tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post5616457271108224221..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: Secular sandcastlesRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-86987832180762776092009-01-17T08:01:00.000-05:002009-01-17T08:01:00.000-05:00Zilch,Ultimately, if we are to be consistent natur...Zilch,<BR/><BR/>Ultimately, if we are to be consistent naturalists, your "meaning" must be explained in terms of the meaningless, non-purposive, and non-teleological. And that's <I>at best</I>. For some more consistent naturalists, such folk locutions ought to be eliminated. Of course, you will say that you give your life its own meaning. But of course this raises other questions. What does it even mean to say that? Isn't there some irreducible subjectivity going on? A "what it is like" for something to be meaningful for you? But how does irreducible subjectivity comport with a view that claims all is irreducibly objective? All is subject to scientific investigation? Furthermore, allegedly you <I>believe</I> certain things are meaningful, but how do beliefs qua positive cognitive attitudes make sense? Moreover, I assume these beliefs about what is meaningful to you cause you to act. But what does that mean? How do immaterial things cause things to happen in a closed system? Of course you might identify beliefs with neurons, but that seems, just, well, <I>odd</I>. Beliefs seem to have properties that neurons or other physical structures don't have. And, let's not even start on what it <I>means</I> to talk about "behaving nicely" in a naturalistic view of the world. I assume it also gets reduced to something non-normative. Neither nice nor non-nice. So, of course you'll have to forgive us for not standing around slack-jawed at your statements intending to show how you can be an intellectually and morally fulfilled human being given other beliefs you hold. Beliefs even you know seem somewhat incompatible with a Darwinist view of the world.Errorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10615233201833238198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-66608300474423381832009-01-17T07:22:00.000-05:002009-01-17T07:22:00.000-05:00Eh. For you, meaning can only come from the top do...Eh. For you, meaning can only come from the top down. For me, meaning evolves from the bottom up. But as long as you behave nicely, more power to you.<BR/><BR/>cheer from icy Vienna, zilchzilchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695741977946935771noreply@blogger.com