RE: Berkeley's argument for the existence of God
March 29, 2018 at 3:37 pm
(This post was last modified: March 29, 2018 at 3:38 pm by Mystic.)
(March 29, 2018 at 3:35 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote:(March 29, 2018 at 3:31 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: @MK sure man, I'll PM that to you if you'd like.
True F&F but your hand does not register 200 degrees celcius, right? Instead it registers "Ouch! Hot!" There is a specific sensation that heat has... and a specific sensation that cold has... just like the color "blue" has a certain appearance. These are the mind's interpretation of color and temperature. There is no equal sign between the SENSATION of warmth and a thermometer reading. That's what Locke and Hume call a "secondary quality."
Shape and size are different. Shape is a "primary" quality because it is not the result of the interpretive powers of the mind... it is a direct representation of an actual quality of the object.
I'm not sure how that answers my question. We have explicit, non-subjective definitions of heat, the lack thereof, and the physical effects on reality when heat increases or decreases. It's not my mind interpreting heat, it's a tool that we've all used a bazillion times specifically to AVOID relying on subjective perception and interpretation. Same thing with the color blue - it's a specific range of light wavelength. That wavelength would exist whether or not we could see it - just like I can say "Infrared light exists, even though I cannot perceive it." Shape and size are defined by angles, lengths, volume, etc - just the same way heat and color are.
But my bigger question again - how is this useful? How do we verify this if not through using the very sort of data + evidence that Berkeley seems to be disparaging?
You may as well post your refutations, because I still don't see any way this argument holds any water to begin with. Or...is it simply the idea of water?
Do you see size in your dreams? Is it material?
(March 29, 2018 at 3:37 pm)Khemikal Wrote:(March 29, 2018 at 3:35 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: Tell me what is the material nature of the color red?
Light within 650-720nm, 400-484THz, and 1.65-2.0eV. Give us a hard one.
Yes so I'm sure that it's how it's created in your dreams when you see that beautiful woman in red, that I'm sure you dreamed about lol.
