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Al Posted 23 years ago
Grammar
A Difficult Phrase
Is the phrase “the stark fact” in the first sentence announced by “philosophers” or not?
Thanks in advance.
Al
The original:
Scientists are understandably irritated when philosophers announce that, beyond the stark fact that it usually receives special attention, contemporary science has no special claim to attention. A prevalent anti-realist or relativist view (there are many variants) is that although science indeed offers an intriguing perspective on nature, it is one perspective among many; it is not an incorrect one, admittedly, but it is in no smart sense a correct one either -- even to talk of correctness and incorrectness is to miss a deep philosophical insight. All that can be said, according to these relativist philosophers, is that science has been vastly successful in grabbing headlines, and that this success calls for sociological or political explanation. Faced with such detraction, scientists characteristically retort that science, unlike witchcraft, works.
Thanks in advance.
Al
The original:
Scientists are understandably irritated when philosophers announce that, beyond the stark fact that it usually receives special attention, contemporary science has no special claim to attention. A prevalent anti-realist or relativist view (there are many variants) is that although science indeed offers an intriguing perspective on nature, it is one perspective among many; it is not an incorrect one, admittedly, but it is in no smart sense a correct one either -- even to talk of correctness and incorrectness is to miss a deep philosophical insight. All that can be said, according to these relativist philosophers, is that science has been vastly successful in grabbing headlines, and that this success calls for sociological or political explanation. Faced with such detraction, scientists characteristically retort that science, unlike witchcraft, works.
Top answer
' the stark fact ' is referring to the fact that philosophers get more attention than the scientists and it doesn't seem like an announcement made by the pholosophers or scientists.
- ' the stark fact ' is referring to the fact that philosophers get more attention than the scientists and it doesn't seem like an announcement made by the pholosophers or scientists.
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3 Answers
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' the stark fact ' is referring to the fact that philosophers get more attention than the scientists and it doesn't seem like an announcement made by the pholosophers or scientists.
00
Maybe you misunderstood? It should be Scientists get more attention. But thank you anyway, whl626.
Could anyone confirm whl626’s explanation?
Could anyone confirm whl626’s explanation?
00
what a serious mix-up 
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