Re: dhw--Epistemological Framework (Humans)

by dhw, Friday, January 21, 2011, 12:43 (5054 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID (20 January at 14.12): You may change the symbol for '4', but four apples are still four apples. Your philosophy is stretched beyond any reality.-dhw (19 January at 13.07): If you lay 1+1+1+1 items together, nothing can alter the number of items. The sign humans have chosen to indicate that number is 4 [...]. If you decide to change that sign [...] it will just lead to total confusion and will negate the whole purpose of language.-This is why in discussing our epistemological framework, we have to decide on our level. If we choose the philosophical level, we will get nowhere, not because my "philosophy is stretched beyond any reality", but because philosophy generally can be used to undermine ANY concept of reality. I'm therefore trying to establish a framework on what I call the common-sense level. In the same post I argued that on this level, in the statement 2 + 2 = 4 "knowledge and truth can be said to coincide." I don't think there is any disagreement here between David and me, but I await a response from Matt!