In the case of the bent stick, would you be willing to finish the sentence “I observed that...” such that this sentence cannot come up false on the basis of a new theory?
“I observed that my image of the stick shows the stick as bent.” It is not a statement of objective reality, but a statement of appearances to me, in my direct experience, that a new theory must not contradict. The new theory is allowed to say that my image of the stick does not accurately describe the stick, but it may not say that I didn’t observe the image.
The new theory is allowed to say that my image of the stick does not accurately describe the stick, but it may not say that I didn’t observe the image.
And would you agree that the only things that can be included in the ‘normality’ a theory must add up to are these kinds of images and appearing? In other words, would you agree that any statement of objective fact is always, however we want to put it, theory-laden or involving some kind of falsifiable explanation?
In other words, would you agree that any statement of objective fact is always, however we want to put it, theory-laden or involving some kind of falsifiable explanation?
Notice the word “statement” in the above. Perhaps communication of a fact requires the use of a theory; but this does not imply that the fact itself is somehow “theory-laden”. (Maybe the latter is also the case, but the former doesn’t imply it.)
Perhaps communication of a fact requires the use of a theory; but this does not imply that the fact itself is somehow “theory-laden”. (Maybe the latter is also the case, but the former doesn’t imply it.)
Well, the word ‘fact’ tends to refer ambiguously to two things: first to the apple’s being green, and second to the intensional, semantic object ‘the apple is green’. I intended the second meaning. These kinds of facts, I’m saying, have to get excluded from the ‘normal’. The other, former kind of fact have no place in any theory, since they’re just the way the world is. I do think the wiki article on the normality of reality is based on an equivocation between these two senses of ‘fact’.
Anyway, the question is whether or not facts of the intensional semantic sort could belong to ‘normality’. If not (so goes the line of reasoning) then the only thing we can include in normality are statements of appearance and seeming. But this, I think, makes Egan’s law trivial.
“I observed that my image of the stick shows the stick as bent.” It is not a statement of objective reality, but a statement of appearances to me, in my direct experience, that a new theory must not contradict. The new theory is allowed to say that my image of the stick does not accurately describe the stick, but it may not say that I didn’t observe the image.
And would you agree that the only things that can be included in the ‘normality’ a theory must add up to are these kinds of images and appearing? In other words, would you agree that any statement of objective fact is always, however we want to put it, theory-laden or involving some kind of falsifiable explanation?
Notice the word “statement” in the above. Perhaps communication of a fact requires the use of a theory; but this does not imply that the fact itself is somehow “theory-laden”. (Maybe the latter is also the case, but the former doesn’t imply it.)
Well, the word ‘fact’ tends to refer ambiguously to two things: first to the apple’s being green, and second to the intensional, semantic object ‘the apple is green’. I intended the second meaning. These kinds of facts, I’m saying, have to get excluded from the ‘normal’. The other, former kind of fact have no place in any theory, since they’re just the way the world is. I do think the wiki article on the normality of reality is based on an equivocation between these two senses of ‘fact’.
Anyway, the question is whether or not facts of the intensional semantic sort could belong to ‘normality’. If not (so goes the line of reasoning) then the only thing we can include in normality are statements of appearance and seeming. But this, I think, makes Egan’s law trivial.