What is reason?

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What is reason? Rationalists state that we understand the universe by way of our rational capacity, but what is it exactly? I know that I am choosing by way of my reason, but what is the right reasoning?

Is it the ability to identify? To distinguish and to relate? Is it necessary for it to be independent of subjective biases?

2+2 = 4
Things that are alike must be treated alike. Is that reason?

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Reason

Please click on the above (Reason) ........ some interesting definitions to be found!

Thanks. :wink:

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Motive ?

Ask a rationalist ?

What are you choosing ?

Reasoning ?

Distingush and relate, necessary for reason ?

Why ?

No?

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I am not sure what it means. Logic?

But then, logic or reasoning may vary according to cultures, I guess. What may be seen as reason, or reasonable, may be just conformity to a set of thoughts or ideas in a society.

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I am with Bram. Reality is what you were told is, and what you are being told it is. (Told as in percieved by the senses). Also, when one claims he is using Reason it means that he applies it according to his prior understanding, and according to his own code of morality. Reason is a tool, and the wielder must still posess the wits to use it.

"Your mind is a monkeywrench. A tool that can be adjusted to fit the right nut." Monkeywrenchman

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Bram - you have confused the question. You are smuggling in normative questions with metaphysical questions.

Normative questions ask whether something is good or bad - not what something is - that is a metaphysical question. Logic, then does not change from culture to culture - ethics may (although I deny this as well) but logic does not.

Reason is a epistemological property of our mind.

Reasonable could be a metaphysical property attatched to one who is using reason. However, because it is not a sensible property - that seems up for debate.

Because it is up for debate - we can make anthropological statements about cultures that have seen one thing reasonable that another did not. This is where normative judgement comes into play.

I think pure reason has nothing to do with morality. If I am adding 3 things together I do not wonder if it is good that I get 3 or am I a good person for coming up with 3 - I am simply adding three things up.

Normative thinking does use moral axioms - and thus can differ from society to society.

TF

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TTF, I'm struggling to understand your post. I have a few difficulties with some words I am not sure what means, and I have misplaced my dictionairy. Would you mind explaining?

What is the difference between a normative and a metaphysical question?
What is epistemological? And finally what is an axiom?

I have some idea what these things might mean, but I'm not entirely sure..

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Cyracuz wrote:

I am with Bram. Reality is what you were told is, and what you are being told it is. (Told as in percieved by the senses).

I disagree.

REALITY is what is...regardless of what your senses tell you it is.

Your senses can easily be deceived.

YouR senses, for instance, can tell you that the Sun and moon circle our Earth...or that the Earth is flat.

But that is not the REALITY.

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I know what you mean frank. But that the sun circles the earth would have been my reality if I didn't know better. It is wrong, but an incorrect idea of reality is none the less an idea of reality. I agree that reality is what it is in the sense that if you jump up you will come down no matter what you think will happen.
So I guess what I mean is that reality is what it is, and that the perception of it varies and is relative. But if we cannot tell the two apart, how can we know what is real?

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Cyracuz wrote:

I know what you mean frank. But that the sun circles the earth would have been my reality if I didn't know better. It is wrong, but an incorrect idea of reality is none the less an idea of reality.

You mix up talking about ideas of REALITY...perceptions of REALITY...

...with REALITY.

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I agree that reality is what it is in the sense that if you jump up you will come down no matter what you think will happen.

REALITY is what is...no matter what! Perceptions of REALITY are perceptions of REALITY...nothing more.

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So I guess what I mean is that reality is what it is, and that the perception of it varies and is relative.

BINGO!

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But if we cannot tell the two apart, how can we know what is real?

One...we may not be able to know what is real! In fact...it is damn near certain that we most likely do not KNOW what is REAL....and in fact, perhaps we CANNOT KNOW what is REAL.

Two...we can tell the two apart.

Simply be willing to accept that what you perceive to be REALITY...may not, in fact, be REALITY...but merely your perception of REALITY. :wink:

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Would you say the idea of timetravel, in the sense that one travels to an historical moment, has realism to it? Some scientists claim that this is possible in theory, and that we in the future may be able to do this. Science or no science, it sounds like BS. Timetravel has no realistic value whatsoever.

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Cyracuz wrote:

Would you say the idea of timetravel, in the sense that one travels to an historical moment, has realism to it? Some scientists claim that this is possible in theory, and that we in the future may be able to do this. Science or no science, it sounds like BS. Timetravel has no realistic value whatsoever.

Whatever IS...IS.

If timetravel IS possible...when it happens...it IS.

If it doesn't happen...it ain't.

What IS...IS.

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Frank Apisa wrote:

What IS...IS.

* taps Frank on the shoulder *

Very Happy

Frank's a Zen Buddhist! Twisted Evil

:wink:

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justification

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shepaints wrote:

justification

Punctuation!

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ForeverYoung wrote:

Frank Apisa wrote:
What IS...IS.

* taps Frank on the shoulder *

Frank's a Zen Buddhist! :wink:

No more than the fact I am charitable makes me a Christian! :wink:

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Rats, Frank .............. I was just pullin' your leg. Cool

:wink:

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ForeverYoung wrote:

Rats, Frank .............. I was just pullin' your leg. :wink:

Oh...keep talkin' dirty to me, FY...I love it. :wink:

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Frank Apisa wrote:

Oh...keep talkin' dirty to me, FY...I love it. :wink:

..........but, but, but, I didn't tell you which leg! How did you know? :wink:

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.. . . . ......... .. .... ..

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What is reason?

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