We should consider all possible alternate explanations. In keeping
with long-standing tradition, then, we should specifically recognize
alternative (c), commonly expressed as "Goddidit." "Space aliens" is
in this class of explanation.
I'm pretending to understand Guenter's comment, but Ididnt. Except maybe.
"Alien" means, "something we don't know beans about, but because we
have a name for it, we can pretend we do. What's the explanation for
X? Space aliens, there is no other possibility."
What's fascinating is that explanation (c) actually opens the door to
understanding, if we are curious about *how* Goddidit. Guenter has
hit the nail on the head by calling (c) a blank space, or "nothing."
From nothing, anything and everything. That's the ontology I'm
working with, and it is powerful in effecting transformation.
Transformation is blocked by assuming impossibility or fixed
explanation, by belief in theory, which is necessarily human
interpretation, and which, as confirmed by experience and intuition,
never fully captures reality. Theory may be more or less workable in
terms of predicting outcomes. That, in fact, is the whole purpose of "meaning."
Besides fun, of course.
At 09:06 AM 9/27/2012, Guenter Wildgruber wrote:
Abd Ul,
Von: Abd ul-Rahman Lomax <[email protected]>
Maybe it's space aliens. I'm kinda liking that explanation. I can
move it around and explain anything with it. Are they *friendly*
space aliens? I'd like to think so.
Now You're getting funny.
Kinda sorta Heinz von Foerster or Paul Feyerabend, but not quite.
Several decisions are equally valid if You are at a point of logical
indecision/bifurcation.
When causality -- as a point-like chain of forces-- is infinitely small.
But we are not there yet, me thinks, wrt LENR.
"Only questions which are undecidable IN PRINCIPLE, we can decide upon" (HvF)
Which is shifting the burden of proof to what an -ahem- PRINCIPLE is.
A difficult issue in times when Logic dissolves from the (a) rigid
aristotelian to the (b) weak probabilistic to the (c) disturbing
laws of form (Spencer Brown) to (d) the postmodernist modal.
Which constitutes a hierarchy.
'Alien':
re (a) absent
re (b) higly improbable
re (c) a void ... represented by a blank space. ( like 'god'
interchangeably is synonymous to 'nothing', if You think about it)
re (d) something possible
Guenter
