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I wish to refer here only to one example of the kind of problem I have in mind: the problem of the growth of our knowledge. A little reflection will show that most problems connected with the growth of our knowledge must necessarily transcend any study which is confined to common-sense knowledge as opposed to scientific knowledge. For the most important way in which common-sense knowledge grows is, precisely, by turning into scientific knowledge. Moreover, it seems clear that the growth of scientific knowledge is the most important and
interesting case of the growth of knowledge.It should be remembered, in this context, that almost all the problems of traditional epistemology are connected with the problem of the growth of knowledge. I am inclined to say even more: from Plato to Descartes, Leibniz, Kant, Duhem and Poincaré; and from Bacon, Hobbes, and Locke, to Hume, Mill, and Russell, the theory of knowledge was inspired by the hope that it would enable us not only to know more about knowledge, but also to contribute to the advance of knowledge—of scientific knowledge, that is.
The problem of epistemology may be approached from two sides:
(1) as the problem of ordinary or common-sense knowledge, or (2) as the problem of scientific knowledge. Those philosophers who favour the first approach think, rightly, that scientific knowledge can only be an extension of common-sense knowledge, and they also think, wrongly, that common-sense knowledge is the easier of the two to analyse. In this way these philosophers come to replace the ‘new way of ideas’ by an analysis of ordinary language—the language in which common-sense knowledge is formulated.
From Thales to Einstein, from ancient atomism to Descartes’s speculation about matter, from the speculations of Gilbert and Newton and Leibniz and Boscovic about forces to those of Faraday and Einstein about fields of forces, metaphysical ideas have shown the way. Such are, in brief, my reasons for believing that even within the province of epistemology, the first approach mentioned above—that is to say, the analysis of knowledge by way of an analysis of ordinary language—is too narrow, and that it is bound to miss the most interesting problems.
Karl Popper: The Logic of Scientific Discovery
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Investment Products
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Investment Products
A wide variety of investment products exist to help you achieve your financial goals. Learn more about many investment products in the menu on the left.
The main categories of investment products are:
Stock
Bonds
Mutual Funds and ETFs
Insurance Products such as Variable AnnuitiesEvery investment product has its own general set of features including level of risk and anticipated returns.
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What Is a Public Company?
The term “public company” can be defined in various ways. There are two commonly understood ways in which a company is considered public: first, the company’s securities trade on public markets; and second, the company discloses certain business and financial information regularly to the public.
In general, we use the term to refer to a company that has public reporting obligations. Companies are subject to public reporting requirements if they:
Sell securities in a public offering (such as an initial public offering, or IPO;
Allow their investor base to reach a certain size, which triggers public reporting obligations; OR
Voluntarily register with us.
A private company also can become subject to public reporting requirements by merging with a public shell company. This process is called a reverse merger. As with any investment, investors should proceed with caution when considering whether to invest in reverse merger companies.As mentioned, we view companies as public if they are subject to public reporting obligations. There are instances, however, where the securities of a company that does not regularly report business and financial information to the public are nonetheless traded on smaller public markets. Investing in these companies is riskier as there can be little public information to allow investors to make an informed investment decision.
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