RE: Are we surprising?
January 1, 2011 at 8:51 am
(This post was last modified: January 1, 2011 at 9:48 am by Edwardo Piet.)
So that means some people are surprised by X and some people are not surprised by X. Of course.
But if someone is surprised by something does that mean that that thing is actually surprising? Does "surprising to them" equate to "surprising"? Or would you consider something only truly surprising if it was objectively and intrinsically surprising? And if so, assuming that nothing is objectively and intrinsically surprising - would you therefore think nothing was surprising? People get surprised by nothing that is actually - objectively, intrinsically - surprising?
Would you consider it similar to the problem of Universals? For example, if "surprisingness" is merely the sum of the experience all surprised beings in the universe, then surprisingness exists. If however, "surprisingness" is supposed to be some value that exists separate to the surprise of surprised beings in the universe, then "surprisingness" itself doesn't exist, it is merely a concept. Do you agree? And if so, which view would you subscribe to? Or would you be happy to agree with either and it's just a matter of perspective?
But if someone is surprised by something does that mean that that thing is actually surprising? Does "surprising to them" equate to "surprising"? Or would you consider something only truly surprising if it was objectively and intrinsically surprising? And if so, assuming that nothing is objectively and intrinsically surprising - would you therefore think nothing was surprising? People get surprised by nothing that is actually - objectively, intrinsically - surprising?
Would you consider it similar to the problem of Universals? For example, if "surprisingness" is merely the sum of the experience all surprised beings in the universe, then surprisingness exists. If however, "surprisingness" is supposed to be some value that exists separate to the surprise of surprised beings in the universe, then "surprisingness" itself doesn't exist, it is merely a concept. Do you agree? And if so, which view would you subscribe to? Or would you be happy to agree with either and it's just a matter of perspective?
