Freethought & Rationalism Archive

danrael · 11-29-2005, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahzi

While I agree with you that the mind does not fundamentally exist - insomuch as it is an emergent property...........

While you disagree with my statement that the mind is a "principle", ie; "basic source", you proceed to make the statement that it is a "property". The closest dictionary.com definition of "property" which seems to fit your useage of the word is: "A special capability or power; a virtue". "Principle", besides being defined as a "basic source", ie, "virtue", it is also defined as: "A basic or essential quality or element determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior." In other words, a "property", otherwise known as a "virtue" or "principle". So we agree. And, as you DO agree that the mind does not fundamentally exist, and that it is "emergent", then it's source, as you have stated, cannot be the brain. So if it does not exist by another means, then it must be self-created, ie; not having a source other than itself: hence, the statement that it is itself a "basic source", or, as I have said, a "principle". Putting it all together, it looks like this: THE MIND IS A SELF-CREATED PRINCIPLE.

Now, you can bash yourself in the head all you wish or you can take the shortcut home: simply read the statement and, using your INTELLIGENCE instead of your EMOTIONAL CENTER, apply UNDERSTANDING so that you can SEE.

danrael · 11-29-2005, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahzi

The Baseball Bat test does answer the question. The source of the rational mind is the brain.

Once you understand that, everything else falls into place.

Correction: Once you understand that, your delusion will be complete.

danrael · 11-29-2005, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahzi

From this are we to conclude that for something to be true, it must first be false? So all statements are both true and false, in equal measures. And thus everyone is equally right, from the highest academic to the lowest babbling moron.

When one sets out to prove the trueness of something, he is doing it against the background of it not being true. That is why he is motivated to do so in the first place. The straight is known by what is crooked, and vice-versa. It is determined that a glass is full by its quality of emptiness.

danrael · 11-29-2005, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahzi

The Marxist Dialectic applied to epistimology yields about the same results as when it was applied to economics - grinding poverty and political oppression (of thought, in this case). The only amusing thing here is that danreal seems to think his communistic metaphysics are Oriental in origin, rather than being cooked up in a cheap flat in London.

To answer to this, I will use one of your own statements:

"Your rebuttal seems to consist of incoherent claims and insults. That strikes me as less than helpful to rational discourse."

danrael, I've removed your complaint from this post and posted it in the Problem and Complaints Forum here.

FarmMama

danrael · 11-30-2005, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahzi

The Baseball Bat test does answer the question. The source of the rational mind is the brain.

Once you understand that, everything else falls into place.

Not sorry, I don't buy it.

I find The Baseball Bat test to be exactly what it is: the product of a violent mind. It succeeds in driving a square peg into a round hole.

It is equivalent in essence to the famous statement in Orwell's 1984:

"All men are created equal, but some are created more equal than others."

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