Pantagruel

Hmm. Doesn't that seem to be a kind of task-oriented or episodic definition? Whereas "success" usually connotes ongoing and in-the-balance or cumulati...

Consciousness is consciousness. There's no equivocation possible.

What is your definition of "success"? I think luck is pretty unambiguous, sums up in the "right place at the right time" chesnut, no?

Near as I can make out, Scheler is describing how fantasy is integral to the conative-creative power of the mind. He also discusses the connection bet...

No, this is precisely not the case, which is the entire point of my post. The only germaine possibility is the possibility of creating consciousness. ...

I'm not arguing against Dennett explicitly, as I made clear. What I am doing is presenting my own argument, which amounts to a type of "ontological pr...

Jack, you must be reading my mind. I literally just read Max Scheler's take on "Metaphysics and Aesthetics" which culminates in the role of fantasy in...

What I am saying is that if Dennett (or anyone) believes that consciousness can be created, a fortiori, he must believe that his own consciousness cou...

I didn't say must be created. It follows that if you believe consciousness can be created then you believe consciousness can be created.

It's the simplest possible form argument. If A believes in the possibility of x, a fortiori, A acknowledges the possibility of y. Your inability to fo...

I don't need to summarize his argument if his own beliefs demonstrate the contrary, in the context of my argument. (As I said, even the argument itsel...

Like spending more time with their parents? A large percentage of children surveyed in Canada now identify their parents as their "best friends". Like...

Right. So I am assuming he probably believes in the possibility of realizing AI. In which case, per my argument, a fortiori, he should believe in the ...

Can the Mona Lisa be put into words? It certainly was thought.

Good question. I think you have hit the psychological nail on the head.

The Constitution of the Human Being by Max Scheler Max's central writings on metaphysics and anthropology

"Why is there something instead of nothing" Since there are two threads with the same title I guess my answer works for both of them... This is the ce...

This is the central theme of Heidegger's Introduction to Metaphysics :"Why are there beings at all instead of nothing" (p. 215) What he does is essent...

Hmm. Yes, this was exactly my first impression of the logic as well. I think this is accurate. :up:

So thinking about thinking is equivalent thinking about the nature of instrumentality I guess. The concept of the "tool" as something mediate between ...

Those are valid observations Jack. However if you look at the question of language and being foundationally or genetically as Heidegger does, the obsc...

"The authentic interpretation must show what does not stand there in the words and which is nevertheless said....What is authentic is to be sought whe...

This is Heidegger's evaluation of Parmenides, and he absolutely grounds this originary grasp of meta-phusis in the poetic too. You have to really take...

I spent 4 hours over the last two days trying to decipher why the Western interpretation of being versus thinking was irremediably damaged by a misint...

:up:

The tao that can be spoken is not the eternal tao. That is using language to describe the ineffable. Moreover, the more deeply contextualized the refe...

I think all of our knowledge fits into this category. When we are very young, we are very limited in our understanding of the meaning of words, the co...

This idea of the power of belief has come to its logical conclusion for me. Lately I've begun to realize and understand that we are our beliefs. Our b...

I'm pretty pleased at how well that piece from 15 years ago stands up. I still see my core beliefs there. Which coincides with what I'm working on now...

Time enough for Love by Robert Heinlen

Yes, exactly like that. :roll:

I can just as easily assert that "everything has a purpose." Rather than making pronouncements, I prefer to construct descriptions or models that fit ...

Yes, there is nothing wrong with the psychological gloss. I think a lot of people are dismissive of psychology as somehow unscientific. Clearly, consc...

Meaning can be viewed as a problem, however it can also be viewed as a fact of human existence. The interesting question is, since meaning is a fact o...

:up:

I didn't mean to imply that neutrality was best. When I suggested to begin from a neutral standpoint, this was another way of saying ceteris paribus, ...

But is this really what is meant by pessimism? I understand the desired symmetry, but I think your construction is misleading. "Be prepared for the wo...

The big question is, will the spirit of humanity continue to grow and blossom somewhere, despite the decay of its body? Or will a complete spiritual, ...

Yes, this is essentially my perspective as well Jack.

Hope you don't mind, I just came across a bit in the Introduction to Metaphysics where Heidegger talks about the grasp which modern consciousness has ...

Scepticism does not preclude optimism. Nor does it have anything whatsoever to say about expectations.

This is not pessimism but stoicism.

To me, it is all about agency and choice. It is a choice whether to take a pessimistic or an optimistic stance. Naive optimism might be construed as t...

Let's assume we begin from a neutral standpoint. What advantage is there in being pessimistic versus optimistic? Pessimism is inherently restrictive, ...

My issue is not with whether people choose to identify as non-binary, but with the projection of expectations upon others based upon this choice. Lang...

Well, this seems to me impractical and unlikely. These domains barely tolerate restriction by rule of law. What would be the general motivation to ado...

I don't see why that is any reason not to include it.What people do do is certainly relevant in some sense to what they should do. Certainly some peop...

What about descriptive ethics?

I don't mind at all, I appreciate the suggestion. Thank you. :)

Introduction to Metaphysics by Martin Heidegger Apparently Heidegger conceived this work to be both a companion and the heir to Being and Time. It's b...