As J A Wheeler said: "Reality is defined by the questions you put to it". Metaphysics concerns these questions we ask of Reality.
And as for it being a non-starter in Science, I would have said Science is actually founded upon it. Why else use the word....."meta" physics?
As I understand it, it is the inadequacy of its metaphysical foundations that leads Science into difficulties of interpretation. eg the Copenhagen Interpretation. "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
As for science being founded on metaphysics, I would say that science is a method of investigation. It is neither more nor less founded on metaphysics than your conclusion that the sun will rise tomorrow.
Lastly, I do not see how the Copenhagen interpretation represents a failure of the metaphysics of science or an attempt to paper over its difficulties. The equations are what they are. The experimental data is what it is. The latter strongly supports the former. If you go beyond that, you venture into the realm of philosophy.
But the validity of the equations themselves are not in doubt just because there are different possible philosophical interpretations of them. Just as apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air pending the outcome of the philosophical discussions provoked by Newton's theories, entangled photons do not await the philosopher's permission before they carry out spooky action at a distance.
Because at the end of the day, engineering trumphs philosophy when it comes to being convincing.
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
If you go beyond that, you venture into the realm of philosophy
Of course: metaphysics is a part of philosophy.
it sounds rather like hubris to presume that it is the questions we ask that shape the world
But that is exactly what happens, I think. "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
Well thats going to need some justifying, or at the very least some further explaination. Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
