Friend

Is there a way at which one is able to have a philosphical discussion when one person believes in a spiritual realm; meaning that explanations by this person relate to the interaction of demons and/or angels with the physical world. And where the other person does not believe in anything spiritual, or outside the bounds of the physical?

Thanks.

~ Friend ~

Aradia

Yes, but the method (and efficacy) is entirely subject to the topic of discussion.

SlateGreySky

Sounds fair, but I'd say you can expect an incommensurability of terms somewhere down the line, especially as the discussion tends toward the very powerful, the very old, or the very abstract.

Witt

SlateGreySky:
Is there a way at which one is able to have a philosphical discussion when one person believes in a spiritual realm; meaning that explanations by this person relate to the interaction of demons and/or angels with the physical world. And where the other person does not believe in anything spiritual, or outside the bounds of the physical?

I say no. If our ontology is different from another person's then we can only agree to disagree, because neither makes sense to the other, even though each is logical.

E.g. Agnostics deny a 'spiritual realm' therefore talk about spiritual entities is jibberish to them.

What we cannot know we 'must' pass in silence.

Witt

phil

Yes, they will be able to talk, but they will not be able to agree on the ultimate cause for certain things. They must first have a productive discussion and agree whether there is a spriritual realm or not before they can be productive elsewhere.

-phil

Wafel

Well they might agree that the ultimate cause is the existence of matter and energy.. :-)