--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltabl...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "PaliGap" <compost1uk@> wrote: > > > > <anatol_zinc@> wrote: > > > > >> Existence itself is your own direct experience in the > > >> here and now. > > > > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > > It is a concept, a conclusion we draw from our actual > > > perceptions and sensations and mental awareness. It is not > > > a self supporting ontological identity like matter. > > > > ..."a self supporting ontological identity". That puzzles me! > > What does that mean? And how does matter get to have this > > property? > > > Ontology deals with what exists. Epistemology deals with how we know and how > we can be confident about our knowledge and ethics deals with how we should > act with each other. > > With existence the question is "where do we start?" What are your first > principles of experience. I have chosen matter as my starting place and by > kicking a stone or skipping 13 consecutive meals you might join me. Now > there is a position in philosophy that is used as a thought exercise called > extreme skepticism which says that since we only experience the outside world > through our own minds and not directly, we have reason to doubt that anything > exists as separate from our consciousness. (my apologies to all Western > philosophy for squeezing these concepts into my tiny brain and presenting > them this way!) Anyhooo...I am not an extreme skeptic. Starting with the > physical world suites me fine.
Well yeah! If I was getting comped fine suites I too would be very fine indeed with the physical world! (oh, you meant suits you fine -- OK. Never Mind. --as AnnaRossanandana schrrreeet -- thats the Primary mistake of the Intellect -- it was Emily Leticia who use to say that) Did Emily and the Church Lady ever go at it? THAT would have been a focal point that may have triggered infinite and eternal transcendence. HA! "Never Mind" is such a good phrase. It could be the motto or catch-phrase for a SNL classic, the Vendantists AND the current Republican party (Nixon was more liberal than Obama is today, and there used to be republicans way more liberal than Nixon -- thus the adjective "current") > If it is all illusion, how would I know? I struggle with that a lot.Really. like if the illusions is so good, the really good illusary mind and senses would fall into the trap of believing they were real. >Plus there are really wonderful things to eat in this world once you take >matter seriously as a first principle and prepare them well! > > In our discussion I was making a different distinction between the concept of > "existence" which contains different qualities for the absolute skeptic > (serves shitty luncheons, I suggest you bring your own) and myself. (Bring a > bottle of inexpensive wine if you care to but leave the food to me), and > stuff like rocks and trees and our bodies, which is only conceptual for > people who play too many video games. > > > > > >
