From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Jan 09 2003 - 13:36:17 GMT
Hi JoVo, Kevin, Matt:
Despite the protestations of you gentlemen against the existence of
absolutes I'd like to point out that you each employ many absolute
statements in your arguments against absolutism, thus becoming
hoisted on your own petards. For example:
MATT:
There are no knock-down arguments against convinced, thorough,
dogmatic people.
We need to have enough relevant beliefs in common to interact socially.
It doesn't matter how we got those beliefs, just that we have them.
JOVO:
Absolutes exist only in our minds.
DQ as a central term in this whole system doesn't allow any absolutes.
We are not moving in circles around a defined center.
KEVIN
The Holocaust happened because it was deemed an Absolute Good by
the perpetrators.
Nothing is more dangerous that a mind without doubts.
The number of people who are willing to commit Absolute Evil has
always been quite small historically.
You might argue that none of these are examples of absolutes because
it's understood each statement is preceded by "In my opinion." But "in
my opinion" is another absolute.
Or, you might argue that you can allow one exception to the general
rule against absolutes. But, allow one exception and the whole illusory
world of relativism is overthrown.
No matter how you slice it, there's no escape from absolutes, which is
why a philosopher like Pirsig freely acknowledges their existence, such
as when describing one's reaction to sitting on a hot stove, "But that the
quality is low is absolutely certain."
The final irony in this thread (Matt will especially appreciate the irony) is
its title, "No to absolutes" is an absolute.
Platt
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