(February 8, 2015 at 8:14 am)bennyboy Wrote:(February 8, 2015 at 1:17 am)Pizz-atheist Wrote: I'm confused by your usage of the term physical monist since it seems philosophers use the term physicalism to mean different things. I know one modern usage of physicalism is that [full in the blank] is dependent on or reduces to the things physics is about.No, that's circular. Physicists study reality, and so in this sense saying that reality is physical is just restating a definition.
You are using a non-standard definition of physics. By your definition metaphysics would count as a branch of physics. I don't see how this definition of physicalism is circular unless you're already defining reality as physical, which is not what idealist define reality as.
Given the patchwork nature of language you're going to get circular imperfect definitions often when trying to discussion philosophical and technical issues. This is something I'm starting to learn to just live with.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics Wrote:Physics (from Ancient Greek: φυσική (ἐπιστήμη) phusikḗ (epistḗmē) "knowledge of nature", from φύσις phúsis "nature"[1][2][3]) is the natural science that involves the study of matter[4] and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force.[5] More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.[a][6][7]
It is very important not to mistake hemlock for parsley, but to believe or not believe in God is not important at all. - Denis Diderot
We are the United States of Amnesia, we learn nothing because we remember nothing. - Gore Vidal
We are the United States of Amnesia, we learn nothing because we remember nothing. - Gore Vidal
