MD Provisonal or Absolute Truth?

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Sep 06 2005 - 22:20:14 BST

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    Paul,

    I've changed the subject of the thread because we obviously got off on the
    wrong foot and because "Christianity vs Islam" no longer fit.

    Setting aside for the sake of comity whose ridiculing whom, permit me ask
    a couple of questions about the following statements of yours.

    > And just because all intellectual patterns are provisional, it does not
    > follow that all intellectual patterns are equally valuable. In this case,
    > I would start by pointing out that the number system is valuable because,
    > amongst other reasons, almost everybody uses it.

    First, you state "All intellectual patterns are provisional." Now to me
    that is an absolute statement, like "All men are mortal." Logically if one
    asserts that all x is y, he asserts an absolute, nonrelative truth. Am I
    wrong?

    Secondly, it seems to me that even though "everybody uses it" may make
    something valuable, it doesn't necessarily make it true. Do you agree?

    Finally, you asked at the end of your post:"Why can't a general truth be
    provisional?" My answer is that a general truth has to be accepted and
    used in the process of asserting that it is provisional, as in "All truth
    is provisional." Does that make sense?

    I know this doesn't respond to a lot of what you wrote, but stupid people
    like me can only handle such deep stuff only a little at a time, a kind of
    reverse ad hominem that I've suddenly grown fond of since you pointed it
    out. :-)

    Best,
    Platt

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