questions for the group: If the only language you know does not have a word for the color gray, do you think you will see the color gray? Will you see it as gray in the same way as someone whose language does have a word for that color and who has seen that color labeled as such? Or will it look different to a person who doesn't have a word for it than it does to a person who has a word for it and has seen the color with that label? Will it look more green or blue to someone whose language has a word for green or blue but not gray?
Selma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "pete" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 9:35 PM Subject: RE: [Futurework] new book > Pete, > > The only reality I can confirm is objective. > > No-one can confirm subjective reality. > > But, I enjoyed your post. > > Harry > ---------------------------------------------- > > pete wrote: > > > >On Wed, 28 May 2003, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > >when uncertainty becomes unbearable, faith provides solace. > > > > > Ed Weick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [wrote:] > > > > >>Selma, I think you've put the matter very well. It reminds me of Thomas > > >>Merton's concept that, to understand God, we must depend on both reason > > >>and faith. In understanding who and what we are, we must let > > >>rational thought take us as far as we can possibly go with it. With > > >>each passing day or year, or with each scientific breakthrough, we will > > >>know a little more, but we will then increasingly recognize that what we > > >>cannot know is much larger, perhaps infinitely larger since there may be > > >>no boundaries, than what we can know. That is where reason ends and > > >>faith must take over. > > > > >>Selma <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Singer [wrote:] > > > > >>>Hi Natalia, > > >>> > > >>>I am familiar with The Course in Miracles; I have the book and its > > >>>companion and did a little work with it some years ago; as you say, > > >>>there are many paths to the same end. > > >>> > > >>>I am not comfortable however, with the idea that there is no objective > > >>>reality, although I doubt that my idea of objective reality is exactly > > >>>like that of those who believe that's all there is. > > > >I regard the subjective reality of Berkeley as possessing equal validity > >as the objective reality of western science, and I think the true > >nature of reality embraces them both in a synthesis beyond the > >apparent paradox our limited understanding perceives, analogous to > >the synthesis of wave and particle, or other such complements > >which abound in physics. The world of subject and object is a > >result of a symmetry breaking event analogous to that which brought > >the multiplicity of fundamental forces into being. > > > >Furthermore, I applaud uncertainty, and hold that the position of > >agnosticism is the first step in understanding. You can't learn til > >you assume the position that you don't know. I see no value in > >abandoning that position in favour of faith. Rather, I promote > >the concept of active introspection, to replace agnosis with > >gnosis by direct experience. > > > >As far as the "mind", there are problems with the precision of > >terms, and much is lost in translation from the philosophies of > >other cultures. The concept of "no mind" in Buddhism is not > >an endorsement of an objective reality of a western nature, > >rather a rejection of the arcane profusion of mental "worlds" > >in some other eastern philosophies. However, from the simple > >western perspective, one can say, to illuminate the nature of > >mind, that either you have one, or there is no "you", rather > >"you" are one of the filler bodies, extras added to the world to > >bulk out the crowd scenes, golems which have no experiences > >and no subjective existence, ie no one home. This is a useful > >distinction to introspect on, to explore the nature of the bare > >essence of being, which is where one can apply one's attention to > >pry open the secrets of the true nature of reality. > > > > -Pete V > > **************************************************** > Harry Pollard > Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 > http://home.attbi.com/~haledward > **************************************************** > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/2003 > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
