Humans are subjects of experience. The idea that a being is simply 'information processing' is one of the basic fantasies of scientism. Really you sho...
'Direct realists' are simply those who take the 'testimony of the senses' on face value. There is no question of 'how the mind synthesises perceptions...
What you're not allowing for is the possibility of 'real abstractions'. In your view 'abstractions' are simply 'mental phenomena', which must be conse...
Your diet is deficient in irony :-) ONLY given a particular, and physicalist, notion of what constitutes 'reality'. There are alternatives that are no...
Good point. It is said in traditional theology that angels have no need for speech. The issue is, what is 'thinking'? Whole can'o'worms there. But one...
I notice in the side-bar the comment 'The existence of the other worlds makes it possible to make sense of physics without action-at-a-distance, objec...
I said that quantum physics is on the border of what can be known. Maybe there will be no theory to replace it with. Maybe it's something we'll never ...
on the grounds of the inherent implausibility there being parallel universes. Given the assumption there are, there are mathematical 'solutions' to va...
I see your point, but I think it's incoorect. There are in those 'domains of discourse' very exacting methods of adjudicating truth-claims. Zen Buddhi...
but when the initial decision is made to entertain the notion of many worlds, then a whole series of consequences flow on from that. But I'm sceptical...
The question I am asking is, if 'parallel universes or histories is the solution, what is the problem?' Why is it necessary to postulate such an appar...
Not really - I don't think the ding an sich is a religious idea. A snippet on Tillich And a supporting passage concerning Hegel's philosophy of religi...
You will notice that frequently in this discussion, the reality of the other worlds is put in quotes- 'other', or 'real'. A typical example is the Wik...
And I'm saying, there is a distinction in 'kinds or levels of being' that has been lost in the transition to modernity. Have a read of the SEP entry t...
Not 'my usage'. You're writing a blog on SETI. Would you say 'SETI has found evidence of billions and billions of beings?' You're a fire-chief outside...
Let me ask you this question, then. There is a well-known research programme, called SETI - Search for Extraterrestial Inteligence. This programme has...
I see a fundamental distinction between objects and beings; because beings are subjects of experience whereas chairs (etc) are not. Which is why in cl...
What I have tried to argue is that the terms 'being' and 'existence' aren't exactly synonymous, but that this is a very hard distinction to make in th...
I think you're demonising. Certainly there are people like that, but I'm not addressing them - what would be the use? My aims are a lot more modest. S...
You often say that, but then you proceed to write in the full confidence that those who read your posts understand what you mean. But if your posts me...
Berkeley always described himself as an empiricist and said there was no empirical evidence of objects outside ideas and perceptions. But this was und...
This is problematical, because there are very few people who claim to understand what this 'principle' means; and then, of course, if you don't unders...
That it sounds a bit close to religious fundamentalism for my liking! Actually the conflict between science and religion in post-Enlightenment Europe ...
That's because I don't see any conflict between spirituality and science! There are conflicts between religious fundamentalism and scientific material...
A lot of people like myself found Buddhism as a result of the search for an alternative form of spirituality, which is why, in the West, it has been a...
Esse est percipe is a phrase that is inexorably connected with Berkeley, who is also the poster boy for subjective idealism. Nothing 'confusing' about...
“William James describes a man who got the experience from laughing-gas; whenever he was under its influence, he knew the secret of the universe, but ...
That's all I meant. 'Imago Dei' is a different matter. ( I have Owen Barfield's book too, which was recommended on the old Forum. I think we have many...
It's a good analogy, except genes are physical. In pre-modern cultures, there was the belief that being born is itself a kind of misfortune; an old In...
Augustine's theory of original sin, as interpreted by Calvin. It's obviously a massive and weighty topic, subject of volumes of books so I preface the...
First glance, looks good. Has a good selection from both Theravada and Mah?y?na sources. I agree with that interpretation of anatta on the homepage, a...
To Meet the Real Dragon by Gudo Nishijima et al. Link: http://a.co/bOkHKsm I did mention 'Unintended Reformation' on the old forum, and since got hold...
Ed Feser, who describes himself as 'Aristotelean-Thomist', presents the idea that 'the concept of triangle' is neither a visual representation or a pa...
Various gnostic religions sought to escape the world altogether, but Christianity is surely aimed at redeeming the world; the sacrifice of Jesus was m...
Well, this is as good a place as any to hash the ideas out, as it's a forum. But, you can't leave it at 'you get what I mean'. When you're talking abo...
Sorry! Didn't get that far. As I say, can't get back into Scribd. But the problem is that some ideas have physical consequences. If you have a theory ...
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