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  1. brokensymmetry

    What is energy?

    A lot of this has been covered, so I apologize if I am simply reiterating what others have said. Nevertheless I feel compelled to throw in my observations. Some truths about energy: - a measure of the ability of a system to do work, that is, to cause force over some distance, cause something to...
  2. brokensymmetry

    Losing my atheism (my new spiritual journey)

    What I find interesting about this thread, as I have had a lot of time to contemplate this issue, is how emotionally invested people get in whether or not someone agrees with them about the question of God's existence. It goes far beyond whether or not we have amusing and interesting...
  3. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    Sure, I want to know if it is rational to rely on private experiences to make claims about the nature of reality, such as, metaphysical/ontological ones, theological ones and so forth, which are supposedly objective. If so and so meditates very hard, has an experience of transcendent universal...
  4. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    Alright. This is a difference without meaning as far as I can tell... the main thing is that we understand what each other means by the term in question. I'm fine going either way so long as it's clear which definition is being used in the discussion. So I propose this. What i have been...
  5. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    It is the contents of the claim are what categorize it as a subjective or objective claim. I've defined what I mean by subject and objective facts on this thread half a dozen times, and at that, I don't know why. I am interested in learning about how the world is, as best as I can, as it would...
  6. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    No. I take it as true that we exist in the same world that is subject at minimum to the rules of logic. I also assume that we are subject to the same physical rules. Someone deciding that they have some personal 'truth' does not strike me as a particularly meaningful assertion. Great, so you sat...
  7. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    Okay. There are different ways to use these terms which is no doubt a part of the confusion in the discussion at this point. I have in mind epistemological usages of the terms. Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge - Nicholas Rescher - Google Books Page 62 thereabouts...
  8. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    I just see a massive misunderstanding of the term 'subjective' on this thread. Yeah, my goals are by definition subjective. That seems trivial. Whether or not a truth claim is subjective isn't a matter of what so and so decides though, there are by definitional criteria for that.
  9. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    RElying on the testimonies of others doesn't make it a subjective fact about the world. What makes it objective is the content of the propositional claim, not how it was arrived at. "Helium nuclei have two protons and two neutrons" is not a truth claim that is partially constituted by the...
  10. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    It is a fact but a subjective one. Something being a subjective fact doesn't mean it's not a fact with a truth value. It absolutely is. Right now I'd like an ice cream. That is a subjective fact-- it is true, it is a fact, but it is also by definition subjective. Subjective =/= not true...
  11. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    I don't think you can get any meaningful *content* from meditation. I don't think it's worthless or pointless. What I mean is this. I don't think you can learn new facts about the world through practicing meditation anymore than you can through the act of running. Sure, you may be exercising a...
  12. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    I know this is the case through several lines of argument that strike me at this moment. I don't see how it matters, at all, if I can see it with my 'own two eyes' or not. By the way, this thread isn't about defeating global skepticism, so if that is where you want to go I am uninterested.
  13. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    My interest in the topic is a subjective fact. My behavior of 'dwelling' may be an objective fact. It doesn't strike me as an irrational project given my larger goals. Rationality is about our larger goals and wisdom in attaining those. It is the case having true facts about the world is...
  14. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    Let's break this one down. Suppose I stick a pin in my finger, I feel pain and jump up and go 'ow!'. Now there are subjective and objective facts associated with this incident. An objective fact is that I jumped up, and uttered 'ow'. This is true even if I am not really a subject (I could be a...
  15. brokensymmetry

    private experiences and objective reality

    There are facts which are not constituted by, nor partially constituted by, my psychological response. The assertion that 'the nucleus of helium has 2 protons and 2 neutrons' is true (or false) independently of my reactions to it, or whether or not I or any other subject exists. It is true (or...
  16. brokensymmetry

    cosmology and God

    Here are some thoughts: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/modern-cosmology-versus-gods-creation/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0#more-153324 Is there any way that cosmology supports the existence of God? Is enough known firmly to construct a solid fine tuning argument? Is there...
  17. brokensymmetry

    where are the miracles?

    If you look at my 'private experiences and objective reality' thread I explore the first question. It is the case I have had a variety of striking and vivid spiritual experiences. It's also the case that isn't at all relevant to my claim. Unless you have a good argument for why I ought to...
  18. brokensymmetry

    where are the miracles?

    Because she had a notion that that was the truth. If you have any sense that your entire life is completely made up it would likely ruin your enjoyment. The only way it could work is if there was no suspicion on her part about her true nature.
  19. brokensymmetry

    where are the miracles?

    First, I don't think mystical experiences reveal anything to anyone except about their own psychology. That's it. I don't think you gain 'metaphysical' insight (which by the way, metaphysics proper is a field that is done by philosophers in a very vigorous and analytical way). I don't think...
  20. brokensymmetry

    where are the miracles?

    what if she never found out?
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