Re: MD Certainty - was Is Morality relative?

From: Ian Glendinning (ian@psybertron.org)
Date: Wed Jan 05 2005 - 23:17:00 GMT

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    Chris,
    It's linked on the page I gave before - the actual page is
    http://www.psybertron.org/Dawkins%20Hyper-Rationalism.html
    Ian
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Chris Vlaar" <c.c.vlaar@gmail.com>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 7:06 PM
    Subject: Re: MD Certainty - was Is Morality relative?

    > Hi Ian,
    >
    > I was wondering where I could find this 'Dawkins-bashing' 'hyper
    > rationality' of yours, since I could not locate it on your site;
    > could you perhaps give a direct link to it. Thanks in advance
    > Chris
    >
    >
    > On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 11:26:05 -0000, Ian Glendinning <ian@psybertron.org>
    wrote:
    > > My dear Platt,
    > > You wonder why I get frustrated with you !
    > > Full marks (again) for turning a natural language statement of mine into
    > > some assertion to be challenged purely logically.
    > >
    > > That said, you continued and didn't miss the point.
    > > But you go off into much wider areas too quickly - my whole thesis in
    fact,
    > > and I do not have much time this morning ...
    > >
    > > Easy point first ..
    > > You asked -If the uncertainty of which you speak is "vanishingly small"
    in
    > > "real life," why be concerned with it?
    > > I answer - In real life I'm not concerned with it, but when I'm having
    > > debates with pedants (sorry, philosophers), I need to point out that in
    the
    > > back of my mind, that that thing of which I am pretty certain is not
    some
    > > "god given" absolute, and still actually subject to doubt - at some
    level -
    > > keeping an open mind.
    > >
    > > Harder point ... (my whole thesis, as I said)
    > > What amount of mathematical / physical / logical certainty in
    engineering
    > > (or any other business decision) ?
    > > I'd say 20% if you're lucky, the rest is ??? Habit, Common sense, DQ,
    > > Humanity ??? That's what I'm trying to work out.
    > > Read my Dawkins-bashing "Hyper-Rationality" and my "Manifesto", both
    linked
    > > on this page.
    > > http://www.psybertron.org/wip.html
    > >
    > > Ian
    > >
    > > ----- Original Message -----
    > > From: "Platt Holden" <pholden@sc.rr.com>
    > > To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>; <owner-moq_discuss@venus.co.uk>
    > > Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 4:08 PM
    > > Subject: Re: MD Re: Is Morality relative?
    > >
    > > > Ian:
    > > > .
    > > > > However precise there is always some residual uncertainty, except in
    > > closed
    > > > > cases with simple logical / mathematical relationships, where
    perhaps
    > > the
    > > > > certainty is 100%. Of course in 80% of the real life cases the
    residual
    > > > > uncertainty could probably be vanishingly small for all practical
    > > purposes.
    > > >
    > > > To Leif you said, "no-one can ever be completely sure of anything"
    which
    > > > logically is self-refuting because it asserts something you are
    completely
    > > > sure of. Now you may not want to connect this and the 100% certainty
    of
    > > > logic/math to "practical purposes" but I'll bet in your engineering
    work
    > > > you do precisely that, at least I hope your are not building bridges
    or
    > > > the like that a logically self-contradictory. Am I correct in assuming
    > > > that you would agree with Pirsig that one of the standards of truth is
    > > > "logical consistency." And a related question: If the uncertainty of
    which
    > > > you speak is "vanishingly small" in "real life," why be concerned with
    it?
    > > >
    > > > Platt
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
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