Hi Jesse, I think the point is that arithmetical realism is a faith. That every number has a successor is an axiom, thus considered as true. But while I believe in arithmetical realism I can conceive that other people don't and see arithmetical realism/plantonism has not true/real... that somehow a conscious being is necessary for true statement to exists (I don't think that, and has I wouldn't want to put words in Tom mouth, I wouldn't say he think that too)
Quentin Le Lundi 07 Novembre 2005 19:07, Jesse Mazer a écrit : > Tom wrote: > >Perhaps there needs to be a new thread for the new topic (Game of Life, > >etc.). > > > >It seems my original inquiry has been left unanswered, but this is my > >point. My challenge was that multiverse theory is just pulling things out > >of thin air just as much as any other metaphysical theory. At each point > >in the history of science, science needs an external foundation to stand > >on, and by definition this is extra-science. Cluttering up the picture > > with "Everything" doesn't solve the problem at all. The multiverse is a > > tautology. Attributing meaning to it is a statement of faith. > > > >Tom > > What about answering your question in terms of mathematical platonism? It > seems to me that even if I try to imagine an absolute "nothing", it would > still somehow be true that 1+1=2, even if there was nothing to count and no > one to be conscious of this fact...the statement "1+1=2" means something > like "it is true that *if* you had 1 object and added 1 object you would > have 2 objects", and that statement is true regardless of whether you > actually have any objects. But once we say that mathematical forms have > some sort of necessary existence, we can view our universe (or our > observer-moment) as just one of many possible platonic mathematical forms, > perceived "from the inside". But mathematical platonism assumes that all > possible mathematical forms exist, and so they should seem just as real to > any observers they contain, leading to the "Everything" view. > > Jesse