Magnus Anderson

Though you cannot measure how long a point is (since it has no length, as per definition) you can identify a point. And we do so through a complex pro...

My point is, not necessarily. In general, history is very important. Have you heard of Richard Gregory's top-down theory of perception?

Identity can also be (and it mostly is) established by history. So two objects can occupy the same position in space at the same time and still be ide...

In general, two things are identical if and only if everything that makes up the first thing also makes up the second thing and vice versa. The more i...

But that's not what it leads to. If points have undefined length it does not follow that line segments have undefined length. What's non-sensical abou...

It depends on how you define the word "existence". You can define it any way you like. You can define it in a way that implies length. That which exis...

Continuum is a set of points where for every two points in the set there exists a point in the set that is in between the two points. The fact that po...

What does Schopenhauer mean when he says "the problem of existence"? Can someone help me understand the problem he's speaking of?

I might be blind or stupid but I never came across an argument for theism (:

There are people who are not willing to sacrifice themselves and others for the benefit of the collective. That's why they reject what you call object...

The correct meaning of the word "chair" is far too complex to be a part of a short forum post. This is why I had to make it simpler than it really is ...

When I said that the correct meaning of the word "chair" is "a separate seat for one person, typically with a back and four legs" I had no specific co...

Just try not to be like Kant, Hegel, C. S. Peirce, Heidegger, Derrida, Lacan, Baudrillard and the like.

The way I understand you, what you're saying is that it makes no sense to criticize someone for not using words the way most people do if that's not w...

You stated the following: And I responded by saying that I disagree. There are times when it is relevant to remind them that they are using words in a...

What you just said.

It was your second post that made your point clear.

I am telling you that it is relevant to criticize their lack of regard for conventions because it makes them blind to reality. Have you ever come acro...

You can form mistaken beliefs.

Maybe you'd like to go back and read my initial response to him: I do, however, think that he's nitpicking and missing the point. Defensiveness? Not r...

I am saying that their lack of regard for conventions can lead them to making mistakes of all sorts.

The mistakes they make might stem from their lack of regard for conventions. Such cases are numerous. But you're right in the sense that it's not alwa...

I don't think I was being defensive in the slightest.

Sorry, I don't see the relevance of that question.

In most cases, yes.

Well, that's not what I meant. Let's say I expressed myself in a way that wasn't the best. What I wanted to say is that the word "chair" has a number ...

Absolutely. You can make statements about any portion of the universe -- not just language. For example, you can say that Donald Trump's face is orang...

"2 + 2 = 4" is a statement that claims that the symbol "2 + 2" is equivalent to the symbol "4". It's a statement about language. So yes, it has to do ...

The correct answer to the question "Is 2 + 2 = 4?" is "Yes". What's prescriptive about that?

You're right. He assumed that I'm claiming the word "chair" has only one correct definition. He somehow ignored my main point which is that the word "...

That's true. Maybe I can correct myself by saying that's one of several correct meanings of the word?

It's important to understand what the other is saying before one proclaims that what they are saying is true or false. Specifically, it's important to...

In other words, it's one thing to study the word "tree" and another to study physical objects that can be represented by the word "tree". I am pretty ...

There are correct and incorrect definitions of words. For example, the correct meaning of the word "chair" is "a separate seat for one person, typical...

It's easier if people speak the same language. The more you use existing words in your own way, the more difficult it becomes for others to understand...

If you want to be understood and if you want to understand others then you should use words the way other people do.

Because when you say that someone is using some word incorrectly what that means is that they are not using that word the way most people do.

The meaning of a symbol is the set of all things that can be represented by that symbol. The definition of a symbol is a verbal or non-verbal descript...

I am not sure I know what it means to say that a convention is correct or incorrect.

You don't consider that (what that?) to be . . . what? When someone says "Person P is using word W incorrectly" what that means is "Person P is using ...

No need for scare quotes. That's exactly what it means to say that someone is using some word incorrectly -- it means that the person is not using the...

Well said. You made me chuckle (:

Where did I say that conventions are correct? Or that they can be correct? I merely explained what it means to say that someone is using words incorre...

Suicide Note by Mitchell Heisman https://legacy.gscdn.nl/archives/images/suicide_note.pdf

Since the purpose of language is to communicate, it makes no sense to deviate from the norm. By deviating from the norm, you make it difficult for oth...

If you use the word "chair" to refer to bicycles you are using it incorrectly. That's a fact. What's important to understand is what it means to say t...

And that's precisely what we want to know when it comes to the correct meaning of words.

You can use language any way you want, but since the purpose of language is to communicate, it's in your best interest to use it the way other people ...

Every statement that says that some portion of reality is such and such has truth value i.e. it is either true or false. After all, truth is a belief ...

"Murder is wrong" is a statement that is either true or false only if you assume that it has truth value. If it does not then the statement is neither...