talks about useful ways to think of Plato’s Cave with props (like K = CUE : Knowledge = Correctly Understanding Experience).  He adds that it is a terrific gain to realize you are not understanding, and recognize when you are not being human and not being treated as human.