Idealism …
Estudia: Happy New Year Phi, I hope you had a good holiday, but I’m glad you’re back because I have a couple of questions regarding this mind-body dichotomy.
Philo: Thanks, Stew, I did have a great holiday thank you. But let me anticipate your questions and explain a little about some major metaphysical fallacies that have come out of that dichotomy. Maybe it will answer your questions.
Estudia: How many fallacies are you talking about and what are they?
Philo: Two major ones. One is called idealism and its proponents are known as idealists. These philosophers believe that reality is actually a spiritual dimension outside of (and usually above) this world. The universe is a product of their spiritual world which controls the world we can perceive with our senses. Consequently our world is often seen as imperfect. It is inferior to and deficient from the real world.
Estudia: What do they mean by a spiritual world? Are they talking about ghosts or what?
Philo: Spiritual refers to some consciousness other than human consciousness. The idealist hold the true reality is some kind of consciousness.
Estudia: So we’re back to the primacy of consciousness view.
Philo: Yes and no. Not primacy of our consciousness but of some higher consciousness. It could be a God or just an idea or some abstraction. Plato held these abstractions where the real world and we only see parts of them like shadows on a wall. This consciousness of the Idealists is a consciousness without any existence. It is pure and real to them. And yes it amounts to the primacy of consciousness approach as it holds that there is a consciousness without existence.
Estudia: I know about Plato’s abstractions but is this a popular position today?
Philo: Absolutely. The most popular one is called religion. But there all lots of versions of this besides religion. All of these various forms of idealism believe in the supernatural.
Estudia: You mean religion in general believes in a God or something outside and above the natural. That would be super – natural right?
Philo: Yes, but the idea is wider than just religion. Any individual or group that believes in and advocates another dimension outside of existence is advocating idealism. It is just not logical and you have to turn aside from reason and logic and proofs and philosophy and rely on faith. You have to just accept the idea of these people no matter how illogical or contradictory it is if you are to be a true believer.
Estudia: What about this popular argument for design we hear so much of these days. Things are so orderly and complex there must be a designer and that proves there is a God.
Philo: Bunk. This would mean that things are not what they are. God the designer makes them what they are and A isn’t necessarily A. Things aren’t just the way they are by chance. That isn’t the alternative to design. The alternative to design is causality. Things act in accordance with their nature not in contradiction to it. If things weren’t as they are they wouldn’t be at all. The idea of God as the Designer is a contradiction. The idea of God as the creator violates the idea of the primacy of existence. The idea of God as omnipotent violates the metaphysically given. The idea of God as infinite means it is larger than any specific quantity and that means God would have no specific quantity or lack identity. This violates the axiom A is A. Every idea for God collapses with logic and our derived philosophy.
Estudia: So we, you and I, with our derived philosophy are definitely not idealists.
Philo: Could you accept any means of knowledge other than reason? Would it make any sense to accept an illogical notion on faith and forget your senses, you mind and your life? No, I think you deserve better. To prove to yourself that your life is the highest value to you and you should live it in accordance with your nature. We have a lot to figure out. But we have to reject every idea of a spiritual dimension.
Estudia: No more, “Let the Force be with you”?
Philo: Not if you mean by “the Force” something outside of existence. Some means of gaining greater knowledge than by reason alone. I like the phase if you mean let the Force of Reason be with you. But reason doesn’t transcend existence.
Estudia: Okay. It’s official. I reject idealism and accept reality and only reality. That I love. That is a force in and of itself. May Reason be with you, Phi.
Philo: Thanks, Stew, I did have a great holiday thank you. But let me anticipate your questions and explain a little about some major metaphysical fallacies that have come out of that dichotomy. Maybe it will answer your questions.
Estudia: How many fallacies are you talking about and what are they?
Philo: Two major ones. One is called idealism and its proponents are known as idealists. These philosophers believe that reality is actually a spiritual dimension outside of (and usually above) this world. The universe is a product of their spiritual world which controls the world we can perceive with our senses. Consequently our world is often seen as imperfect. It is inferior to and deficient from the real world.
Estudia: What do they mean by a spiritual world? Are they talking about ghosts or what?
Philo: Spiritual refers to some consciousness other than human consciousness. The idealist hold the true reality is some kind of consciousness.
Estudia: So we’re back to the primacy of consciousness view.
Philo: Yes and no. Not primacy of our consciousness but of some higher consciousness. It could be a God or just an idea or some abstraction. Plato held these abstractions where the real world and we only see parts of them like shadows on a wall. This consciousness of the Idealists is a consciousness without any existence. It is pure and real to them. And yes it amounts to the primacy of consciousness approach as it holds that there is a consciousness without existence.
Estudia: I know about Plato’s abstractions but is this a popular position today?
Philo: Absolutely. The most popular one is called religion. But there all lots of versions of this besides religion. All of these various forms of idealism believe in the supernatural.
Estudia: You mean religion in general believes in a God or something outside and above the natural. That would be super – natural right?
Philo: Yes, but the idea is wider than just religion. Any individual or group that believes in and advocates another dimension outside of existence is advocating idealism. It is just not logical and you have to turn aside from reason and logic and proofs and philosophy and rely on faith. You have to just accept the idea of these people no matter how illogical or contradictory it is if you are to be a true believer.
Estudia: What about this popular argument for design we hear so much of these days. Things are so orderly and complex there must be a designer and that proves there is a God.
Philo: Bunk. This would mean that things are not what they are. God the designer makes them what they are and A isn’t necessarily A. Things aren’t just the way they are by chance. That isn’t the alternative to design. The alternative to design is causality. Things act in accordance with their nature not in contradiction to it. If things weren’t as they are they wouldn’t be at all. The idea of God as the Designer is a contradiction. The idea of God as the creator violates the idea of the primacy of existence. The idea of God as omnipotent violates the metaphysically given. The idea of God as infinite means it is larger than any specific quantity and that means God would have no specific quantity or lack identity. This violates the axiom A is A. Every idea for God collapses with logic and our derived philosophy.
Estudia: So we, you and I, with our derived philosophy are definitely not idealists.
Philo: Could you accept any means of knowledge other than reason? Would it make any sense to accept an illogical notion on faith and forget your senses, you mind and your life? No, I think you deserve better. To prove to yourself that your life is the highest value to you and you should live it in accordance with your nature. We have a lot to figure out. But we have to reject every idea of a spiritual dimension.
Estudia: No more, “Let the Force be with you”?
Philo: Not if you mean by “the Force” something outside of existence. Some means of gaining greater knowledge than by reason alone. I like the phase if you mean let the Force of Reason be with you. But reason doesn’t transcend existence.
Estudia: Okay. It’s official. I reject idealism and accept reality and only reality. That I love. That is a force in and of itself. May Reason be with you, Phi.
posted by Rp | 1:15 AM
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