My main problem with dhw's approach is that I don't recognise his distinctions between materialism and immaterialism and between science and philosophy. All phenomena are part of nature and therefore open to study by natural philosophers applying reason. It is all one wholistic project.-By the way I was intrigued by your statement: "I could scarcely resist a cheer when I read Henk Tennekes' castigation of what he calls "hermetic jargon"." Where did he say that? And who is he?