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"Academic" or "Cartesian" Skeptics: followers of Plato's Academy.
Reason is paramount. We cannot know anything about the future, or anything about the contents of someone else's mind, or anything about the past, or anything at all about the "external world."
"Epistemist" Skeptics
We CAN know about the future, we can know about the contents of someone else's mind, or about the past, or about the "external world."
"Pyrrhonian" Skeptics
Inquiry is paramount, and a skeptic is an inquirer. Our position is not doubt or denial or disbelief, but continual inquiry. For example, We do not believe in the reality of a god, but neither do we deny it. Nor do we say that nobody could ever know for certain one way or the other, as agnostics do. Instead we say of god, "I personally do not know at the moment but I am trying to find out."
Naturally, we equate genuine scepticism with the Pyrrhonian type. Ideally all scientists should be genuine sceptics. We would welcome the presence of some genuine sceptics on Mysterious New Zealand. They would help to create balance and discipline in reportage and discussions. A genuine sceptic would both point out errors of fact and acknowledge genuine mysteries and possibilities within a proposition. No genuine sceptic would make absolute statements or use terms like 'the truth'.
Quote:
Truth. This is a word best avoided entirely in physics except when placed in quotes, or with careful qualification. Its colloquial use has so many shades of meaning from ‘it seems to be correct’ to the absolute truths claimed by religion, that it’s use causes nothing but misunderstanding. Someone once said 'Science seeks proximate (approximate) truths.' Others speak of provisional or tentative truths. Certainly science claims no final or absolute truths.
Physics and Astronomy Glossary
sorry, i can't yet put things in quote boxes
whenever i see Plato disparaged, even only, as here, by implication, i feel like jumping to his defence, not because he needs me, little old me, to defend him, but because he is the primary advocate, in the Western tradition, of really, really interesting ideas
as for truth, i agree, you did not present anything about truth
the word "truth" was used, but the context clearly shows that the proper term should have been "facts".........i think this is a major distinction, and find it very interesting
do you have a link for Hector's website ? i wonder how long i would last there until getting banned and anathematised ?
Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 969
Location: north-east victoria
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:53 pm Post Subject:
OK, i've looked at Hector's website, and it's amazing to report that it's flashing a great big "buddy alert" advertising that "it has tracked that his friend in Albury likes him"............good news travels fast
Thanks, Mel, just wondering, in what way was my last post jamming up the thread ?
