RE: Atheist Fundamentalism
October 16, 2014 at 12:53 pm
(October 16, 2014 at 1:59 am)Pickup_shonuff Wrote: An unmoved mover is, for all we know, synonymous with "forces of nature." Doesn't really get you anywhere beyond that.
You might be stopping short if you think of the forces of nature as limited to the four known physical forces and handful of constants. The regular operation and universal applicability of the physical laws are contingent more fundamental metaphysical principles, like the nature of causation, known only by rational reflection. The unmoved mover falls into this category of rationally because it necessarily links the potentials of sensible objects to their actualizations.
(October 15, 2014 at 10:56 pm)genkaus Wrote: (October 15, 2014 at 1:57 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: But not a good one. Are you even capable of making value judgments?
It’s [“pick what you like”] as good and valid as any of the other methods you might have.
Your statement makes no sense apart from the ability to evaluate what is bad, good, and better, with respect to method.
(October 15, 2014 at 10:28 pm)whateverist Wrote: (October 15, 2014 at 1:57 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: Do you consider any of the humanities knowledge?
If the 'knowledge' is the sort the humanities is famous for, then it will always be the kind over which people can reasonably disagree…The truths of the humanities are elective and persuasive, if at all, only in a rhetorical way.
You are right when it comes to the arts. It is a different story with many other disciplines. Historical facts are discovered, not invented. Likewise, linguistics and semiotics fall within the purview of the humanities and their conclusions are as solid as many accepted in some other branches of natural science.