Epistemological Ponderings

[sheepmage]

One thing I've pondered many a time involves points of disagreement with Objectivism. A lot of my friends bear somewhat similiar philosophies to mine, and as I've discussed them further, I find even more agreement, as well as a better notion of the point of disagreement. Usually, I've been finding, it's one fundational point that they disagree with

Comments

[adkein]

As far as concepts, I've never had much time for Plato nor 'Stotle, but maybe I just haven't "gotten there" yet. It's always seemed like hooey to me.

But on the point of belief in God and psychology -- which I do find interesting -- an effort to rigidly distinguish btw belief and psychological symptom might not be sensible. Can the latter ever fail to permeate and inform the former to such an extent that they are pragmatically one and the same?

I for instance, say that I don't believe in God, but is that possible, given how wholeheartedly I trusted my parents throughout my most formative years (~<9yr) that -- yes -- there's God and heaven and Santa and angels and the Tooth Fairy. At various stages these beliefs, explicitly as such, were conciously shed. But can one really eradicate such an mistruth from oneself? Isn't it still in there?: perhaps sublimated onto some other explicit belief, perhaps not?

[sheepmage]

I think at least some of the ambiguities you point out can be resolved by clarifying some terminology. Whether it'll take care of all of them, well lets see. First, a belief is a stance that a person takes consciously or subconsciously toward a proposition. This stance can be only one of two states, affirmation or negation...yes or no...true or false. Alternatively, a person could opt to take no stance toward any proposition...basically, that's just saying "I don't know". The seperation of conscious (or explicit) beliefs and subconscious (or implicit beliefs) doesn't seem too difficult to pinpoint given this point of view: conscious ones are those taken by one's consciousness. In other words, the following thought actually becomes the focus of your attention: "This is true", where this refers to the relevant proposition. The rest are subconscious

[adkein]

I look forward to continuing this discourse in person next we meet. It would, I predict, be inefficient to try to sort out one another's respective thoughts in this format, so for know we'll just leave it that I'm right and you're less right.

(:

Care to lunch in New Haven sometime in early July?

[sheepmage]

Your smiley is backwards. And that sounds like a good idea.