BrianW

There must be context. For example, in this statement, it could mean that no fire is observed where it was expected or pointed out to be. It does not ...

I don't believe in an absolute God who is also a distinct individual entity separate from me or others because nature, the revelation of reality, has ...

Still creating dissonance. If you have already concluded that no being is omnipotent, what is the purpose of this whole exercise?

What are you talking about? You need to give us your definition of God and omnipotence. You seem to want God to exhibit human tendencies. Is God omnip...

My dictionary (Concise Oxford English Dictionary 11th Edition) implies there's a significant difference in the mode of operation of these two schools ...

What about choice? Suppose God creates a stone and chooses not to lift it.

First, I should repeat that we are like children, constantly growing and learning. Therefore, we may not understand everything about the relationship ...

It's a conceptual yard-stick e.g., ethics/morality, whose value is symbolic and only manifests in practical reality according to our understanding and...

What does this mean?

You are oversimplifying the means with which we interact with reality. First, we know our perception is based predominantly on our interpretation of p...

The best way to conceive of fact/reality is as a union of principle and potential. If we try to confine it with a form, then it defines its own limita...

Logic can determine validity because of its relation to fact. Logic is the expression of the relation between the fundamental and the auxiliary; betwe...

No, I don't. Does it imply that the initial status was chaotic or that chaos was introduced causing it to seek equilibrium?

What other order could there be?

After the discovery of other planets in our solar system, we (including scientists) imagined them to be exactly like our earth in their constitution. ...

First, I think we've over-simplified the processes of the mind. I see the mental processes as organizing/directing mechanisms which derive order, not ...

A linguistics professor says during a lecture that, "In English, a double negative forms a positive. But in some languages, such as Russian, a double ...

A mathematician and an engineer agree to take part in an experiment. They are both placed in one end of a room and at the other end is a naked woman o...

True enough. And thanks to the improving social harmony across the globe, religious terrorism is on the decline. Hopefully, eventually and soon, there...

No, not discarded sperm, but the genetic material which it (and every other part our body) contains. There's more to biological elements than their ma...

That's because, by definition, two things are not one. I can, however, imagine a squared circle, or a circled square. I can also create an image which...

I agree. Though I think if any of the current religions is to survive the ongoing onslaught, it must address the evils perpetrated by its misguided ad...

What happens when two debaters 'steelman' each other?

Why presume that free will should mean absolute will? Why couldn't it refer to a will that is free to overcome whatever limitations there are provided...

This would imply that with a variety of judges there is the possibility of a variety of judgements. Also, it means judgement is determined by the code...

Like I said, the disagreement is based on our different definitions of choice and belief. Someone walks into their spouse having sex with another pers...

Yeah, I thought so too. Which led me to thinking, what would be the basis which determines the reasonableness of the application?

We have developed to a great extent the means to analyse and criticise our perception of reality. However, because there is more to the mind than just...

Other examples also include: Magic(k), Astrology, Aura, Aether, stuff from historical mythologies e.g. Atlantis, Camelot, El Dorado, Garden of Eden, L...

Sorry, for the late changes. I'm done editing the OP.

I think you've just created a paradox. Isn't taking steps towards believing/disbelieving the act of choosing to believe/disbelieve? Anyway, even accep...

Hi, What worked best for me was knowing what it might mean to be in the circumstance I'm at. It helped me determine which kind of discipline I aimed t...

As to choice, I think our disagreement is based largely on our definition of choice. I define choice as idiosyncratic cause or idiosyncratic initiatio...

Again, right perspective is a philosopher's greatest tool. Don't mistake what religion was with what modern day philosophy is. Religion was not about ...

Those who seek fault find fault. If we judge the law according to miscreant law breakers or religion by the ignorant adherents, all we'll get will be ...

Not Gods, but the human conception of Gods. No. The real philosopher studies facts in their right relation. There have been good religious philosopher...

The premise and conclusion from it are based on your own perspective. It is your interpretation which concludes for you that the existence of those de...

Yes, it is reasonable. The limiting factor would be practical experience. While every circumstance is open to any number of possible considerations, t...

Whatever significance you assign to any speculation about the unknown is based on choice not fact. To claim a scientific hypothesis has greater probab...

Can a law e.g., of cause and effect, apply to the whole of the universe without applying to each relative circumstance? Why not a deity/deities, if su...

Thanks. It's what I'm trying to express and impress to people's minds - that we can learn to be aware of our frustrations and choose to act against th...

Ok. All the best.

I don't consume carcasses but I take milk and the occasional egg (one or two once a month - I'm mildly allergic and that's my limit). Anyway, don't kn...

"Somebody picks a fight with another, and a boxing match ensues. The instigator throws several punches to the opponent, the head clearly in sight. And...

Hi, you've mentioned 'external consistencies' with reference to mind and matter, but I'm curious, what would an 'internal consistency' be, if there's ...

I agree. And, maybe, the suffering implied by hell is a psychological consequence of that detachment from the ways of love (a metaphorical death) and ...

Thanks for this. I wish people saw religious teachings as the true gem instead of heaping too much focus on the unnecessary stuff. If the scriptures w...

I mean 'direct association' in the sense of a direct relationship e.g., face-to-face communication and such. If, as you say, there is substantial evid...

Everything, the whole of existence is composed of the same fundamental medium or 'substance' or 'material'. The rest is just mode of interaction. The ...

If we can prove beyond doubt that Alexander the Great existed, given that he's a phenomenal political figure and there's a much higher chance of findi...