T_Clark

Sure it is. It's just put in everyday language. People understand what it means. You understand what it means, even if you think it's not true. I thin...

Probably not. It may be a metaphysical statement which, as I've said many times, are not true or false, only useful or not. Are there any facts determ...

I'm retired. I sometimes forget what day it is. Also, in Hawaii it's 7:30 pm on Friday now. There, tomorrow will be Saturday.

We seem to be having a fruitful exchange now.

Which I think brings us back to the Gould quote. Here it is again for reference: In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it ...

Maybe that answers Athena's question - Facts don't exist. There are only beliefs.

You haven't been here long. How many of my and other people's posts have you read? If you haven't read them, then you have no basis for judging the qu...

As you note, a fact is a statement that is true. Any definition of "fact" has to take into account that what we believe is a fact may turn out not to ...

You seem to be riding on your own pompous hobbyhorse.

Just to be clear, I didn't mean to suggest that I don't think it belongs in this thread. It does kind of remind me of those old Monty Python graphics.

Stephen Jay Gould said: In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.

Serious question - Do you really find that beautiful?

Why do I need to provide grounds for my judgement when you provided no grounds for your original statement?

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite poems. It's the most romantic/Romantic part of a very, very, romantic/Romantic poem. Nor forgotten was the ...

I think my response was completely meaningful, if a bit snarky. "Says who?" can be translated as "I disagree" with the snark added to tweak you for se...

Lao Tzu - The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. Some guy - Hey, Lao Tzu, you're talking about something that can't be talked about. What'...

@"MikeBender" we hardly knew ye.

Serious suggestion - Why don't we deconstruct it. Here's my attempt: The poem is a haiku with the standard 5/7/5 syllable structure. The title, "Demiu...

Says who? Says who? I didn't say having a child is a moral act, only that it is not an immoral act. Also, says who?

Sorry. Unclear. I meant the caption on the picture on the web.

The caption on the picture said the pig was sleeping.

Crow eating a pig /uploads/files/ld/s4ocefo62lke6ejt.png

Hanover, when feeling his oats Gambles and guzzles and smokes As drunk as a souse Heads back to his house And winds up asleep with his goats. Now that...

The Whorf hypothesis, at least in my day, was a strong statement that language controls the kinds of things we can think about. Since then, I think th...

I don't disagree, but they might stash it in the Lounge, where no one will ever read it.

Do you spend your time organizing others? Yes. Hyperbole on my part.

As I noted, I think this is probably an oversimplification.

Whose woods these are, I think I know. His house is in the village, though. He will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow. Twa...

That means that conversations with those with whom you have disagreements become more important. That it becomes more important that you find a way to...

I've engaged with all these types of people. I've always tried to do it with respect for their intelligence and motivations and to treat them civilly....

Alas, poor VincePee! I knew him, forum members, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

I never thought you would shame prospective parents or that you think they are horrible people. On the other hand, you do question their intent. Your ...

If you think the only motivation or justification for a parent's action is to "prevent greater harm," you are wrong.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't see how that makes me uncharitable. I don't see how that argument is different from my summary in any significant way....

I have read all or some of many of your threads. Discussion after discussion, post after post, paragraph after paragraph, word after word. Long posts ...

First, as I acknowledged before, saying that people are anti-natalists because they project their unhappiness on others is not a legitimate philosophi...

I'll be honest, you're right that my comment about how miserable anti-natalists are is irrelevant. It says something about the anti-natalists and not ...

I hadn't been participating in this discussion. I generally avoid anti-natalist threads. But it was a slow day and decided to take a look. I think ant...

Physics and "The Tao Te Ching" tell me everything about reality I need to know.

This is from National Lampoon from 1973: /uploads/resized/files/iy/f8ml32ma40bf6b37.jpg The crossed-out word is a derogatory word for Japanese person....

I sort of understood it. Not enough to want to finish reading the whole poem.

I liked the Maxwell one best because it was technical. That's what I want from a physicist - poetic physics. But all of them stunk/stank as poems.

As I noted, the shows on my list were not necessarily the best, only my favorites. If we're talking about late night talk shows, my favorite was the o...

I've only been to Milwaukee once, when my brother was living there. We went to a German restaurant. Mmmm...If you're ever driving along the Mosel Rive...

I would watch Colombo if it was on. I would make sure I watched Rockford Files every week. My list of favorite TV shows. I only count ones that came a...

In one of my favorite TV shows of all time, "The Rockford Files," we used to joke that Rockford always got hit on the head and knocked out at 20 minut...

Nagasaki, Milwaukee, sushi! :up:

Something I learned many moons ago in my psychology of language class. From Wikipedia: The hypothesis of linguistic relativity, also known as the Sapi...

Never watched the US version. I do like the UK one. I was in love with Fiona from the first time I saw her. She could look goofy and beautiful and ugl...

Wikipedia has an interesting article on Haiku. It talks about what the form requires and allows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku