(December 14, 2011 at 4:33 am)tackattack Wrote: Not going back too far into the conversation just thought I'd comment on the few things I've read so far, particularly quoted above. "Best" is not a statement of the degree of quality of a statement, "best" is a sum of the most useful.
"Best" is simply the superlative form of "good".
Something is good if it conforms to a particular standard. The thing that conforms the closest is the best. The best student in the class is not the same as the most useful.
Utility has little to do with it, unless the standard itself requires some sort of purpose.
(December 14, 2011 at 4:33 am)tackattack Wrote: I agree that objectifialbe things are better than subjective things in most instances. It's not because they're more based in reality, but more useful in my percieved reality.
Actually, the "objectifiable" would be useful in your "perceived reality" if your "perceived reality" is same as or as close to actual reality as possible.
This is why science is so often at odds with religion, since science is based on reality and is objective, whereas the "perceived reality" of religious people is far from actual reality.
(December 14, 2011 at 4:33 am)tackattack Wrote: I think that's an important distinction. I also don't think "objective" or "rational" necessitates a correlation to reality although they are often related.
Yes it does. Objective means independence from subjective perception. How does that not necessitate a correlation with reality?
(December 14, 2011 at 4:33 am)tackattack Wrote: I believe objective reality is more useful than someone's personal reality only as far as that objective reality applies to the usefullness of my life seen through my subjective reality.
"Subjective reality" is a contradiction in terms. Reality is something that exists independent of your subjective perception.
Here, you seem to have things backwards. It is not objective reality that must conform to to your subjective reality or prove itself useful. If your "perceived reality" does not conform to "objective reality" (I really hate that term - its redundant), then reason and rationality would be of no use to you. But the objective reality wouldn't just go away, you would.
