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Mon 25 May, 2009 12:18 pm
since my time is limited: i haven't been able to dig into the forum (and sub-forums) as i'd like
i'm uncomfortable dipping into, or beginning, a discussion on 'free will' and agency without first seeing where the in-house, prevalent, winds blow
so: in lieu of something serious or profound, i offer the following as memorial day gift
enjoy!
comment as you like!
more tomorrow... --henry
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fact: what can be observed, verified...a dry, cold thing...information about what is 'real'...accurate, but often lacking a certain zip...the labels on cereal boxes stand as example...the sphere of robots, reductionists, determinists, and other limited creatures
belief: the spicy goodness of life...unverifiable, lacking in crucial evidences...sometimes wildly off the mark, but offering what 'fact' does not, namely comfort/horror, stamina, the 'oomph' to get through the night...the bible stands as example...the sphere of fanatics, religionists, politicians, dogmatists, and other limited creatures
truth (knowledge): the ungainly hybrid of fact and belief...what one gets when one takes a leap into the gap...sad s?ren was big on truth...as was saint max...and mad friedrich...best handled in small doses...potent crap...not for the delicate, the weak, or the certain...the sphere of existentialists, agnostics, egoists, and other free agents and freaks
@henry quirk,
But how do you know it is really truth. Humans perceive it as truth, but it can't be natural truth. Though the definition of truth is human so i guess it'd come under our definition of truth.
@henry quirk,
Are we allowed to contribute our own? Cynical ones, even?
fable /noun/
a fictional story intended to convey an underlying motto. An anthology of fables is called a Bible.
hope /verb/
an act of blindfolding yourself in subservience to your own happiness.
coherence /adjective/
something your debating partner obviously lacks.
pessimism /noun/
a constant negative outlook on life. Extreme pessimism discourages breathing.
armchair /noun/
a philosopher's natural habitat.
@parker pyne,
fact: something that is certain to be true.
truth: something that is an obvious fact.
belief: something that one person considers a fact that is contrary to another person's truth.
Used in a sentence:
It is a fact that truth is a belief.
@richrf,
richrf;73534 wrote:fact: something that is certain to be true.
truth: something that is an obvious fact.
belief: something that one person considers a fact that is contrary to another person's truth.
Used in a sentence:
It is a fact that truth is a belief.
A definition I found in a book that I took to heart was: "A fact is just something that has passed a standard of proof".
With your definitions, it seems like "truth" and "fact" is synonymous, but I disagree. Truth necessarily entails a level of infallibility, while fact is just the most reliable information available. In other words, a fact is assumed truth. A fact can be falsified, truth cannot.
When you say "contrary to another person's truth", you're saying that two contradictory truths can exist, but I see that as logically impossible.
@richrf,
richrf;73534 wrote:
belief: something that one person considers a fact that is contrary to another person's truth.
Beliefs have nothing to do with facts. Facts are necessarily true, and beliefs are not, thus, a belief is indifferent to whether it is true or false. The contrary to another person's truth is also total unnecessary to the definition. Another person is unnecessary to the concept of belief. All it takes is one person for a belief to be formed.
@henry quirk,
Fact: An idea that has not been adequately disproven, and is accepted by the majority.
Belief: subjective truth.
Quote:When you say "contrary to another person's truth", you're saying that two contradictory truths can exist, but I see that as logically impossible.
This is why "logic" creates concepts such as the "paradox".
:shifty: Theoretical "polyfilla". It is good for filling the gaps.
@Anais,
There's always the original:
The Devil's Dictionary
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