Janus

I did say "can be overcome by critical reason". I didn't say that biases commonly are overcome by critical reason. I think a clear and general view of...

I don't get this. It's like the 'blind spot of science' argument. I just don't think anyone who has really thought about the question denies that scie...

Cheers. There have been no "ill manners". You are being over-sensitive. As far as I have witnessed Banno agrees when he genuinely agrees—and we have h...

I'm not sure what you mean by "scientism" here. Do you just mean science or the obviously incorrect idea that everything about humans and other living...

But you do think that some worldviews are more plausible than others, no? For example, why should we think that life is inherently meaningful in some ...

Do you think we all do that, or do you think rather that we all have a natural tendency to do that; a tendency which can be overcome by critical reaso...

I also generally prefer Bach' music to Mozart's, although in my assessment there are some profound pieces from the latter. Beethoven and Bach are my t...

Logic is about what we can coherently imagine. Why take it personally? I don't believe you cannot imagine a world without minds, so I wasn't saying I ...

You are one of the people I respect most on TPF. I can't remember ever seeing you lose patience, which is more than can be said about many, including ...

It's trivially true because it's obvious that only minds imagine. It's not even worth stating it's so obvious. Are you being obtuse on purpose? The po...

You have offered fairly extensive reasons for why you feel as you do. It left me wondering if you feel the way you do for those reasons or if they are...

The nature of truth has not been definitively demonstrated if what you mean by 'demonstrated' involves any kind of thesis. There are several conceptio...

Of course, not, but that is trivially true...so what? It says nothing about the ability of a mind to imagine anything.

OK, I had thought that you were claiming that humans are more important than other animals per se, and not merely in your opinion. If that is how you ...

If you imagine a world without mind of course there is no mind by stipulation. The fact that you are using a mind to imagine a world without mind is n...

Demonstrating the nature of truth, and the other things you mention cannot be done. If it could be it would have been by now after more than two thous...

:roll: Try reading and quoting the whole thing in context. For what it's worth I agree with your arguments against human exceptionalism. All that says...

Ontology is the study of what exists—metaphysics is the study of the nature of what exists. Science is the only possible guide to both enquiries. Imag...

Even if H sapiens is the only example in the whole universe of an animal that can formulate judgements in symbolic linguistic form why would that fact...

Sorry I missed your response. The exchange thus far in reverse order has been: You made a bare assertion, to wit: It doesn't sound illogical to me, so...

Tell me something I don't know. OK.... if you say so.

Don't worry about it.

The question in the first response to you from me in this thread.

I didn't say it was anyone's fault. Are you going to answer the question?

You didn't get the point. Should beliefs alone (in the absence of respectable argument) be respected in the context of discussion?

What's the difference between disrespecting someone's beliefs and disagreeing with them? Is it just a matter of not telling them you disagree and why?...

That is indeed his perennial confusion, which I also have pointed out to no avail many times. perhps it's a diificult point to understand—hopefully on...

I need to see an argument before I can tell you whether or not I think it follows.

Are past precedents always the best guides to action? Some would think the currently precarious situation the US (and the world) is in qualifies as a ...

How are they actually stopping the people responsible for disbursing the funds from disbursing them? Can you answer that? "Stiirng the pot"! You presu...

Right, and I think that, ethically speaking, the stopping of funds should come only after an investigation that shows extensive corruption and waste. ...

If you read the article I linked you will find the claim that it is congress that will enact Trump's policies, and that the DOGE are only gathering th...

He can realistically have claimed only that what he does will bring down prices, he cannot directly control the markets. It seems that what he is doin...

I don't think that what Trump is doing is a good idea, but I think it must be admitted that he is doing just what he said he would. So, anyone who vot...

It seems to me that it is the various explanations for how and why the world we perceive is as it is that involve various conceptual lenses (conceptua...

No doubt some will reject this article out of hand, but anyway here is a counterpoint: https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/swamp-apocalypse-wednesday-feb...

The attraction is perceptible—the magnetic field is not—it is a theoretical explanation. Strict empiricism, pace Hume, claims that causation of any ki...

You responded to the introduction of Rousseau. I think there is considerable anthropological research which tells against your claim. Anyway, I would ...

Can you cite sources for that claim?

I have definitely been drawn to the idea, but I have never been able to believe in it. Same with religion and mythos in general. I love some of it as ...

I think the point of the OP is that there is more going on that what we can be conscious of directly sensing, from which it would seem to follow that ...

I think that's not quite correct. All we ever see is not light, but due to light. We see objects on account of the light that reflects from them. We c...

In order to give all people freedom democracy would need to be strictly regulated with a view to stopping personal accumulation of wealth (at least be...

That doesn't seem to follow. Do you have an argument for why and how the fact that imagining is a function of mind precludes the possibility of imagin...

I'm afraid you're right...the world might get the Mumps.

I doubt it is as benign or 'business as usual' as you seem to want to paint it Frank. Anyway, we'll see how it all plays out and what the ramification...

The kid seems to be pointing to Trump. I imagine him saying "look Dad, there's a disgruntled ogre over there".

Fair enough. Yes, and I think that's a fair reading. Spinoza's God is a deistic one. not a personal one either aware of or concerned with its creature...

Nice summations! :up: I was drawn to Whitehead's philosophy and struggled on and off for years to penetrate what I thought must be the sense of it, on...

Cheers, I haven't read the book. I'll place it on my list.