12 August 2023

What 'physical' means in Science and Philosophy?

The definition of "physical" as "relating to things perceived through the senses" and being real or concrete is usually linked to a common understanding of science and philosophy. In the realm of science, the term "physical" often refers to phenomena that can be observed, measured, and tested using our sensory perception or instruments that extend our senses. These include aspects of the natural world that can be measured and studied through experimental methods

The distinction between "physical" and "mental" or "conceptual" is also significant. While physical phenomena are usually associated with the external world and are perceived through sensory experience, mental or conceptual phenomena relate to thoughts, ideas, emotions, and other internal mental processes that are subjective and not directly observable, such as physical objects.

This distinction between the physical and the mental has been the subject of philosophical inquiry for centuries, with various schools of thought exploring the nature of reality, perception, and the relationship between the mind and the external world. The division between physical and mental raises questions about the nature of consciousness, the mind-body problem, and whether our sensory experiences can accurately represent an objective reality

In contemporary scientific and philosophical discussions, the distinction highlighted plays a role in fields such as cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and even artificial intelligence, where researchers investigate the interaction between the physical brain and the mental or cognitive processes that give rise to it. 

In summary, the view of the "physical" as related to sensory perception and tactility, and your distinction between physical and mental/conceptual, aligns well with established ideas in both scientific and philosophical contexts.

The Planck scale limits our sensual perception, impacts on our perception of the universe. 

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