andrel wrote:
> On 7-8-2009 1:25, Darren New wrote:
>> andrel wrote:
>>> Because that is what everybody does, even you.
>>
>> Yes. That doesn't mean it *is* knowledge, and that doesn't mean 
>> everything is reasonably "knowledge" to someone. That's why I'm 
>> bringing up the examples of Napoleon.
> 
> Let me put it this way: I say I *'know'* something if it is beyond 
> reasonable doubt for *me*. Beyong reasonable doubt can be for a number 
> of reasons:
> 1) based on authority that I have no reason to doubt (the sun is about 
> 150 million kilometers away)
> 2) own experience (there must be an algorithm that computes the cube of 
> an integer finalizing 3 bits per iteration*)
> 3) when the negation would be incompatible with my existence (god does 
> not exist)
> Possibly an underlying problem in this discussion is that you assumed 
> that the non existence of god is category 1 or 2 knowledge (because it 
> would be for you?) whereas it is actually category 3. Also possibly 
> confusing is that I admit that for theists the negation may also be 
> category 3. I don't see a problem in that because we are different people.
> 
body else, has never seen.

And yet.. You miss category 4: "Because the negation would contradict 
societal ideas and social beliefs, which I am heavily invested in." One 
**strongly** suspects that the same argument of negation in #3 would be 
stated by *anyone* with *any* god, even one so terrifyingly different 
from yours that you find its very nature abhorrent. In fact, I am 
certain of it. Its the Francis Collins method of "knowing". And, its 
been rightly dissected by numerous people, ever since it was suggested 
he might become the head of the NIH. This is one of the better ones:

http://www.reasonproject.org/archive/item/the_strange_case_of_francis_collins2/

I am sure it wouldn't be *too hard* to think of other things, besides 
religion, which are entirely social constructs of their society, are 
presumed to be "known" as fact, and yet are absolutely nothing of the sort.


-- 
void main () {
   If Schrödingers_cat is alive or version > 98 {
     if version = "Vista" {
       call slow_by_half();
       call DRM_everything();
     }
     call functional_code();
   }
   else
     call crash_windows();
}

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