Philosophy: The Questions Every Other Field Has to Assume
Physicists assume observation reveals reality; doctors assume suffering is bad. None of those assumptions can be tested by the field relying on them — and someone has to examine them.
Topic
Philosophy of Science
The Fermi Paradox: A Very Large, Very Quiet Universe
Billions of stars, billions of years, and enough time for anyone to have crossed the galaxy several times over. We see nothing — and every explanation for that says something significant.
The Observer Effect: Measuring Something Touches It
Checking a tyre's pressure lets out a little air, so the reading is never quite what was there before. With objects that hardly matters. With people it can be larger than what you were trying to measure.
The Map Is Not the Territory: Every Model Earns Its Keep by Lying
A map showing everything would be the size of the city and useless. Models work by discarding detail — the error is forgetting which detail, and when you left the range where it didn't matter.