The methodological emptiness of rationalism and the arrogance of certainty

Started by Baruch, July 21, 2018, 02:19:20 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Baruch

Quote from: luckswallowsall on September 27, 2018, 05:04:00 PM
I didn't avoid it. I can't remember what my results were... it was a long time ago that I took them.

Unless you retake them, and share them, then your contribution in this case is ... underdetermined.

On Sartre etc ... they were French, so of course they thought with their gonads ;-)
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Quote from: luckswallowsall on September 27, 2018, 05:28:45 PM
Sounds like a hoaxed quote...

If he said that... and he wasn't joking.... no wonder his existentialism is a load of nonsense.

All I can say is that many sites discussing philosophy accept this quote as real.  And yes he was full of crap.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Cavebear

But I found this interesting site, [http://airshipdaily.com/blog/10-philosophers-summed-up-in-a-single-sentence} that said Kant basically said "Good decision-making is based on understanding the universal moral impact of your choices, and if you don’t consider this, you are likely a selfish jerk or possibly Ayn Rand."

Yep, they nailed me...  Except I would say "ethical" rather than "moral".
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

luckswallowsall

Quote from: Shiranu on September 27, 2018, 05:57:28 PM
But on existentialism, what exactly is nonsense?

Well, when it comes to existentialism of the Sartre brand the following is nonsense:  his notion of "existence precedes essence", his notion of "nothingness" that our supposed "freedom" comes out of and  his notion that we are "condemned to be free".

Cavebear

Quote from: luckswallowsall on October 04, 2018, 11:06:24 AM
Well, when it comes to existentialism of the Sartre brand the following is nonsense:  his notion of "existence precedes essence", his notion of "nothingness" that our supposed "freedom" comes out of and  his notion that we are "condemned to be free".

I once read that there is nothing worse than arguing with a philosophy student.  Now I know why.  They know everything, but also know nothing.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Hydra009

Quote from: luckswallowsall on October 04, 2018, 11:06:24 AM
Well, when it comes to existentialism of the Sartre brand the following is nonsense:  his notion of "existence precedes essence", his notion of "nothingness" that our supposed "freedom" comes out of and  his notion that we are "condemned to be free".
"existence precedes essence" essentially means that humans do not inherently have any meaning or purpose in life, and are thus free to pursue their own meaning and purpose.

"condemned to be free" essentially means that humans always free to make choices in their lives - they can wake up and go to work, stay home, fly to Australia, etc.  And they can neither delegate nor escape these choices.  Your boss can demand you come in all he wants, but it's still up to you as to whether or not you actually show up.

What's wrong with either idea?

Obviously, I express some skepticism on how much humans are truly free to make choices and on whether or not life even has any purpose, but imo neither idea is particularly heinous (quite the opposite, given the competition) nor horribly factually wrong.

Imo, it may be wrong in the sense that the statement that sun rises.  It describes a real phenomenon in a somewhat mistaken way, but I can easily see how someone would get the wrong impression from that vantage point, so it's easy to let it slide.

Cavebear

Quote from: Hydra009 on October 04, 2018, 12:16:09 PM
"existence precedes essence" essentially means that humans do not inherently have any meaning or purpose in life, and are thus free to pursue their own meaning and purpose.

"condemned to be free" essentially means that humans always free to make choices in their lives - they can wake up and go to work, stay home, fly to Australia, etc.  And they can neither delegate nor escape these choices.  Your boss can demand you come in all he wants, but it's still up to you as to whether or not you actually show up.

What's wrong with either idea?

Obviously, I express some skepticism on how much humans are truly free to make choices and on whether or not life even has any purpose, but imo neither idea is particularly heinous (quite the opposite, given the competition) nor horribly factually wrong.

Imo, it may be wrong in the sense that the statement that sun rises.  It describes a real phenomenon in a somewhat mistaken way, but I can easily see how someone would get the wrong impression from that vantage point, so it's easy to let it slide.

When someone says "condemned to be free, I feel pretty free to ignore them after that, LOL!
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Baruch

Quote from: luckswallowsall on October 04, 2018, 11:06:24 AM
Well, when it comes to existentialism of the Sartre brand the following is nonsense:  his notion of "existence precedes essence", his notion of "nothingness" that our supposed "freedom" comes out of and  his notion that we are "condemned to be free".

That shows you are a most definite opinion on this subject.  But it is without specific justification.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Baruch

Quote from: Cavebear on October 04, 2018, 12:14:49 PM
I once read that there is nothing worse than arguing with a philosophy student.  Now I know why.  They know everything, but also know nothing.

Socrates started that trend ;-)
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Baruch

Quote from: Cavebear on October 04, 2018, 12:19:01 PM
When someone says "condemned to be free, I feel pretty free to ignore them after that, LOL!

Sartre said that in the context of being a French resistor to Nazi occupation.  Namely ... he could choose to do something about the occupation, or not ... but that didn't change the fact of the Nazi occupation.  Aka .. you can't flee responsibility for your actions, or even your inactions.  And that responsibility is a tyranny.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Hydra009

Quote from: Cavebear on October 04, 2018, 12:19:01 PM
When someone says "condemned to be free, I feel pretty free to ignore them after that, LOL!
And when someone inadvertently admits that they're afraid of differing points of view?

Baruch

Quote from: Hydra009 on October 04, 2018, 01:11:49 PM
And when someone inadvertently admits that they're afraid of differing points of view?

Then they join Hamlet, as a nut in a shell.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Quote from: Hydra009 on October 04, 2018, 01:11:49 PM
And when someone inadvertently admits that they're afraid of differing points of view?

Inadvertently?  I almost glory in it.  I'm perfect.  Differing opinions are All wrong...  ;)
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Hydra009


Cavebear

Quote from: Hydra009 on October 04, 2018, 01:27:16 PM


The perfect color is Hunter Green, the best music is Pachel's Canon in D, the best flavor is vanilla ice cream with sliced peaches, the best  bird egg color is Robin's Egg Blue, the best cat is a secret to me so I don't anger the other two...
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!