Re: realist-rationalist quad

From: lhousego@axa.com.au
Date: Wed Feb 14 2001 - 01:44:52 GMT

  • Next message: wilkins: "Re: realist-rationalist quad"

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    Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:44:52 +1000
    Subject: Re: realist-rationalist quad
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    Umm... I'm kinda curious how you accurately quantify this beyond
    "guessometrics". If you are unable to deliver hard numbers using a
    consistent methodology, I think talk of anything beyond putting a blott
    somewhere that looks about right is a bit overkill.

    Is there something I'm missing here?

    Mark Mills <mmills@htcomp.net> on 14/02/2001 10:35:30 am

    Please respond to memetics@mmu.ac.uk

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    Subject: Re: realist-rationalist quad

    John,

    At 10:55 AM 2/14/01 +1100, you wrote:
    >Bear in mind that these are polar, not discrete, options.

    ? Not sure I understand. I changed the website
    (http://www.htcomp.net/markmills/real-rational.htm) to look more polar, but
    I doubt this is what you mean by polar and discrete.

    > This describes
    >a field of positions that may be occupied in degrees rather than kind.

    Are you saying it is impossible to 100% realist and 100% rationalist at the
    same time?

    It seems to be that one or the other must be primary at any given
    moment. It seems like a matter of methodology. Does one start with
    rational intuition? Does one start with refined sensual data (realism)?
    One has to start somewhere.

    >Moreover, there may not be equilibrium states (see David Lewis'
    >_Conventions_ for a description of these) but rather some sort of
    >chaotic attractors so that the most stable position is something like
    >pragmatist realism but not entirely.

    Pragmatic realism... hm, where is that on the quad? 90% realism, 30%
    rationalism? Given my 'first steps' metaphor, 90 steps toward enhanced
    sensual data and 30 towards rational understanding? And of course, does
    this have anything do to with epistemology?

    >How you could determine this I am
    >not sure. Perhaps it could be modelled and then tested against
    observations.

    That sounds interesting. Did any ideas come to mind?

    Mark

    http://www.htcomp.net/markmills

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