Supermassive Black Holes and Shepherd’s Compass Analogy

Following on from my last blog, ‘Planet 9 and the Bug on the Leaf’, I want to share and discuss another recent scientific discovery which, I think, sheds light on Shepherd’s philosophical methodology.

I’ve been asked what insight Shepherd’s analogy of a captain, who uses a compass for navigation, gives us that the bug on a leaf analogy doesn’t¹. In my last blog, I discussed how to think about the compass analogy in light of Planet 9. Since then, I’ve read about an exciting observational discovery in astronomy which, I think, further supports Shepherd’s philosophical analytic methodology. Although it also applies to the bug on the leaf analogy, here I will focus on the compass analogy. 

Planet 9 shows how ground-breaking scientific discoveries often consist of a bold, theoretical hypothesis based on meticulous rational reasoning and explanation which can be so accurate that it can be later proved with observation. The latest example of this rationalistic approach is the discovery that supermassive black holes can orbit each other after galaxies join up together². Professor Taylor³, who was involved with the project, describes how the discovery took place and the role of theorizing:

“For a long time, we've been looking into space to try and find a pair of these supermassive black holes orbiting as a result of two galaxies merging.”

“Even though we've theorized that this should be happening, nobody had ever seen it until now."

In Shepherd’s analogy, the captain makes use of available equipment, in this case a compass, to track the orientation of the ship in relation to the location of north. This provides compass readings which we use to turn an inadequate (rough) idea of where north is into a geographical reality. Similarly, the astronomers examined radio signal readings from radio telescopes to track the “trajectory” and orbiting motions of the supermassive black holes⁴. This not only leads to more adequate (clear) ideas about how supermassive black holes orbit and why, but it could also provide us with possible knowledge of what our galaxy could be like in the future⁵. So I think Shepherd is right to see her approach to the afterlife as rigorous enough to lead to good enough ideas for now which may be somewhat substantiated in the future and lead to refined adequate ideas about the afterlife.

Perhaps it is easier to see the value of such hypotheses these days, because recent technological progress has enabled us to better test seemingly far-fetched hypotheses to check if they correlate with observable reality. Taylor⁶ admits that technology has played an important role in providing sufficiently detailed data which provided the empirical evidence. Indeed, it was as recent as 2016 that researchers could provide empirical evidence to prove Einstein’s theory of the existence of gravitational waves, one hundred years after he hypothesised it⁷. Now our picture of gravitational waves and how the universe works is coming together between these two recent discoveries. From Einstein’s theory of gravitational waves a century ago, we are now gaining an understanding of how some types of black holes crash into each other and combine which, like stones thrown into water, give rise to a ripple effect through space-time, known as gravitational waves⁸. This is perhaps what Shepherd was aiming for when she theorised possibilities about the afterlife given she hopes to “throw light upon this subject, hitherto supposed to lie beyond the reach of human discovery” and wishes that “a scientific knowledge of its principles be obtained”⁹.  

¹see question 1 under Q&A at the end of my paper, available at:
https://www.academia.edu/32731707/abridged_paper_presented_6th_April_2017_Lady_Mary_Shepherd_on_the_Afterlife_plus_Q_and_A.docx.pdf

²http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/astronomers-discover-orbiting-supermassive-black-holes-for-first-time-in-distant-galaxy/ar-BBDn589?li=AAmiR2Z&ocid=spartandhp

³ Joshua Valenzuela/UNM, 27/06/17
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uonm-gdc062617.php

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⁹Shepherd, M. (1827). Essay VI, That sensible qualities cannot be causes-against Mr. Hume. In M. Shepherd, Essays on the Perception of an External Universe and Other Subjects Connected with the Doctrine of Causation (pp. 296-313). Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom: John Hatchard and Son. p308

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