Theory of Everything and philosiphy
The philosophical implications of a physical
ToE are frequently debated. For example, if philosophical physicalism is true, a physical ToE
will coincide with a philosophical theory of everything.
The "system building" style of metaphysics attempts to answer all the important questions in
a coherent way, providing a complete picture of the world. Plato and Aristotle could be said to have
created early examples of comprehensive systems. In the early modern period
(17th and 18th centuries), the system-building scope of philosophy is often
linked to the rationalist method of philosophy, which is the
technique of deducing the nature of the world by pure a priori reason. Examples from the
early modern period include the Leibniz's Monadology, Descarte's Dualism, and Spinoza's Monism. Hegel's Absolute
idealism and Whitehead's Process philosophywere later systems.
Other philosophers do not believe their
techniques can aim so high. Some scientists think a more mathematical approach
than philosophy is needed for a ToE, for instance Stephen
Hawking wrote in A Brief History of Time that even if we had a ToE,
it would necessarily be a set of equations. He wrote, “What is it that breathes
fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?”.
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