Category: Philosophy & Method
“All is motion” concepts, theoretical frameworks
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The body has a moving edge
Second in a series. The first essay set out the ancient programme this work descends from — the ontology from Parmenides and Heraclitus, the method from Epicurus, and the argument that dualism is what froze the human sciences. This essay…
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An Ancient Method for a New Science
But those also who have made considerable progress in the survey of the main principles ought to bear in mind the scheme of the whole system set forth in its essentials. For we have frequent need of the general view,…
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Why Archaeologists Couldn’t Respond to SETI in 2014
The Unanswered Question In 2014, NASA published “Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication,” edited by Douglas Vakoch. The initiative called for archaeologists to contribute their expertise in understanding past cultures to help SETI researchers design communication strategies for extraterrestrial contact. It…
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Are We the Transmission?: The Archaeological Record Future Civilizations Will Discover
Introduction Four billion years of planetary history, the complete evolutionary record of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to technological civilization. The geological transformations of a living world. The extinctions, the radiations, the slow accumulation of atmospheric oxygen. The emergence…
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SETI is Archaeology: Signal Science Across Spacetime
Dylan Foley – Archaeological SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Philosophy of Archaeology Series Words:1823 We Know Exactly One Thing About SETI In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, we face a lot of uncertainties. Although we can make educated guesses, we…
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The Persistence of Dualism: Why a Decade of Theoretical Innovation Has Failed to Advance Archaeological Science
Update of 2014 article Dualism: The “Great Divide” in the Philosophy of Archaeology. “They made up their minds to name two forms, of which they must not name one—in this they have gone astray.” Parmenides of Elea Archaeology is a…
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Beyond Typologies: Why Archaeology Needs a Signal Processing Revolution
First in a three-part series introducing a groundbreaking approach to archaeological data science The Hidden Patterns in Ancient Landscapes Imagine standing in a field in County Roscommon, looking at what appears to be just another Irish pasture crossed by modern…