RE: Idealism is more Rational than Materialism
February 2, 2015 at 10:45 am
(This post was last modified: February 2, 2015 at 10:52 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Who simply assumes that? We observe it, we test those observations, we check them against other peoples observations and the observations of unthinking things. I think it's more than just an assumption, at this point (and once upon a time, as your op alludes to...we had a different set of assumptions regarding what was outt there, material and non-material), AKD.....
We actually -do know- that our experiences of taste, color, etc, are equivalent to some external thing - and that not all things are capable of experiencing the same range of either, with the same machinery, to the same effect. I don't see in infrared, for example..but infrared exists. If you're colorblind...that doesn't mean that those colors don't exist. When I say something is "sweet" I mean that it is acidic, when I say that something is "bitter" I mean that it is alkaline, etc etc etc. Smell to me, and smell to a dog are different, dogs "smell" atomic weight (really impressive, that one). That all of this stuff is referent isn't an assumption...it's hard won observation and conclusion. I don;t know that we can "easily postulate a world that is purely mentally constructed"..but further, I don't know why that would be a problem for materialism in the first place. Perhaps we can - someone living in a fantasy, entirely...do the comatose dream? - but is that mental construction the description of a physical machine at work even so? Seems so.
The material substrate appears to be required, not as an assumption, but as an observation. Whens the last time you saw some non-material thing making assumptions, eh?
We actually -do know- that our experiences of taste, color, etc, are equivalent to some external thing - and that not all things are capable of experiencing the same range of either, with the same machinery, to the same effect. I don't see in infrared, for example..but infrared exists. If you're colorblind...that doesn't mean that those colors don't exist. When I say something is "sweet" I mean that it is acidic, when I say that something is "bitter" I mean that it is alkaline, etc etc etc. Smell to me, and smell to a dog are different, dogs "smell" atomic weight (really impressive, that one). That all of this stuff is referent isn't an assumption...it's hard won observation and conclusion. I don;t know that we can "easily postulate a world that is purely mentally constructed"..but further, I don't know why that would be a problem for materialism in the first place. Perhaps we can - someone living in a fantasy, entirely...do the comatose dream? - but is that mental construction the description of a physical machine at work even so? Seems so.
The material substrate appears to be required, not as an assumption, but as an observation. Whens the last time you saw some non-material thing making assumptions, eh?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
