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CommonSense

['Member']Joined: January 25, 2020 at 16:18Last active: February 19, 2020 at 14:291 discussions28 comments
Location: Kentucky, USA

Bio

I am a 70 year old with a lifelong interest in science and philosophy. Intuition properly evaluated leads to common sense conclusions, which are perhaps the best we can reach. That is my understanding of what it is to have common sense.

Favourite Philosopher

My favorite "philosophers" are the mathematician Roger Penrose and physicist Carlo Rovelli

Favourite Quotations

Being a theist - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... Love your neighbor as yourself."

Discussions (1)

Comments

Beyond the possibility that we live in a simulation. which I do not believe, the reason that it is very highly unlikely that I am a hippo is because I...
February 19, 2020 at 14:42
Indeed every event has a effect on the next sequential event, weaving a causal tapestry. However, in a purely physical world after his physical death ...
February 19, 2020 at 14:25
The problem is that we cannot objectively say that it is irrational to accept the possibility of non-physical existence if we cannot make observations...
February 18, 2020 at 15:21
From a purely objective standpoint that is a conclusion that may or may not be true. It is irrational to accept as factually true that there is no mea...
February 18, 2020 at 15:17
True - however every time something actualizes it creates a new universe so that there are an exponentially number of "me's" approaching infinite, no ...
February 17, 2020 at 19:17
That is exactly right. The issue is what does "existed" and "will exist" mean - are they historical facts available to those who are conscious or are ...
February 16, 2020 at 13:16
actually that is the argument of most naturalists and a majority of presentists - a pretty large group of scientists / philosophers
February 16, 2020 at 12:57
You are That is my point. That is the essence of nothing. That is the the logical basis of the conclusion all will be as if it never was.
February 15, 2020 at 16:10
Let me just state my argument again: If we live in a block universe (eternalism) then there are an infinite number of approximate physical isomorphs o...
February 15, 2020 at 13:33
You are right that Smolin in particular championed an interpretation that includes temporality in his book Time Reborn. It is not as clear if he still...
February 15, 2020 at 13:03
The problem with most words is that they are consciously or unconsciously "tensed". If you look at the mereological existence of someone who is consci...
February 15, 2020 at 12:41
There are many deep philosophical problems to be solved in GR and QM, not the least of which is whether or not space itself is emergent and not fundam...
February 15, 2020 at 12:36
It does not make it true, if it is true it is true, if it is not true then it is not true. My point is that it is more rational to accept the possibil...
February 13, 2020 at 18:52
There are dozens of deep mysteries that GR and QM don't solve. Many Worlds does not help with quantum entanglement, dark matter, etc. Quantum entangle...
February 13, 2020 at 18:47
That is true, but a human being has an individual sentient consciousness, where a society does not have a single physical consciousness. A group of in...
February 12, 2020 at 20:51
The problem with the humankind argument is that humankind is simply a set of all individual human beings, if there is no afterlife it may be true that...
February 12, 2020 at 17:08
Sorry for my unorganized replies - just getting used to the markups. As I replied to 180_proof quoting you - One misconception from relativity is that...
February 12, 2020 at 16:32
You are looking at this from a third party viewpoint. Every living being can look at the history of Bill and discuss his life using tensed language. T...
February 12, 2020 at 16:14
We should not think of physical life as nothing, physical life should be lived to the most positive extent possible. The point is that it is most like...
February 12, 2020 at 16:01
I do not believe there is a path to any kind of objective proof. The best we can do is follow intuitive conclusions, Saul Kripke said “Of course, some...
February 12, 2020 at 15:51
"Worlds are made luckily, but with good odds" is not statistically true. Roger Penrose, an agnostic, put that argument to rest when he "calculated tha...
February 12, 2020 at 15:34
The problem is not with the First Act, nor is it with the nature of the Second Act, the issue is summarized by “Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a w...
February 12, 2020 at 15:26
One misconception from relativity is that a block universe implies a permanent me that spans my worldline from head to toe, in a sense I am my worldli...
February 12, 2020 at 15:00
Thanks for the references - I have indeed carefully considered every alternative that seems to have a reasonable chance of being true. In general, I r...
February 12, 2020 at 14:23
Either something is subject to scientific proof, or it is not. Statistics is the heart of science. We can never be 100% certain that X is true, yet th...
February 09, 2020 at 18:44
"Unless very important to impede delay I think you refresh in a sea of the dead, and become new life. That either paying debt or just significant enou...
February 09, 2020 at 18:08
Agreed that the existential here and now is to be lived to the fullest, yet that does not address, or even attempt to address, that which is or may be...
February 09, 2020 at 17:55
That is true. Yet the possibility of future existence is not equivalent to existence unless it actualizes. After his physical death Bill does not exis...
February 09, 2020 at 15:37