Another large category of essences: Perception of all sorts, not just pain. Computer scientists have found out the hard way that vision doesn’t just happen.
(7) is a hard one. I think it was G.K. Chesterton [1] who said that seeing through everything is indistinguishable from being blind.
You’re using the standard of the universe as scientifically postulated (interacting matter/energy which can be understood through observation, experiment, and logic) as the tool for dissolving essences.
I suppose the risk is thinking that the universe assuredly is as currently conceived, and may not be a great deal weirder than that. On the other hand, unless it’s got a whole other layer of currently unimaginable weirdness, we’re still limited [2] to observation, experiment, and logic in investigating it.
[1] I realize that citing Chesterton makes the statement less credible, if anything, but I think it’s a legitimate point as well as clever, and I″m giving credit where it’s due.
[2] I’m inclined to think that if there is a great increase in processing capacity, there will be emergent qualities as unimaginable to us-now as formal logic is to an earthworm, but there’s no point in putting much thought into what the details might be.
When you make an effort to minimize or eliminate your belief in essences, how does it affect your life?
Another large category of essences: Perception of all sorts, not just pain. Computer scientists have found out the hard way that vision doesn’t just happen.
(7) is a hard one. I think it was G.K. Chesterton [1] who said that seeing through everything is indistinguishable from being blind.
You’re using the standard of the universe as scientifically postulated (interacting matter/energy which can be understood through observation, experiment, and logic) as the tool for dissolving essences.
I suppose the risk is thinking that the universe assuredly is as currently conceived, and may not be a great deal weirder than that. On the other hand, unless it’s got a whole other layer of currently unimaginable weirdness, we’re still limited [2] to observation, experiment, and logic in investigating it.
[1] I realize that citing Chesterton makes the statement less credible, if anything, but I think it’s a legitimate point as well as clever, and I″m giving credit where it’s due.
[2] I’m inclined to think that if there is a great increase in processing capacity, there will be emergent qualities as unimaginable to us-now as formal logic is to an earthworm, but there’s no point in putting much thought into what the details might be.
When you make an effort to minimize or eliminate your belief in essences, how does it affect your life?