Chaps 6/7

I was surprised with Lynch's extensive treatment and appraisal of logical positivism. It was a philosophy that had attracted me in the past because of how attractive it looks at first glance, but it did not take long for me to see its flaws. Most contemporary critics dismiss it outright, listing only its flaws without delving into its history or elaborating on some of its finer points. I was glad Lynch spent such considerable time with it!

The section about Nietzsche really intrigued me. To me it raises a question Lynch has yet to answer: is it more important to know the truth, or is it more important to be able to prove (enforce?) the "truth"? An example: you are hiring someone to build you a house, and must make a decision between two contractors. One has lots of experience building houses (good ones!), but has no knowledge of physics or structural engineering and could not tell you why the foundation must be built a certain way or why the trusses must be angled so; the other holds a doctorate in engineering and can explain what materials should be used to structural integrity and do so with complex formulae, but has not actually built a house before. Which one would you hire?