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Janus

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Axioms are usually considered to be self-evident; whereas assumptions may or may not be.
August 15, 2019 at 00:32
The notion is that there is a continual and enduring individual "mindstream" across different incarnations, which pretty much amounts to the same thin...
August 15, 2019 at 00:08
In: Ignorance  — view comment
The greatest feelings of humanity are not on account of our knowledge, but of our ignorance.
August 13, 2019 at 22:25
Computers can recognize forms (patterns).
August 13, 2019 at 21:50
What is it for anything to be meaningful? I would say that the meaningfulness of anything consists in its being able to be experienced and considered ...
August 10, 2019 at 22:49
Yes, that makes sense.
August 09, 2019 at 06:26
It seems that Butler is, in the quoted passage, speaking of what one is responsible to, which is not the same as what one is responsible for. We are r...
August 09, 2019 at 03:46
Predicates can be applied to situations as well as to subjects. So, the way I would parse "it is raining" is that there is a situation of raining, and...
August 07, 2019 at 01:17
:cool:
August 03, 2019 at 04:25
You're being pedantic. Minor differences due to air pressure and the supposed variation in accuracy of thermometers can be taken into account and are ...
August 03, 2019 at 01:48
That makes sense, but if you posit mind as something independent of "the four forces of nature" or whatever then you are moving towards dualism. Or if...
August 03, 2019 at 00:55
Nice distinction; I agree!
August 03, 2019 at 00:38
Yes, but to posit those as "mental constructs" seems to imply that mind is somehow fundamental, since it, on this view, constructs the world. The othe...
August 03, 2019 at 00:34
My understanding is that transcendental idealism does function as the invisible partner of empirical realism; which I interpret as saying that we are ...
August 03, 2019 at 00:26
What about idealism; do you know what that is? Be fucked if I do!
August 03, 2019 at 00:19
Exactly, wtf does it really matter? Thinking one way or the other would not seem to change anything regarding what we experience.
August 03, 2019 at 00:18
It's usually defined as the idea that objects exist independently of us. We know, or at least have every reason to believe, that there is something in...
August 03, 2019 at 00:15
You presume realism here when you say that. Not saying it's wrong, just pointing that out.
August 03, 2019 at 00:03
Yeah, mine too. but she spends her share of time texting and sometimes even facebooking :yikes:, the first of which I avoid except when absolutely nec...
August 03, 2019 at 00:01
I am no Plato scholar, although I am moderately familiar with his central ideas. So, I think for Plato beauty is a species of the Good. Nothing but th...
August 02, 2019 at 23:46
And perception?
August 02, 2019 at 23:33
Who said it does? (Another thing we have in common, I've just noticed, is that we have both made 7.9 K posts. I checked and you have made 7,864 and I ...
August 02, 2019 at 23:25
I half agree with you. We do not have to define science to know that someone is espousing scientism if she says something like: "Science will answer a...
August 02, 2019 at 23:16
Yes, that's an objectivist definition of perception, and, of course according to it dreams would not count as perception. A contrary phenomenological ...
August 02, 2019 at 23:05
So, dreaming does not count as perception, but imagination? This question has long been thematic in the East: “Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butt...
August 02, 2019 at 21:47
Yes. I think this is certainly one of the points that we have in common. :smile:
August 02, 2019 at 21:04
Not much I guess, unless you believe it is necessary to define what science is before you can say what scientism is. Is scientism itself a testable "t...
August 02, 2019 at 21:02
For me, any reasonable definition of spirituality would have to include, not mere happiness, but cultivation of the good life, however you might conce...
August 02, 2019 at 20:58
Sure, but the brain apparently produce endogenous DMT so intense hallucinations that only last a few moments are not impossible.
August 02, 2019 at 05:17
I've experienced a couple things like that, when I was tripping on LSD. My memories of those experiences are extraordinarily vivid, such that I am inc...
August 02, 2019 at 05:05
The point I'm making about musicianship is that, although people may indeed agree about which of two musicians of equal technical proficiency is the b...
August 02, 2019 at 04:56
I do agree with what you say there, but you are picking at the wrong nits; the point about definitive cross-cultural corroboration was highlighting th...
August 02, 2019 at 04:38
Sure, all scientific knowledge is fallible and not all scientific inquiry is conducted in the laboratory, obviously. As I said we have very good reaso...
August 02, 2019 at 04:22
Note that I was speaking about "definitive inter-subjective corroboration" not mere "agreement".
August 02, 2019 at 04:14
That sounds reasonable. Evolution is a tricky one, because there seems to be no definitive way to test it. Having said that I think we have every reas...
August 02, 2019 at 01:58
What would it mean to say that a scientific theory is true? That its predictions are confirmed by observation or something more than that?
August 02, 2019 at 01:45
We can only "map" domains as they are recognizable to us. How else could we do it? "Western culture", per se, doesn't define anything, individuals do,...
August 01, 2019 at 23:59
Exactly!
August 01, 2019 at 23:40
Except that the word 'science' suggests inter-subjective corroborability which is not possible in Buddhism, since we are talking about "inner states" ...
August 01, 2019 at 23:21
See what I added above while you were responding; I think it's consonant with what you are trying to say.
August 01, 2019 at 23:15
Two kinds of consistency then? The consistency involved in coherence and the consistency of non-contradiction between bodies of knowledge that do not ...
August 01, 2019 at 23:05
So, you are saying that we can have a set of consistent and coherent empirical beliefs that are justified by sense data, and then another set of consi...
August 01, 2019 at 23:02
Yes, I understand that so-called Prajñ? is an altered state of consciousness. So, it is an example of knowing how and knowing with, but not knowing th...
August 01, 2019 at 22:53
The problem is that the so-called knowledge of gnosis can never be cross-culturally and non-prejudiciously corroborated in the way that empirical know...
August 01, 2019 at 22:48
So, you are saying that religion can be consistent with science insofar as it does not contradict any established theory? I'm still not sure what you ...
August 01, 2019 at 22:44
Sorry, which point? I wrote quite a bit and was adding to it while you responded, so it's not clear what you are referring to. S ignores most points t...
August 01, 2019 at 22:37
Gnosis is not "knowing that" it is "knowing how". It's like being able to play a musical instrument with feeling and nuance. In gnosis there is nothin...
August 01, 2019 at 22:22
An example of knowing that would be knowing that Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales. Being able to do anything with anything is knowing how...
August 01, 2019 at 22:05
Ah, right...
August 01, 2019 at 03:55
Sorry about that. :wink: You do realize that by saying you were trying to be discrete you have made yourself more conspicuous?
August 01, 2019 at 03:36