Absolute facts …
Philo: Welcome back ‘tud. Glad to see you.
Estudia: Y tu, professor. But I have been thinking about your philosophy and you promised to discuss metaphysics some more. Can’t see how there is much more to it so I’m curious.
Philo: Metaphysics is pretty limited as far as most Objectivists are concerned and they are concerned. Their view ends with the idea that there is just no alternative to reality. You don’t need to postulate an alternate reality or something outside and separate from the universe. A fact is a fact and no conceivable or imaginary alternative is possible. All facts are absolutely necessary and metaphysically given. Nothing we can do about it.
Estudia: What do you mean; we can’t do anything about them. I do lots of things that get things done. Men create all sorts of things, don’t they?
Philo: Of course, but that’s my point. There are facts that are just part of existence that exist separate from any human action. Facts that are not man-made. We create all sorts of mental and physical entities but they are all man-made and subject to our control. Some facts are just there and there is nothing we can do about them.
Estudia: Yea, that’s true I guess. It’s a fact that electrons and protons are attracted to each other but we use that fact to make televisions, right.
Philo: Electromagnetic attraction is a metaphysical fact. Televisions are man-made.
Estudia: Viruses are metaphysically given and anti-viral medications are man-made. Airfoils are man-made but lift and drag are metaphysically given.
Philo: Oh, you are good. So you may easily see that once you identify something, like the attraction of a proton and an electron, all of the Objectivist metaphysics is implied. The law of identity says that the fact is what it is. The entities obey the law of causality and act in specific ways. The nature of the entities and their actions are independent of any consciousness. They are not dependent on anyone’s feelings or beliefs.
Estudia: The primacy of existence corollary.
Philo: Exactly. If a fact is then it is an absolute fact —absolutely necessary by the nature of existence itself and not changeable by you, me or anyone, or anything for that matter.
Estudia: But is a fact necessary. Is it necessary to have laws say, or guns for that matter?
Philo: You are confusing the man-made with the metaphysically given. I’m taking about things over which we have no choice. Facts that are necessary because their nonexistence would result in a contradiction. The identity of the electron/proton system makes their attraction necessary. That is all that is needed from reality and such facts are not subject to evaluation like are they bad or good. You may not like it, but these types of facts are real so get over it, in other words.
Estudia: Water is denser that air and can crush you if you go too deep, and that is a bad thing, isn’t it?
Philo: It just is a fact. Compressed air in a tank with a two stage regulator is a man-made fact that can let you breath under that pressure, that’s good and can add enjoyment and wealth to men. Next time let’s discuss choice in dealing with facts.
Estudia: Bye, Phi!
Estudia: Y tu, professor. But I have been thinking about your philosophy and you promised to discuss metaphysics some more. Can’t see how there is much more to it so I’m curious.
Philo: Metaphysics is pretty limited as far as most Objectivists are concerned and they are concerned. Their view ends with the idea that there is just no alternative to reality. You don’t need to postulate an alternate reality or something outside and separate from the universe. A fact is a fact and no conceivable or imaginary alternative is possible. All facts are absolutely necessary and metaphysically given. Nothing we can do about it.
Estudia: What do you mean; we can’t do anything about them. I do lots of things that get things done. Men create all sorts of things, don’t they?
Philo: Of course, but that’s my point. There are facts that are just part of existence that exist separate from any human action. Facts that are not man-made. We create all sorts of mental and physical entities but they are all man-made and subject to our control. Some facts are just there and there is nothing we can do about them.
Estudia: Yea, that’s true I guess. It’s a fact that electrons and protons are attracted to each other but we use that fact to make televisions, right.
Philo: Electromagnetic attraction is a metaphysical fact. Televisions are man-made.
Estudia: Viruses are metaphysically given and anti-viral medications are man-made. Airfoils are man-made but lift and drag are metaphysically given.
Philo: Oh, you are good. So you may easily see that once you identify something, like the attraction of a proton and an electron, all of the Objectivist metaphysics is implied. The law of identity says that the fact is what it is. The entities obey the law of causality and act in specific ways. The nature of the entities and their actions are independent of any consciousness. They are not dependent on anyone’s feelings or beliefs.
Estudia: The primacy of existence corollary.
Philo: Exactly. If a fact is then it is an absolute fact —absolutely necessary by the nature of existence itself and not changeable by you, me or anyone, or anything for that matter.
Estudia: But is a fact necessary. Is it necessary to have laws say, or guns for that matter?
Philo: You are confusing the man-made with the metaphysically given. I’m taking about things over which we have no choice. Facts that are necessary because their nonexistence would result in a contradiction. The identity of the electron/proton system makes their attraction necessary. That is all that is needed from reality and such facts are not subject to evaluation like are they bad or good. You may not like it, but these types of facts are real so get over it, in other words.
Estudia: Water is denser that air and can crush you if you go too deep, and that is a bad thing, isn’t it?
Philo: It just is a fact. Compressed air in a tank with a two stage regulator is a man-made fact that can let you breath under that pressure, that’s good and can add enjoyment and wealth to men. Next time let’s discuss choice in dealing with facts.
Estudia: Bye, Phi!
posted by Rp | 11:18 PM
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