The analysis of the evolution of knowledge is distinguished from standard economics and neoDarwinian biology; it combines purpose with the impossibility of empirical proof.
Even though he referred to it as "the oldest, clearest and most appropriate to human reason", he nevertheless rejected it, heading section VI with the words, "On the impossibility of a physico-theological proof".
Erasmus Darwin, The Temple of Nature, 1802 [ 1] The search for a solution to the origin of life puzzle is hindered by the impossibility of providing an ultimate experimental proof, namely to (re produce life from scratch de novo (see e.g. [ 58, 218]).
But, caught between lawsuits claiming they failed to protect consumers from "hidden" hazards is there really any mystery about what can happen when you stand on the top of a ladder?–and the impossibility of making their products idiot-proof, manufacturers slap warning labels on everything but the kitchen sink in order to ward off liability.
In 1824, while waiting for a royal decree to be issued, he published at his own expense his proof of the impossibility of solving algebraically the general equation of the fifth degree, which he hoped would bring him recognition.
While he draws grand conclusions from such experiments, regarding the non-existence of free will and how we should organize and think about law and ethics, most reasonable peoples' response will inevitably be similar to that of Diogenes the cynic who, when faced with Zeno of Elea's watertight proof of the impossibility of motion, simply got up and walked.
William Riker (1920 1993), who inspired the Rochester school in political science, interpreted it as a mathematical proof of the impossibility of populist democracy (e.g., Riker 1982).
