Iron Culture presented by MASS

Ep. 109 - Empiricism vs Rationalism: What Do We Really Know When It Comes To Fitness?

Mar 8, 2021
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INSIGHT

Two Complementary Ways To Know

  • Rationalism uses logic and premises to deduce conclusions from known truths.
  • Empiricism values sensory data and experiments as primary evidence for claims.
INSIGHT

Absence Of Ideal Trials Isn’t Null Evidence

  • Lack of a perfect RCT doesn't equal lack of evidence; apply parsimony and common-sense context.
  • Some hypotheses are so implausible that indirect evidence and real-world logic suffice to reject them.
ANECDOTE

Parody Shows Rationalism’s Dangers

  • Trexler cites a BMJ parody article to show rationalism can produce absurd conclusions.
  • He uses the smoking-for-endurance example to illustrate how mechanistic cherry-picking misleads people.
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