NotAristotle

Time has nothing to do with it though, so the principle of plenitude is not doing any work in your argument. Not to mention, you are describing Aquina...

Oh I see, so then you are saying that there would have been nothing today if everything were contingent because there would have been nothing before a...

Right. I am asking you: "if everything is contingent, would there have been nothing today because there would have been nothing after all contingent t...

And would you say the nothing that occurred happened after all the contingent things passed away, or would you say the nothing occurred before the con...

That is the crux of the matter. The problem for the principle of plenitude is not when nothing is prior to now; the principle handles that objection w...

But that is the problem isn't it; Aquinas' argument as you have stated it does not go through if there could be nothing posterior to "now." If there c...

How is the proposed hypothetical possibility impossible by being incoherent? I did not see where the objection was in these two paragraphs. Okay fine,...

You said you would start the sim as a zygote. I am asking: what is the difference between this zygote and a zygote in reality? Or is the zygote you ar...

What is the difference between the simulation and reality if you are constructing "simulated people" based on the same historical states that result i...

Ah, I see, thanks for explaining! Regarding your objection re: physicalism. The problem with conscious people within/part of a simulation has to do, i...

Not exactly, what I am proposing is this: First, let's assume that all beings are contingent only; that is, that there are no necessary beings. On tha...

I don't think someone who knows they live in a machine/simulation can truly be happy. I take your question to be whether God would bless one with know...

Yeah! That is essentially the argument. I would amend it just by adding "...and what exists now must exist ..." And I think I can now better appreciat...

First of all thanks for engaging in this discussion with me. Second, I have the same objection that I voiced to Wayfarer; namely, Aquinas says: "There...

It is unclear to me why there would be more leaf worlds, could you spell that out for me?

I think I have heard it said that if a future people decided to make a simulation, they would make A LOT of such simulations. And these simulations wo...

I see what you are saying about contingents requiring an efficient cause. In fact, I think you are correct. However, I am not sure that that is Aquina...

I am going to be a bit argumentative here, and say, well whether you admit of an infinite sequence of contingents or not, we still have the problem th...

"How long I might live is not up to me, but how I live is within my control." -- Seneca. I like this quote. I think the Stoics emphasize concerning ou...

I would not be as concerned with A and B, that is, whether I am right or wrong in thinking I am free. The more pressing matter appears to be C and D, ...

Leontiskos and Wayfarer, thanks for the links. I read the link to Feser and found what he had to say helpful and interesting; it appears very similar ...

I see, yeah, the argument does make more sense with that background in mind. Still, the argument would be easier to follow had he said, "by necessity,...

No need to apologize Wayfarer. Thanks for your comment. The argument you just stated is a good one, convincing to me. My concern is that Aquinas does ...

Because 1. I've been giving it a lot of thought the past few days 2. I wanted to have a philosophical discussion 3. I wanted to hear what others thoug...

1. Because I might be wrong. 2. I want to hear others' interpretations.

My point here is that, at face value without interpretation, Aquinas' argument doesn't actually say anything. Sure there could have been nothing now, ...

Thanks for the question. The point is notsomuch that necessity must be derivative, but that where it cannot be self-imputed (as in this case a possibl...

Yeah, I am somewhat confused about the distinction between necessary and possible. From my perspective, everything in the past and present are necessa...

Thanks for the reference to David Hart re: the contingency argument. I will look it up. Am I understanding you to say that a contingency argument prov...

Never... in my time here at the Forum have I ever heard such a bold-faced, unconcealed, blatant accusation! How dare you! I maintain, and have ever ma...

:wink:

Aristotle: And tell me, Plato, is the form you speak of the same or different than the form that is in the particulars I investigate? Plato: It is dif...

I would add that there are important ways in which consciousness is not an illusion. Emotional, experiential, rational, doxastic content, means someth...

Maybe that is an unfair question because consciousness may be undefinable. I guess what I want to know is: why defend consciousness as not an illusion...

A lie is an illusion is it not? Well, what misleads more, the lie or the liar? Would you define the "consciousness" you say is not an illusion?

It may seem strange, but I would say negative thinking is more illusory than positive thinking in that one who thinks negatively (about themselves or ...

Agree, if there is not any kind of relationship then it is difficult to see how there can be responsibility, reconciliation, accountability, forgivene...

Yeah, I'm not sure we can give a coherent account of responsibility without free will.

I see your point, yeah I guess I think people's actions can be "a problem."

Sorry Mentos but I don't think people are "problems to be dealt with." People "have problems," maybe, but no person is "a problem" or "the problem." I...

Without free will we would still be responsible to each other? Walk me through that.

Hi all, I added you all to this reply because I think my comments here relate to the discussions that have been had thus far. I have been rethinking m...

Nevermind, I guess "scientific miracle" is not a thing and I'm just making up words.

Thus the experimental discovery of the atom (or more accurately, the proton in the atom) by Ernest Rutherford (edited) : unpredicted, but explainable ...

I don't recall where I heard about it before. I was thinking it was like a miracle insofar as it does not adhere to known natural laws or regularities...

I think Philosophim intended this as an implication of the view, although I think you are right that it is an assumption that is necessary for the arg...

I'm not really committed to any kind of illusionism, but if consciousness is not a reality (and I think it is), then I guess we could think of it as a...

It is as if we were saying our emotions analyzed our emotions, no?

I guess I'm unclear on how the mechanics of a self-referential system would work.

You're asking the wrong person because I have the same question; I don't think consciousness is an illusion. The strings are our emotions - the predic...