Wayfarer

I have decided, with some regret, that I simply can't overlook Heidegger's politics. Agree that he and European philosophers are powerful critics of s...

What I'm saying is that language and abstract thought rely on an ability which I don't think can meaningfully described as 'physical'. Essentially it'...

You did actually address that question to both Apokrisis and myself.

I thought was that you were positing a pretty straightforward explanation in terms of natural selection, which I'm sure is part of the picture but not...

If you actually dig into that site, they have epidemiological evidence to support the argument. The suddenness of outbreaks, and the patterns of occur...

Right! That is one of its most attractive features, in my view. ;-) But then, I'm one of the kinds of people that secretly hopes there are yetis and o...

I'm sure there's a lot of research on this, which probably Apokrisis is better versed in than myself, but I have a philosophical answer I would like t...

I don't check the 'Christian' box on the census form, but then readings from Paul were read at both mine and my son's wedding.

More than just single-celled organisms - also viruses and other bits of genetic material. Actually they make the case that some epidemics originate fr...

But I never denied that 'representation is physical'. And again, what is different about moving dirt, and using dirt to spell something out, is that t...

There's a pretty good encyclopedia entry on telos on IETP I'm sure that is the reason why the 'sacrament of marriage' is seen as central to Christiani...

If programmed to do so by humans. 'Machine - an apparatus using mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together ...

There is, apparently, a form of logic called 'dialetheism', which is 'that there are true contradictions', or cases where the law of non-contradiction...

Interesting. I wonder why bother persisting with universals at all. Need to read up!

Agree. Shows that concepts are both mind-independent - not dependent on your or my mind - but also intelligible rather than physical - can only be kno...

I am willing to discuss it, but I think that quoting Biblical scripture in support of an argument kicks the ball into the long grass. (I will sometime...

Heavens' sake. Your first response was: hey you're talking about 'existential truths', the kinds of truths you live, rather than scientific, objective...

Saith he, quoting scripture! As it happens this is a philosophy forum, the subject of the discussion is the incorporeal nature of ideas in the Platoni...

But you're not! I said yesterday, we have, I think, one disagreement - but it is a big one, and it's in metaphysics. Now that post you responded to th...

I am familiar with some of the writings on the Church fathers on this. It’s not ‘belief’ that’s lacking, but a heart-opening to the higher truth. You ...

It's the way that you understand that is venomous. Certainly, I would not defend 'the Church' and I am not talking about religious institutionalism. B...

It does indeed. As I mentioned to AndrewM, I have a book out of the library on the relation of Aristotle and Plato and am about to get into that in mo...

The gnostics really did feel that mankind was exiled in an alien world and their gnosis was about finding their path out of that (often through harsh ...

It.’works’ with respect to those things that are measurable, things about which we can make hypotheses and then test them. What you generally mean by ...

But the issue is, a pre-commitment to scientific methodology narrows the scope of the kinds of answers that will be considered. Anything that sounds v...

That’s because, in modern philosophy, ultimate truths can only be matters of preference. But I don’t regard that as a personal flaw on your part, it i...

You say that semiotics accepts formal and final causes, and top-down causation. So I really don't know if I accept the 'thermodynamic imperative' as i...

My considered response is this - that at the beginning of modern science, a fundamental change came about concerning the conception of knowledge. As i...

Excellent question! I think the answer has to do with the fact that mental representation has an attribute which physical forms do not, namely, plasti...

My initial argument, which as far as I am concerned hasn't been rebutted, was simply this: an item of information can be encoded in a variety of diffe...

Actually I believe it was SLX who said that, but I definitely agree. I've often mused that there's a major omission in the US Constitution - where it ...

The title of the article on the SMH Homepage is different to the one on the article page - it's 'The moment US politics moved beyond reason' - that is...

One factor that hasn't been mentioned, but which is probably impossible to quantify, is the nefarious influence of various interest groups and 'think ...

No, not at all. It is like a game, in a sense, but the stakes are existential, i.e. the outcome might have real consequences. A game, but with real bl...

Well, that nails the possibility of further discussion closed, but as I said above, should have thought more before responding in the first place.

Actually now you say that, I do agree, if the mods want to delete this thread including my comment on it, no objection from myself.

I am in agreement with Agustino's views on philosophical theology (as distinct from his views on politics, which I don't share.) In the areas that ten...

I bet if you put that question to a poll, nearly everyone aged less than about 50 would say 'no problem'. Crusty conservatives, including myself, woul...

I have no time for endless obfuscations.

All I can say is that there are some disagreements that are unproductive to debate, and I judged this to be one of them: I felt that response was so c...

What if it's not actually a problem? Philosophy is all about disagreeing, debating, taking issue. Look at this famous depiction of Plato and Aristotle...

It ought not to be forgotten that God was at the pinnacle of Aristotle's philosophy, and provided the first and final cause for everything that exists...

thank you I see your point.

The ***** might represent the number five, but only if you tell me that is what it means. And furthermore, only if I can count.

Speaking of things real but not physical....

Can't resist throwing this in the pot: Myron Tribus and Edward C. McIrvine. "Energy and Information," p 179-188 v 225, Scientific American, September,...

So I will interpret that to mean that the answer to my question is 'no'. In the Platonist view, individual apples and horses die and wither, but not t...

Not really - it was a good first post, even if I do say so myself, and 180proof just kind of picked up the theme and riffed on it....I thought I had s...

No, that's not it. My very first post on forums, was about this very question - the reality of ideas (in the broadly Platonist sense). It was the firs...