You're definition of metaphysics is off. Metaphysics encompasses all those things. Metaphysics is first principles. Stop creating phantom categories with the popular cultural definition of metaphysics which limits itself to things of the paranormal. There is the empirical and metaphysics -- nothing else.guest_of_logic wrote:There are a huge variety of human beliefs about the nature of reality, life's purpose, metaphysical concepts, spirituality and ultimate meaning
Beliefs are metaphysics. Judgment of sensory data is metaphysics. You cannot not do metaphysics.guest_of_logic wrote:I'm battling to make sense of you here. Are you saying that empirical beliefs can't be delusional?
Your original definition of metaphysics is off and in effect the rest of the links in your chain of thinking are off too. Great scientists have less metaphysical absurdities than mediocre ones and certainly less than ones who inject fantastic metaphysical absurdities and still claim to perform science. In my example, Dawkins has much much less metaphysical absurdities than his intelligent design opponents.guest_of_logic wrote:You seem to be saying that to be a great scientist you have to have a truthful set of metaphysical beliefs, whereas it seems to me more the case that to be a great scientist you need to be as impartial metaphysically as possible, because ultimately it's impossible to know metaphysical truth for certain, beyond the relatively trivial.
Why is David the source of everything? How much of the material linked to from this site have you read and how much from other sources? Why aren't you charging David with theft and unoriginality and copying Buddha? Because I do. If you think David is original in any fundamental way then you are very lost.guest_of_logic wrote:Uh, yes. Yes I do. I don't, however, see "the Tao" displayed across the top of this page: I gather that you have adopted David's understanding of "the Tao" as "Ultimate Reality". Fancy that - who would have guessed?
Now onto the science, enlightenment, and the difference of being a man or a woman. First, let me state that your singular examples of women who do well in science does not disprove the fact that the sciences, the real hard abstract sciences, are dominated by men. Secondly, let me restate that you readily admit that it is men who give the best performances in these abstract realms of science.
Given that, I state that because of this fact men are much more well armed to do battle with the realm of pure metaphysics, reach the edge of thought and words, and then correctly identify that which is known as Tao, Ultimate Reality, The Void, Enlightenment, Nirvana, God. Each of those words refer to the same concept to me. So for me to say:
and then:kissaki wrote:Knowledge of atoms and subatomic particles is impressive, yet none of these things brings one closer to Void.
is not contradictory. Read the words carefully. The first phrase says that knowledge of atoms and subatomic particles itself is not knowledge of Void. The second phrase says that those who do posses knowledge of atoms and subatomic particles are more likely to have the capacity, which is rationality, to understand Void. One is the thing itself, one is capacity. Even if I have the capacity to understand Void, I must still do the thinking and move towards understanding it. Now, you may argue that having the capacity is itself a step towards Void, and while that may be strictly true in semantic sense of the words I use, that step of having capacity is so tiny that it doesn't deserve too much praise lest one start getting ideas. It's like saying the step of opening the front door of your house and stepping onto your driveway is a step towards driving across the country. Yes, it's a step but let's not kid ourselves.kissaki wrote:Knowledge of atoms and subatomic particles is more likely to correlate with a capacity to understand the knowledge of the Tao.
Again, these are two different sentences referring to two different aspects regarding the link between empirical knowledge and metaphysical knowledge. Yes, the first sentence could be made less ambiguous, so I'll do that now:
Again, another way: Knowledge of the empirical is not knowledge of the metaphysical, but if you cannot correctly identify knowledge of the empirical, you are unlikely to correctly identify knowledge of the metaphysical.kissaki wrote:Knowledge of atoms and subatomic particles is impressive, yet none of these things are knowledge of Void.
As far as your criticism regarding the undeserved attack on women, my reply to that is that women do deserve such criticism -- every single bit. Men are already effectively trash to society, they are throwaways. They are automatons who take the brunt of risk in the form of dangerous roles who are clearly replaceable since such an attribute is a requirement for such a system to work. So for me to emphasize attacks on women more so than men is simply an efficient use of time. The reality of society attacks and tears down men every day, but who is tearing down women? Women get all the benefits of mens' work with relatively little of the work. The article you linked to in your previous post explains this very well, so I defer this point to it. Also, let me remind you that exceptions to clear general trends do not disprove or nullify them. Your insistence on specific exceptions is effectively irrelevant when it comes to the core issue.
Regarding your charge that I am prejudiced and psychologically motivated in my philosophy, I am guilty as charged. The very fact that you bring this up tells me what level your thinking is at. The very fact that you level that at me implies to me that somehow you think you have escaped it or that you plan to escape it at some imaginary point in the future. It implies that you think you somehow can escape the judging action of your mind and the specific character traits that color your personality and preferences. Understand cause and effect and this entire paragraph disappears.
All that said, I hate women. I hate them more than you can imagine. I hate how unthinking they are. I hate how simply because I am caused to sexually respond to them they think I must obey them, put up with their inane fetishes, or structure my entire life and very being around them. But most of all, I hate them because they are such pathetic representatives of the vehicle which gives rise to my current and future vehicles. I swear to the living god of reality that should I succeed in breaking their monopoly on the restrictions of form I will cut theirs down in an instant.
Quinn, Solway, and Rowden can act as arrogantly as they see fit. They are actually quite humble all things considered. If it wasn't for Solway's greatest book ever written I would still be a fool who believes in literal reincarnation like the Dali Lama and his circus ilk. You really have no idea from where they come.
Finally, ultimately everything I've said here is a lie and I expect to be hung for these words.