Re: MD A metaphysics

From: MATTHEW PAUL KUNDERT (mpkundert@students.wisc.edu)
Date: Thu Sep 04 2003 - 22:50:40 BST

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    David,

    David said:
    For me mechanism implies ontology, so I say be a consistent pragmatist and drop it.

    Matt:
    As I said to Platt, that begs the question over the non-reductive physicalist. A non-reductive physicalist is one way of saying that this particular antireductionist hasn't seen how physicalism has lost its utility. If the only bad thing with physicalism was a wrong-headed ontological commitment, then what's wrong with non-reductive physicalism? I honestly don't know. Being a non-reductive physicalist means letting the physicists and neurobiologists do their job and keep us up to date on what they think, that what those people do hasn't lost its utility. It doesn't mean that everything is reduced to physics and brain waves. The emphasis in "non-reductive physicalism" isn't on "physicalism", but on "non-reductive". Physicalism is just one language game in many. The point is to not reduce one language game to another.

    David said:
    It is almost the same thing to say only value/utility matters. I agree with this approach but prefer value to utility, what is the utility of beauty? But I can value beauty.

    Matt:
    When I read Pirsig and Rorty I translate value and utility back and forth with no problem or stumble. Pirsig's valuism is one reason why I think Pirsig a fine pragmatist.

    David said:
    What is a thing? for a pragmatist Mr Kundert? See Heidegger on what is a thing.

    Matt:
    A pragmatist takes the question "What is a thing?" and answers it in a non-ontological way. He can just as easily follow Newton as he can Nietzsche and Whitehead. The point is to be able to flip between Newton and Whitehead depending on circumstances and need.

    Matt

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