From: Paul Turner (paul@turnerbc.co.uk)
Date: Wed Jul 20 2005 - 11:06:09 BST
Reinier, Mark,
Renier said:
>I guess it's agreed by Scott and Paul that 'time'and 'space' are
>intellectual patterns. In my opinion, they're just that, and they
>don't link to the 'time' and 'space' that all sentient beings
>'experience'. They're an intellectual pattern just as 'a pink
>elephant with 9 legs and 3 eyes' is an intellectual pattern. One can
>talk about it, one has a mental image of it but it reflects nothing
>from perceived reality.
Paul: The difference between the intellectual patterns of space/time and
pink elephants is that you probably couldn't land a rover on Mars with
calculations based on 'a pink elephant with 9 legs and 3 eyes'.
>msh 7-19-05:
>Yes. How important is it that we "understand" space and time as
>intellectual patterns, when everyone's experience of same, every day,
>is a hell-of-a-lot more concrete? I'm not denigrating Scott, Paul's, Matt's
>contributions here, as I
>greatly respect their opinions and have learned a lot from all of
>them. But my eyes tend to glaze over when I begin to detect an
>inordinate amount of angel-on-pinhead counting going on.
Paul: Thanks for your feedback on our discussion. My apologies if we are
boring you. Intellectual patterns are part of everyone's experience of
everyday concrete reality, by the way.
>The activist
>in me always wants to know how such speculation can be useful in
>ameliorating real misery experienced by real creatures in the real
>world. I know some of you extreme Buddhist's out there believe that
>misery is an illusion that can be overcome by enlightenment, but
>please indulge me.
Paul: Firstly, the term "extreme Buddhist" makes me think of a monk wearing
Billabong clothing snowboarding down Mount McKinlay!
Secondly, it should be obvious, but in case you weren't aware of it, writing
to this forum is not the only thing I do. What I get from this forum is an
opportunity to discuss philosophical questions at a level I don't readily
have available elsewhere. The discussions are often carried with me
positively into my dealings with the non-internet world. If you want to use
this site in a way that will proactively and directly help ameliorate real
misery experienced by real creatures in the real world I am all ears,
sincerely. I just tend to do that in different ways and in different
places.
Regards
Paul
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