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Conjecture, Criticism, and the Structure of a Mind

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[Hegelians] observe, correctly, that contradictions are of the greatest importance in the history of thought--precisely as important as criticism. For criticism invariably consists in pointing out some contradiction; either a contradiction between the theory and another theory which we have some reason to accept, or a contradiction between the theory and certain facts--or more precisely, between the theory and certain statements of fact. Criticism can never do anything except either point out some such contradiction, or, perhaps, simply contradict the theory (i.e. the criticism may be simply the statement of the antithesis). But criticism is, in a very important sense, the main motive force of any intellectual development. Without contradictions, without criticism, there would be no rational motive for changing our theories: there would be no intellectual progress. Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations, chapter 15 I I propose that there are two major forces that guide a mind's evolu

Conjecture, Criticism, and the Structure of a Mind Ella Hoeppner May 08, 2022 1 2 Share [Hegelians] observe, correctly, that contradictions are of the greatest importance in the history of thought--precisely as important as criticism. For criticism invariably consists in pointing out some contradiction; either a contradiction between the theory and another theory which we have some reason to accept, or a contradiction between the theory and certain facts--or more precisely, between the theory and certain statements of fact. Criticism can never do anything except either point out some such cont

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