On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 3:36 PM, Quentin Anciaux <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't understand what is the purpose of such a comment... one that I've > seen too many times.
Which comment? In general, the purpose of my comments is just to articulate my thoughts in some more-or-less coherent and permanent form, and to see if there are any interesting responses that point to other avenues of investigation. After all, I could be mistaken! > The only logical conclusion is "Nothing is explainable > !".... well ok then I will gonna eat my banana ! Bananas are good. I like bananas. > If your premises is "Nothing is explainable" then it is logical that you > conclude that "Nothing is explainable", going in parabolic wording about it > won't make it better. It wasn't my starting premise, but it's pretty much the conclusion I've come to. My basic point is this: 1. Explanation is subordinate to description. 2. Description is subordinate to observation. 3. Observation is subordinate to experience. 4. And now we want to close the circle by explaining experience. However, our explanation of experience can only be justified by appeal to experience - plus reason. But what is reason? Where does it come from? What explains it? What do experience and reason have to say about reason? Another circle. So if our experiences correspond to something external to themselves, and our reasoning is correct, then the equations of our descriptive framework will be true of the world as well as of our observations, and our explanations will true of the world as well as of our framework. But what reason do we have to believe that our experiences do so correspond to an external world, and what reason do we have to trust reason? Our experience of dreams and hallucinations and delusions are enough to plant the seeds of doubt about the reliability of both experience and reason. And then there are more abstract arguments, like the brain-in-vat argument, the Cartesian method of doubt, and the simulation argument (which hinges on multiple realizability, btw). And there’s just the general question of what “reason” means in a deterministic world, or a probabilistic world, or a purely contingent world. So, to the extent that reason is reliable, there are reasons not to take Step Four seriously. Despite all that, one could ask, why not take step four? What’s the harm? But, alternatively one could also ask, why take step four...what’s the benefit? Steps one through three are perfectly compatible with an instrumental approach to science, and don’t require any metaphysical commitments. Only step four *requires* a metaphysical leap of faith...and that makes step four suspect. Rex -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
