(September 26, 2018 at 8:55 am)polymath257 Wrote:(September 26, 2018 at 8:50 am)RoadRunner79 Wrote: If you are saying that some quality cannot be assessed in a way of greater and lesser than, then that would simply not apply to the argument; would it not It also seems that you are equivocating in your use of greater than, trying to apply it at one point from a standpoint of math, and then in another as a matter of virtue.
Well, that is part of the point. There isn't a single concept of 'greater' that can be universally applied. There are several different concepts, but none that encompasses all of them.
Even in the matter of virtue, there are many different notions of 'greater than' that can conflict with each other.
As Steve pointed out, you are just talking about how we know what is greater. It isn't about different notions about what is greater than what, but that there is any such notion to begin with. It isn't about finding some thing, where this type of classification is a category error, that doesn't refute the idea. If it is truly a category error, then it just doesn't apply. That you may be unable to determine what is greater, does not follow that their isn't a greater quality.
It seems that you are trying to over complicate things here; to wiggle out of the concept. It doesn't require that we can know what is greater, but that it is appropriate to talk about any attribute as greater than to begin with. It would also appear that you would need to address what is being put forth as greater than or less than, unless you think that the entire concept of greater or lesser than is incoherent.
It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. - Alexander Vilenkin
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther
If I am shown my error, I will be the first to throw my books into the fire. - Martin Luther