FBI on Einstein

[kelley]

At 02:43 PM 9/6/00 -0400, JKSCHW at aol.com wrote:
>Empirical facts are those known through experience, as opposed to a priori 
>facts like 2+2=4, known in some other way. There may also be a contrast 
>with a theoretical fact, a fact derived from the structure of a theory. If 
>that is a valid contrast, the constant velocity of c is a theoretical 
>rather than a merely empirical fact. --jks

oooooo oooooo, i never did get me enough of analytical phil.  continental 
kinda gal myself.  did dally a bit with the heterodox blasphemers who 
thought they could do both.  but ahem...well.... as my american systematic 
metaphyiscs prof told me, the analytical phil folks think that both us and 
continental phil are uhhhhhh not really especially rigorous.

so, can you give me a better example of this distinction.  what exactly is 
a theoretical fact?  if it can be observed/known through experience then it 
is something that we know is because a theory tells us so? is that it?

k