How do we know what is true?

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So anyhew, the OP is 'How do we know what is true?'

So what does that mean?

Ok, say 'true' is that which exists independently of us. So that would throw post-modernism out :whistle: (my inner postmodernist just blushed in shame)

The next questions would be:


1. Can we apprehend this truth?

2. If so, how?

That's fundamentally what this thread is aboot :3

This thread I'm seeing as the theoretical side of the question...my thread is guided towards the experiential side. Both of them will complement each other...


Oh yeah, and I'd like to publically state that I'm really enjoying the one-two between ChemGal & Kimmio on this thread -- that's nice to see :love:
 
If what the truth is exists totally independent of us - that throws us out :eek: which, I don't know how the definition of post-modernism fits - but it 'seems to me' that if we dismiss collective experiential truths as 'truth' that don't fit the scientific methodological paradigm - then we're throwing an essential aspect of ourselves away.
 
If the truth exists independent of us - then we're all lie? And nothing we can ascertain or discover is the absolute truth? What a weird thought that just was. I like the last one better. I'm with Herm. We need experiential wisdom to get to the capital T truth.
 
If what the truth is exists totally independent of us - that throws us out :eek: which, I don't know how the definition of post-modernism fits - but it 'seems to me' that if we dismiss collective experiential truths as 'truth' that don't fit the scientific methodological paradigm - then we're throwing an essential aspect of ourselves away.

No, it doesn't throw us English majors out -- your belief that you are really a dragon princess has no bearing on the processes behind when a bird poops on your head

(i included post-modernism because in post modernism, there is no truth)

If and when we can find this 'truth', we can also find out HOW WE INTERACT with it. How to harmoniously (and what that means and doesn't mean etc) with it.

We have to define our terms to be able to coherently talk aboot what this thread is aboot. Which is what I have tried to do to rein it in :3

OMG, EARTH IS ENDING!!!!!


 
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Post modernism contradicts itself. A post modern explanation of reality throws post modernism out and denies reality which denies existance in reality which OMG I'm not here...but then again if reality doesn't exist it can't be thrown out. Nothing and everything exists. How post modern.

Anyway, I don't want to be the only energy that keeps this thread going.
 
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@Inannawhimsey @ChemGal

Very interesting. I don't have this philosopher's highly tuned communication skills. Maybe @chansen will read this if he's still checking out this thread.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemological_anarchism

*chuckle* oh my

for Paul to be able to do what he did, he first had to learn how science etc works

he had to learn how to colour within the lines

only then could he learn the loopholes, how to colour outside the lines

people take *courses* on Feyerabend...don't worry aboot grokking him right now...

a good easy book that takes you on a tour of philosophical ideas is Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. its written like a real story too, so you don't have to worry as much aboot being BORED OUT OF YOUR SKULL by jargon...
 
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@InannaWhimsey I own that book. Thanks for suggesting that it might be a little simpler for the likes of me (poor me). I read it about 10 years ago. I just read about Feyeraband today...and I 'grokked' the little bit I read so far. Actually, I 'grok' perfectly well what is meant by his claim that there are no 'exception free methodological rules' even if I don't know those rules very well. I grok that 'scientific method does not have a monopoly on truth or useful results' - therefore, it could be said that I am simply speaking my mind according to that same principle.
 
*chuckle* oh my

for Paul to be able to do what he did, he first had to learn how science etc works

he had to learn how to colour within the lines

only then could he learn the loopholes, how to colour outside the lines

people take *courses* on Feyerabend...don't worry aboot grokking him right now...

a good easy book that takes you on a tour of philosophical ideas is Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. its written like a real story too, so you don't have to worry as much aboot being BORED OUT OF YOUR SKULL by jargon...

Do you know that he 'had to' learn to colour within the lines first to be able to grok anything outside the lines...or is that you being scientifically methodological in your thought process? If he did so - did he 'have to'?
 
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I think philosophers, by their nature, understand outside the lines and then attempt to construct a bunch of lines (usually sentences)in order to communicate what they understand.
 
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Hi Kimmio:

I'm all in favour of displacing post traumatic stress disorder, depression, drug addiction, and other psychological disorders with mystical ecstasy!

My favourite rehab center is the Round Lake Treatment Center near Vernon, were they replace or displace various mental disorders and drug addiction with mystical ecstasy, using traditional aboriginal rituals like the Sweat Lodge and the Vision Quest.

Science and mysticism are, in my view, very compatible. I think that good mystics make good scientists, and vice versa. The two are not mutually exclusive but inclusive!

Science alone is intelligent but unholy; mysticism alone is holy but unintelligent. The union between the two renders mysticism intelligent and science holy.
 
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