Jeremy,
It's interesting that we both have read the same book (Jame's Pragmatism)
and agree, but differ in it's interpretation. It's very dificult to discuss
without turning reality into truth, but I do very much disagree that reality
is dead. The existence of reality is almost a tautological truth. By
definition, it is what exists.
James doesn't deny reality as I interpret it. He denies truth, or a correct
human interpretation of reality. A reality that is unknowable and present,
tested empirically through experiments, he loves that idea. Just don't try
to make the whole of reality fit into your theory, it's not what you think.
That's my interpretation of James.
The reason I gave you warning is that it's tough to break out of the
"reality is an illusion" loop. There's no way of proving the statement
wrong. Your expereinces are experiments in reality, trust your senses, and
trust the assumptions about reality that you take for granted. Know them as
assumptions, and reality itself an assumption as well. A fundamental and
essential one.
Rob
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk
[mailto:owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk]On Behalf Of Jason Switchberg
Sent: January 22, 2002 6:03 PM
To: moq_discuss@moq.org
Subject: MD truth and reality
I find it very interesting that you could perceive my inclination to blur
the ideas of 'truth' and 'reality'. But nevertheless I remain sturdy in my
conviction.
The monistic reality you speak of is, already, dead.
Here are just three philosophers to support this claim:
Shadworth Hodgson, the notion "that realities are only what they are 'known
as"'.
William James, James gives the name "radical empiricism" to his "
philosophic attitude," and adds the following explanation: "I say
'empiricism,' because it is contented to regard its most assured
conclusions concerning matters of fact as hypotheses liable to modification
in the course of future experience; and I say 'radical,' because it treats
the doctrine of monism itself as an hypothesis, and, unlike so much of the
halfway empiricism that is current under the name of positivism or
agnosticism or scientific naturalism, it does not dogmatically affirm
monism as something with which all experience has got to square"
'Radical empiricism' is not only a theory of knowledge comprising
pragmatism as a special chapter, but a metaphysic as well. It excludes "
the hypothesis of trans-empirical reality " It is the author's most
rigorous statement of his theory that reality is an "experience-continuum."
Robert M. Pirsig, Value = Reality
jeremy
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:01:47 BST