lpetrich

Over in some of his threads in Rants, Raves, Preaching, etc., he has expressed some views which I consider crudely reductionistic, and much like some common stereotypes of metaphysical materialism (I once read a book by JBS Haldane in his Marxist phase in which he repeatedly distinguished dialectical materialism from ordinary materialism).

Ed seems to think that an object like a river is a fundamentally different entity at different times, but that we are not; he uses that contention to justify the hypothesis of an immaterial soul.

I pointed out that rivers maintain their identities despite their continually-changing water content, and that our minds and personalities change over time as well as our bodies.

I also pointed out that waves can travel through different materials while maintaining their identity.

Without much effect on him.

Seems like he ought to stick to wildlife biology.

[ October 28, 2002: Message edited by: lpetrich ]</p>