> Well, I've never seen for myself from a space ship that the earth is
> round instead of flat, but would you deny that the statement "the earth is
> round, not flat" is absolutely true as opposed to maybe true, based on
> the testimony of many trustworthy sources? (Note I didn't say
> 'absolutely round,' nor am I quibbling about just how round or how flat.)
>
Yes, I would deny it. The world was flat in the 14th century when spatial
thinking was in such matters limited to two dimensions. Now it is round (by
which I presume you mean spherical) in our 3/4 dimensional world. What
further shapes will it turn out to be as our knowledge of such things
increases. It's true that the earth is spherical, in the same way that it
was true that the earth was flat; a relative truth. It has the possibility
of being an absolute truth, but it's only a possibility, not an absolute
certainty. sq changes under the constant pressure of DQ.
> I'm beginning to wonder if you're absolutely certain you exist. (-:
Do I question my existence? Of course, that's perhaps the most fundamental
philosophical question, but in striving for an answer I am absolutely
certain that I exist. I don't know why, but of my existence I am absolutely
certain. That and just about nothing else. Why? Again I can't say. I'm
certain of a lot of things, but not absolutely certain. I guess I just like
to consider other possibilities and keep my mind open. Based on the
evidence, I'm almost certain that humans were born through evolution, but
I'll always consider the possibility of creationism. It's like Pirsig's
science, the number of hypotheses (possibilities) is infinite.
>My point is that absolute truth is the certainty behind your doubt of
absolute
> truth.
Perhaps you need to clarify this for me.
Simon
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