Only? Math, logic, arts, etc aren't knowledge?
What this episode has shown is that people don't know what they are talking about. Especially the ones cheerleading on the science's side.
Math and logic are as much subjected to falsification as physics or biology. Mathematicians write proofs, and their peers try to find flaws in them.
> arts, etc aren't knowledge?
I am obviously talking about scientific knowledge, and in that regard: No, they aren't. The study of art can be scientific, and is as subjected to empiricism and falsification as everything else. Art in itself however isn't.
If humanity forgot all the works of Mozart and Schubert, it would be a very sad day, but society would still function. If humanity forgot how to make steel, or had to rediscover the fourier transformation, we would have a problem.
No they are not.
> Mathematicians write proofs, and their peers try to find flaws in them.
There is a difference between checking whether a proof has flaws and running experiment to falsify a theory. In other words, when a proof has no flaws ( aka has been proven ), it's proven forever. Once euclid proved that there are an infinite amount of prime numbers, that's it. Nobody tries to falsify his claim because it's already been proven. Also, mathematicians checking for flaws in proofs is not empiricism. Go learn what empiricism means first before making absurd assertions.
Not only do you not know what science is, you don't even know what math is, you don't know what empiricism is.
> I am obviously talking about scientific knowledge
Then what's your nonsense about 'Math and logic are as much subjected to falsification as physics or biology.' Do you know what a syllogism is? How about modus ponens? Implication?
> If humanity forgot all the works of Mozart and Schubert, it would be a very sad day, but society would still function. If humanity forgot how to make steel, or had to rediscover the fourier transformation, we would have a problem.
If humanity forgot language, laws, government, etc, society would crumble as well.
Or are you going to pretend that language, laws, government, history, etc are now part of science.
It overlaps with a sizable majority of the HN readerbase.
Not the mass media of grocery store checkout aisle magazines.